Look, spiders give me the heebie jeebies. Maybe not enough that I need to toggle a mode to remove them from games, but definitely enough that I appreciate such a setting existing for those that will be thankful for it. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was kind enough to launch with such an option, and the setting has also made it’s way to Hogwarts Legacy in a patch.
And it is a doozy – replacing the hairy skittering beasts with a mean looking balloon creature with roller-skates:
Our latest patch for #HogwartsLegacy includes Arachnophobia Mode, making venturing into spider-infested areas significantly less intimidating!
Full notes: https://t.co/9Cods9n1G5 pic.twitter.com/nDck8b6SH1— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) May 4, 2023
They now look like something right out of a game like Bugsnax, with big goofy eyes and a gummy body. The roller-skates are an amazing addition – a call-back to the scene from the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film where Ron Weasley uses the charm riddikulus to conjure skates on his terrifying boggart foe.
With the game setting enabled, the following changes will be present:
- Changes all enemy spider appearances
- Reduces and removes spider skitters and screeches
- Removes small spider ground effect spawners
- Makes static spider corpses in the world invisible
- Collision is still active to prevent players from getting stuck when toggling this setting
- Spider images in the Field Guide remain unchanged
It’s curious that their appearance within the games pseudo-Pokédex remains unchanged – perhaps an oversight to be amended later?
Seeing the beasts in action is also a delight, with the encounters now having an air of silliness to them:
🛼 Arachnophobia Mode ON ✅ #HogwartsLegacy pic.twitter.com/IRtlEOyki3
— Benjamin Snow ❄️ (@imbensnow) May 5, 2023
Look at it wibble it’s tiny wheeled feeties in the air when it is knocked over! It’s positively delightful – and leagues less icky.
As I mentioned, I personally can soldier through such encounters in games – but the creativity present in this option is so downright brilliant that I feel I will turn it on, if only for the entertainment factor.
Are you a spider-disliker? Does this option appeal to you when found in games? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
