Hogwarts Legacy has been out for almost a year now. From its initial controversial boycott to selling over 22 million copies in 2023, the title is one of the best games of last year and most certainly the best Harry Potter game so far.
While fans still appreciate Hogwarts Legacy, there is one aspect players are not happy with. It’s not with the gameplay or the overall narrative, but rather with how the Scottish accents are portrayed.
Scottish NPCs vs. Actual Scottish People: Hogwarts Legacy
The wizardry world of Harry Potter has come to life in Hogwarts Legacy. You’ll explore its world and interact with a number of NPC characters. Some have distinct accents, while others are more subtle in their delivery.
Individuals from Scotland have heard how the game delivers its Scottish accents. Unfortunately, it left much to be desired.
Pulling from the comment section, the original poster (OP), who claims to be “an actual Scottish person,” decided to answer some questions regarding specific characters and their Scottish accents.
Imelda Reyes, a Slytherin student you interact with in Hogwarts Legacy, has a very light Scottish accent. You can hear the accent come out during certain parts of her dialogue. OP believes Reyes’ accent is okay – not close to the accents you hear in the Highlands, though.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Edgar Adley’s accent is “so so bad,” according to the OP. They compare Adley’s performance to Disney Pixar’s Brave Princess, Merida. Ironically, Merida’s voice actress, Kelly Macdonald, is from Scotland.
Lastly, the worst character, in the OP’s opinion, is Betty Bugbrooke. A very heavy “Scottish” accent that makes it hard to understand at certain points. The comparison the OP makes here is to the Fat Bastard character in the Austin Powers films, but as an old lady.
Are Hogwarts Legacy’s Scottish Accents That Bad?
As someone who isn’t surrounded by Scottish people often, it’s hard for me to decipher if the Scottish accents are truly that bad. Hogwarts Legacy is trying to bring many different vocal ranges into its world, but they missed the mark in some aspects.
Even though they hired mostly voice actors from Scotland for these characters, their performances did not meet the OP’s expectations. Edgar Adley’s voice actor, Jason Anthony, is not from Scotland, which can explain his misfire as that character.
Anthony has a number of roles in Hogwarts Legacy, such as Sorting Hat and Victor Rookwood. Maybe the developers did not want to go through the extra effort to find another voice actor from Scotland to play this character and instead had Anthony take on Edgar Adley.
The other characters, Imelda Reyes and Better Bugbrooke, are voiced by Scottish voice actors but weren’t 100% what the OP would’ve wanted for Scottish accents. They also did not like Merida from Brave, despite having a voice actor from Scotland to bring the character to life.
Maybe some of these actors exaggerated their Scottish accents too much, resulting in the mixed performances. Either way, let’s hope that if another Hogwarts Legacy game is on the horizon, more faithful accents will be delivered.
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