Witchery Academy is a newly-announced game with an ambitious goal — it wants to meld Harvest Moon-style gameplay with a magical academy to create a whole new life sim experience.
In Witchery Academy, you'll become a wizard apprentice — and yes, you'll have to attend classes. You'll learn how to grow vegetables, craft potions, and heal the creatures of the world — and that's only the beginning.
Check out the Witchery Academy Teaser Trailer to see what this upcoming game looks like!
Gandalf in a Garden, Basically
There is certainly no shortage of farming RPGs — the O.G. Harvest Moon (and its continuation by series creator called Story of Season) aside, there's Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia (and its upcoming sequel), and goodness knows how many other games.
"Our goal with Witchery Academy is to create a wholesome title that makes the player smile and offers a variety of activities. The player decides what to do every day either attend a class to improve a skill, complete a quest or just relax with the cat." – Cubenary
Games about magical academies are slightly less saturated as a theme; one of the most notable recent releases is The Academy. Naturally, there are more than a dozen Harry Potter games on various platforms and other games are sure to explore this theme in the coming years, too.
Witchery Academy, for its part, looks like it wants to do both: players can farm crops and work the land to some degree just like any other farming RPG. The magical bits come in with brewing potions and attending classes at the academy.
It should be noted that magic and farming RPGs tend to go hand-in-hand. Harvest Moon has the Harvest Sprites and Fairies, Stardew Valley has the Junimos and several other magical creatures, and there are surely other farming RPGs that have little hints of magic here and there. The difference here, however, is that magic is a much bigger theme in Witchery Academy than is typical for the genre.
Naturally, many of the other elements you'd expect from either style of game will be included. You'll be able to befriend other students, explore the academy grounds, and form a bond with your spirit companion. There's still a lot we don't know, but what I've seen so far looks pretty darn cool.
When is the Witchery Academy Release Date?
Sadly, the Witchery Academy release date has not yet been announced. The game's Steam Store page lists it as "Coming Soon" and neither the press release nor today's Teaser Trailer mentions a specific launch date.
For now, you can support the project on Patreon and get access to behind-the-scenes content as this game continues its development. You can also add Witchery Academy to your wishlist on Steam.
What's your favorite game featuring a magical academy? How would you make a farming RPG stand out? Let us know in the comments below!
