New Hogwarts Legacy trailer shows off brutal killing curse

In case you missed the memo, all three Unforgivable Curses are present and usable in Hogwarts Legacy, which is dark on multiple levels when you consider that you’re playing as an actual child.

One previous trailer for the game revealed a choice-based section where the player can either choose to be taught how to use the Cruciatus Curse or have it used on them instead - the storyline then diverts based on this decision. The inclusion of the Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) is certainly the most surprising though, and as PlayStation LifeStyle reports, the spell has been shown off in the most recent trailer for the game.

Take a look at the latest trailer for Hogwarts Legacy below.

The new trailer follows the perilous journey of a messenger owl on its way to deliver a letter to a soon-to-be Hogwarts student. As well as having a very close call with a dragon, the poor bird is also targeted by a group of wizards who attempt to strike it down with the Killing Curse. Why on Earth they’d be so upset about a random owl passing by is beyond me, to be honest, but it certainly implies that the enemies that players will face in the game will be pretty brutal. The big disclaimer here though is that this is a cinematic trailer, so don’t expect the actual game to look quite so shiny.

Although many Harry Potter fans are very excited for the game’s release, Hogwarts Legacy isn’t without its controversies. Some are planning on boycotting the game due to its connection with author J.K. Rowling, who’s been criticised for making harmful comments about the transgender community. Actor Sebastian Croft, who recently starred in the LGBTQ+ romantic-comedy series Heartstopper, recently apologised to fans who felt hurt about his involvement with the game.

Hogwarts Legacy is set to release on 10 February on new-gen consoles and PC, previous-gen on 4 April, and Nintendo Switch on 25 July.