E3 season is always great, and getting new updates on upcoming AAA games leaves a lot to look forward to. Indie games, though, are often overlooked. Wholesome Games looks to provide a solution to that problem with the Wholesome Direct, a showcase focused on cute and relaxing indie games. Here’s everything announced at this year’s Wholesome Direct.
- A Little to the Left
- A Walk with Yiayia
- Alekon
- Amber Isle
Amber Isle is an Animal Crossing-inspired game about running a store on an island inhabited with dinosaurs. Get to know the island’s “Paleofolk” and their unique personalities and interests, all while managing your shop.
- Apico
- BattleCakes
- Bear & Breakfast
- Beasts of Maravilla Island
- Behind the Frame
- Bird Problems
- Book of Travels
- Button City
My personal favorite game from the Wholesome Direct, Button City is a game about teaming up with cute animals to play arcade games and save the city. With a cute art style, interesting characters, fun looking minigames — including an Initial D-esque racing game — Button City is definitely one to keep an eye on.
- Cat Cafe Manager
- Cat Designer Mocha
- Clawfish
- Cloud Jumper
- Co-open
- Dordogne
- Dreamland Confectionery
- Fire Tonight
- Floppy Knights
- Fossil Corner
- Freshly Frosted
- Frogsong
Frogsong is about an unlikely hero who moves to a new village in hopes of becoming a warrior. By talking to the frog villagers, exploring the world, and fighting bugs, Frogsong shows that you don’t have to be big to be strong.
- Game Director Story
- Garden Story
- Here Comes Niko!
Plenty of games at the Wholesome Direct had interesting and unique art styles, but Here Comes Niko! definitely stood out as being one of the most visually impressive. It’s also being made by Gears for Breakfast, known for the widely loved 3D platformer A Hat in Time.
- Hoa
- Hot Pot For One
- KeyWe
- Kokopa’s Atlas
- Kotodama Diary
- KreatureKind
- Lake
- Lego Builder’s Journey
- Letters
- Loddlenaut
Revealed as a special surprise at the end of the Wholesome Direct, Loddlenaut is a game about cleaning up the ocean, which is filled with waste left behind by mega-corporations. It looks a little like Subnautica, if it wasn’t terrifying. The Kickstarter for this one also launched today, so go check it out for more details.
- Lone Farm
- Luna’s Fishing Garden
- Moonglow Bay
- Moonshell Island
- Mythic Ocean
- Ooblets – Port Forward Update
- Paralives
- Passpartout 2
- Pekoe
- Please Be Happy
- PowerWash Simulator
PowerWash Simulator came out in early access earlier this year, but it’s still one of the most relaxing looking games in the lineup. Power washing was one of my least favorite chores as a kid, but it sure is satisfying.
- Princess Farmer
- Pupperazzi
- Rainbow Billy
- Recolit
- RoboCo
- Sally
- Seasonspree
- Shashingo
- SkateBIRD
- Snacko
- Soup Pot
- Spirit Swap
- Tasomachi
- Teacup
- The Garden Path
- The Gecko Gods
- The Magnificent Trufflepigs
- The Outbound Ghost
- Toodee and Topdee
With respect to gameplay, Toodee and Topdee is easily the most impressive game on the list. The game combines 2D platforming with top-down puzzle solving, and the end result is one of the most unique platforming concepts since Fez.
- Tracks of Thought
- Unpacking
- Venba
- We Are OFK
- Witchery Academy
- Witchy Life Story
- Woodo
- Wytchwood
- Yokai Inn
While the above games stood out in particular, there were plenty more games at the Wholesome Direct to look forward to. To get a closer look at all of the games announced, check out the Wholesome Games website.
