Happy Wholesome Games Celebration kickoff day! Thanks to the team at Wholesome Games, I’ve had my hands on a selection of titles featured during the event, so I’m using this space today to share a few of the especially tasty bites I’ve come across.
To begin, a small story.
Inside me, there are two wolves.
The first: “Y’all, I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE ALL THESE COOL GAMES!”
The second: “OMG, I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR ALL THESE AWESOME GAMES.”
Find the full event here on Steam, and let me know what you’re playing during the event!
Beastfolk Barber
Safe Flight Games, GameWorks Ventures // SIGONO
Steam
I’ve had my eye on this since the Wholesome Direct earlier this summer, with the super-charming pixel art and the Coffee Talk-esque premise. Instead of running a coffee shop, a tavern, or a bookshop, you are a barber in a city made up of all kinds of creatures. Even in the small slice of the game I played, the game touches on so many aspects like community, empathy, identity, and more.
Tags: Visual Novel, Cozy, Choices Matter
Capy Castaway
Kitten Cup Studio // Big Blue Sky Games
Steam
I love capybaras. I have a stuffed capybara next to my desk with an Indiana Jones hat that I call Indibara, so when I saw a game about a capybara and a crow sidekick, I was sold before it finished installing. Capy and several other animals from the same zoo find themselves washed up ashore on Castaway Island, and Corvi the crow becomes Capy’s voice and guide for the adventure. The island is bursting with animals to meet and help, little mysteries, and plenty of collectibles that had me poking in every corner I could.
Tags: Cozy, Exploration, Collectathon
Mind Inc
Two Blackbirds
Steam
Mind Inc brought me the same kind of joy that playing Is This Seat Taken? did. You’re an employee of Mind Inc in this game, where it’s your job to literally step into people’s minds and help them find memories and moments they’ve forgotten. Each level I played was delightfully fun and unique and there’s just something incredible rewarding when you watch seemingly random pieces click together in someone else’s story.
Tags: Sokoban, Family Friendly, Puzzle
Tony The Mole
LUCKTAPE Games
Steam
I fell in love with this little mole and his role in the underground town of Pebblegrove. Tony was raised by the humans of the city and one day wants to dig his way to the surface, but to start that voyage, you have to help the people who raised you, travel around Pebblegrove to make repairs and use your digging abilities to find all kinds of hidden nooks and crannies.
The gameplay is fun and the humor and art style are great, but I know I’m going to be all about collecting the awesome hats Efe and Paya from LUCKTAPE Games have sprinkled throughout the world.
Tags: Adventure, 3D Platformer, Exploration
Wild N Chill
Wombat Brawler
Steam
I fell in love with Cast n Chill last year when it released; the robust pixel art, beautiful landscapes, and the detailed fishing experience. Wild N Chill brings you out into the wilderness, again, with a trusty canine sidekick, and everything that made Cast so fantastic, with the addition of gathering resources to build fires and shelters, foraging for berries and the like. The full game will have 11 unique regions to explore, and I can’t wait to visit them all.
In the first fifteen seconds of the demo, I saw a black bear and promptly scooted myself in the opposite direction. 10/10.
Tags: Survival, Hunting, Fishing
Closing
And those five are just scratching the surface. If these are any indication, I’ll be pining for more hours in a day so I can dive into more of these cozy adventures, heartfelt stories, clever puzzles and charming worlds. If you need a game that’ll make you smile, you won’t have to look very hard.