Studio Ghibli and Stardew Valley fans need to wishlist Xbox’s Vivarium

Vivarium takes place inside a terrarium tucked away in the sunroom of a rural American home (a premise that had me fondly remembering an underrated favorite, Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty). Within that glass enclosure is an entire town, where players take on the role of Jenny, a resident living through what the developers describe as “a summer that never ends.”

Like many cozy life sims, you’ll spend your days gardening, decorating your home, crafting items, cooking recipes, and getting to know the locals. But Vivarium appears to have more on its mind than just feel-good vibes. There’s some kind of deeper mystery to the whole thing, with the promise of a branching narrative shaped by player choices. Whichever way you go, you’re promised to meet an eccentric cast of neighbors that includes a fish mailman who drinks like a fish and a birdwatching retiree who keeps tabs on everyone. I want them all to be my new friends. Vivarium also sports a clock system that syncs with the player’s real-world calendar, unlocking discoveries as the story progresses.

Visually, the game wears its influences proudly. The lush backgrounds and character designs call to mind Ghibli films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso, with traces of classic ’80s anime television too, series like Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and Maison Ikkoku. In the peak era of 3D CG anime, what a joy it is to see game developers reaching back to the old days of hand-drawn animation, then weaving that into isometric top-down gameplay. It’s stunning.

There’s still no specific release date for Vivarium beyond 2027, but after years of relative silence, it finally looks alive again. And if it means fewer guns at next year’s showcase, all the better.