Fans of cute and cozy games were given a treat this weekend with the Wholesome Direct 2023 Showcase. The event was hosted by content creators Kimchica25, Gab Smolders, and Cozy Games, who showed off over 70 games in the short event. There was something for everyone, from cooking games to building sims, virtual pets and dating sims, and much more.
There is a lot to cover, and I simply can’t cover all 70-plus games. However, a complete list of the games announced during the event is available online. Additionally, plenty of demos are available on Steam if you navigate to the Wholesome Direct page. Don’t be surprised to see some impressions during an Indie Insights column!
Here are some of the most exciting and surprising announcements from the show.
Publisher Whitethorn Games dropped trailers for Magical Delicacy from developer sKaule and Botany Manor from developer Balloon Studios. Magical Delicacy is a cooking sim featuring attribute-based ingredients that will change the dishes you create. Take orders, strategize your cooking, and explore the town while delivering treats. In Botany Manor, play as retired botanist Arabella Greene as she explores the estate and solves puzzles to help endangered flora thrive. A short demo for Botany Manor is available on Steam now.
Smushi Come Home from developer Some Humble Onion received a surprise full-release drop and is now available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. I played the demo for this one during Steam Net Fest earlier this year, and I am excited to check out the full adventures of the little mushroom.
Also getting a surprise release was Frogsong from Frog Team Games. The exploration adventure game follows a tiny frog taking on a world filled with vicious bugs and towering plants as he searches for his place in the world. Frogsong is available now on Steam and will soon be coming to Nintendo Switch.
Beastieball is a creature-collecting sports and friendship game from Wishes Unltd, the developers of Chicory and Wandersong. It received a new gameplay trailer and announced its Kickstarter campaign.
Bunny collector Usagi Shima will be coming to Android phones and iOS on September 1, but pre-registration is now available for both stores.
- Google Play: bit.ly/43LlGnS
- Apple App Store: apple.co/3P7SqDT.
Pekoe, from developer Kitten Cup, brings you to a town full of cats and teahouses where you can create your own tea shop, customize your environment and help out the feline residents. Pekoe comes to early access on Steam at the end of June.
Extremely chill and creatively cute game Sticky Business from Spellgarden Games lets players experience creating their own stickers and running a small business. A demo is available now on Steam, with a release date to follow.
Kamaeru, the frog farming and building sim, lets you collect various frogs while you help restore the local ecosystem. Kamaeru comes from developer Humble Reed and is due sometime in late 2023.
The incredibly bonkers-looking Henry Halfhead received a new trailer. In this game from Lululu Entertainment, you play as Henry, who is only half a head. Henry can become any object around him, and it’s up to you to solve puzzles to get him through his day. Henry Halfhead comes to Steam later this year.
Beautiful platform adventure Little Nemo and The Guardians of Slumberland from Die Soft received a trailer, and a demo is now available on Steam. The title will be released later this year. Also getting a fresh demo release was Go-Go Town! from Prideful Sloth. As mayor, it’s your job to solve problems and improve the town with features, automation, and tourist enticement.
GardenBuddies also received a trailer at the Wholesome Direct 2023 Showcase. From developer JamPic, the game allows you to grow beautiful and exotic flowers alongside your new apple buddy Mutsy. The game has no release date yet but is expected late this year.
The final announcement was the trailer for Fields of Mistria from NPC Studio. The farming sim/RPG will be coming in 2024 and promises to be Stardew Valley by way of games like Secret of Mana.
What games excited you the most during the Wholesome Direct 2023 Showcase?
