Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has been criticized not only for its heavy use of microtransactions, but also for contradicting established Harry Potter canon. However, there are even more problems with the story than some fans may have realized, with one major plot hole standing out as a rather glaring oversight on the part of the developers. Be warned that this article will have spoilers for Year 2 of the game.
As anyone who has reached Year 2 in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery already knows, the second year at the school begins with the mysterious disappearance of Ben Copper. Ben Copper is a nervous Gryffindor who seems inspired by the personality and mannerisms of Neville Longbottom from the books and movies. Despite a major plot point in Year 2 focusing on Ben’s disappearance, though, he actually appears in the courtyard and can even be interacted with.
During the side quest Get Revenge in Chapter 3 of Year 2, players are told to go to the Courtyard. While there, one of the people they can click on to spend energy and complete the objective is none other than Ben Copper. What makes this even more ridiculous is that the action players are completing with Ben is “talking” to him - yet the main quest at this same point revolves around searching for Ben, who is still supposed to be missing.
While some may be surprised that such an obvious plot hole managed to make its way into the game’s final release, it doesn’t seem as though the developers were all too concerned with story continuity. Despite the game basically being a visual novel and revolving entirely around its plot, developers Jam City is guilty of other continuity errors as well, like the aforementioned contradiction to established Harry Potter canon.
As hardcore Harry Potter fans noticed not long after the game’s release, it mentions the Firebolt brand of brooms, despite such a brand not existing until years later. Casual fans may not care about these inconsistencies, but it’s disappointing for those who were looking forward to the faithful Hogwarts experience the game promised.
It’s possible Jam City will fix this plot hole in a future update. After all, the studio was quick to respond to the negative criticism aimed at the game’s microtransactions by gifting players with 100 free gems, so it’s reasonable to assume it will attempt to improve Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in other areas as well.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.
