Hogwarts Legacy meets Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing in new RPG

I’m going to give you a peek behind the curtain - I write a lot of these articles about random games that combine inspirations, and many of them make me say ‘oh cool’ and then they get lost among the hundreds of other games.

However, when Kitori Academy appeared on my desk this morning, I found myself not only eager to write about it, but also eager to try it.

Kitori Academy looks magically adorable

I’ll not profess any love for Hogwarts Legacy, as I’ve not played it, but I do love the idea of being in a magical school, learning spells, and playing around with potions.

I’m a sucker for adorable visuals, and this cel-shaded approach really makes the fantastical world come alive.

Scrolling down the Steam page for the game, I was checking off items on a list of things that make me smile - magic, cats, cosy mini-games, and giant talking frogs.

You can see several inspirations here; of course there’s a dollop of Harry Potter in there, but it’s hard not to see other games too.

You’ve got the cosy, laid back feel of Stardew Valley, likely bolstered by the ability to gather materials and interact with lovely NPCs.

And, if you read the headline of this article, you’ll see that we’ve included a nod to Animal Crossing, also, mostly due to how damn cute Kitori Academy looks.

After enrolling in the magical academy, you’ll busy yourself with plenty of tasks, all while accompanied by your feline spirit guide.

The synopsis notes players will, “Train your magical skills and learn how to brew potions, grow vegetables and catch spells to challenge the curse that lurks in the world.” Sign me up.

Frustratingly, there’s no scheduled release date given, but it’s a game that cosy genre fans should be adding to their wishlist.