‘Vivarium’ Announcement Trailer: A Retro Anime Inspired Life Sim

Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase saw a new trailer for Vivarium, a life sim inspired by classic anime films and developed by Studio Meadowflower. You can view the latest trailer below:

The trailer which lasts for 1 minute and 31 seconds opens with a narrator who says, “Some years have a color to them…” we then see our protagonist Jenny who looks inside a tree which reveals a sprout. We transition to gameplay where Jenny says, “I wonder what this little sprout will grow into?” In the top right is the in-game clock as well as something that tells you what your currently equipped tool is.

Jenny exits the tree and we end up at a bridge where Jenny speaks to a fisherman who says hello. We switch to a cutscene where Jenny tells the fisherman about the sprout followed by birds eating from a bird feeder until we move back to snippets of gameplay. Jenny is seen watering plants, crafting something in a shed, breaking a lock with bolt cutters, running through a field of bamboo, uncovering a Shiny Runestone near the road and encountering a mysterious girl in the middle of a pond, in a cutscene the two smile at each other.

Jenny is seen meeting a dog character who says, “I was worried you might not find your way here! Sometimes I think these forest paths are always changing, just a little bit.” We focus on a house before Jenny (in gameplay) is seen entering a bar where the fisherman from earlier and the bartender are present. The two spend time laughing and we see an old painting featuring some of the residents with a mysterious woman’s face scratched off.

We’re introduced to a shopkeeper, Jenny is seen looking at herself in the mirror and hanging out with the girl from the pond all in cutscenes. The final part of the trailer shows Jenny exiting her home revealing she’s trapped inside a terrarium located inside what appears to be an abandoned home. The words, “Sprout quickly, little tree but can this small world contain you?” closes out the trailer before we see the key art revealing a 2027 release window.

What Is Vivarium About?

Vivarium follows Jenny, a girl who lives inside a terrarium alongside a group of other characters. However, this terrarium holds a secret which Jenny will have to uncover as she progresses. Read the official synopsis below:

“Vivarium invites players to step into the role of 11-year-old Jenny, a bright and energetic resident of a tiny terrarium town. Free from the pressures of modern life, Jenny spends her days immersed in peaceful routines and charming interactions with her neighbors. But as time passes, mysterious events begin to unfold, revealing the true nature of their “perfect” pocket world and the secrets hidden within it.”

The game was originally announced back in December 2023, the trailer implies that the terrarium was lost and forgotten about. In the footage we get to see some other parts of the town and the other shopkeeper.

Vivarium is developed by Studio Meadowflower. The game is coming to XBOX Platforms and PC (via Steam & Epic Games Store) in 2027.

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