During the Xbox Showcase 2026, a game was announced that emotionally captivated MeinMMO editor Caro within seconds, even before the trailer was finished. And the more she learns about the game, the more her excitement for the release grows.
Which game is being talked about? It is the freshly announced, quite cozy-looking adventure game “Vivarium” by Studio Meadowflower, which will likely remain in the minds of many players mainly due to its charming look, just like it did for me.
In its gameplay mechanics, it resembles the already known candidates of many farming and cozy games, and it seems that it does not want to reinvent a working wheel. What makes Vivarium inevitable and unique for me, however, is the design.
The characters and the environments, with their slightly trembling layers like an old animation technique and a certain graininess, immerse the game in a look that resembles a living 80s anime from childhood. It immediately reminded me of titles like “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Studio Ghibli or even “Heidi”.
Within just a few seconds, the trailer completely captivated and enchanted me, although one or two verbs might not suffice:
It simply ripped me out of my daily life, tossed me onto a flower meadow covered with daisies, filled my nose with the scent of fresh grass and sunlight, and said: Here. This is it. Welcome back to a time that was so much simpler, a time you secretly long for so often.
Here you can watch the trailer that convinced me so quickly:
A cozy game with an underlying mystery?
In Vivarium, you play as a girl named Jenny, one of the residents of a vivarium, that is, an artificially created habitat, often for plants and other living beings. This vivarium creates for Jenny, her neighbors, and also for players a so-called “summer that never ends” (Source: Steam).
Similar to games like Animal Crossing, the game synchronizes with the real calendar to create various narrative events, quests, and opportunities for gardening and home care throughout the story. Moreover, the developers promise secrets that can be discovered and shaped through personal choices.
What those secrets are remains to be speculated. However, the trailer offers some clues that hint at an underlying mystery – such as subtly yet steadily changing paths in the forest, a too-quick acceptance of missing news, and the longing for beautiful moments to simply stay as they are. Properly captured under a glass dome in the midst of an aging house.
A trailer that I could physically feel and that made me swallow several times
The art style and the audiovisual style of Vivarium made me feel a lump in my throat several times just from the trailer, as emotional were the 1 minute and 26 seconds. The first impression created exactly what only Studio Ghibli titles could trigger in me: the longing for an intact world, as I experienced during childhood.
I grew up in a village where other kids and I could often be anywhere without expecting danger. We spent a lot of time in the woods, knew almost everyone we came across, and enjoyed a place that I often refer to as a backwater but that can actually be an absolute idyll.
The depiction of nature in Ghibli films, especially the coniferous forest from Kiki and also here in Vivarium, has always been able to transport me back to that better time.
I think the longing for a peaceful world that doesn’t need to be large to be perfect is also responsible for my fascination with miniatures and dioramas. With this love, Vivarium can understandably resonate perfectly with me. A tiny place with friendly faces and the smudged warmth of nostalgia.
It sounds almost too good to be true. Escaping reality, ignoring the world, and listening to the birds chirping in an artificial habitat of eternal summer. It sounds almost too good to be true … and exactly in this respect, I expect Vivarium to emotionally break me when it celebrates its release in 2027.
What do you think of the trailer for Vivarium? Do you feel similar to me? Or can you absolutely not warm up to cozy games at all?
In addition to Vivarium, many other games were announced this summer that could excite people from the editorial team. Among them was also Guild Wars 3 during the Summer Fame Fest, to which MeinMMO editor Alex has mixed emotions: I have been waiting so long for Guild Wars 3, but after almost 14 years, I don’t know if I’m ready to say goodbye
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