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Wholesome Games Serves up Snacks with Game Trailers and More

wholesome snack logo, a candy wrapper with stars and bubbles

Wholesome Games has become a huge community since they started. Last year was their first “Wholesome Direct“, a riff on the Nintendo Direct format, focusing on cheerful, relaxing games. The Wholesome Snack is the equivalent of a Nintendo Direct Mini, showcasing a dozen games with new trailers and gameplay footage. You can find the full Wholesome Snack on Youtube, as well as more details on each title on the website. Here’s a small overview of the games covered today!

A Garden Witch’s Life

a smiling witch floats in the air next to the logo for "A Garden Witch's Life"

After losing her job, our young witch protagonist ends up in a small town. After being set up with a cabin, you’ll begin gathering materials, farming crops, and befriending the villagers. Grow potion ingredients to brew in your cauldron, decorate your house and explore the many secrets the island has to offer! Harvest Moon with a magical twist. Developed by Freetime Studio.

Wishlist A Witch’s Garden Life on Steam.

Aka

a red panda chewing on a leaf lays on the ground gazing up at the sky

Help Aka the red panda find inner peace after a great war. Travel through a small open-world of islands and meet inhabitants along the way. Explore various biomes from snowy mountains to tropical beaches. Craft tools, props, and build a small house on your island. Learn to conquer your inner demons. Developed by Namra Games, coming 2022!

Wishlist Aka on Steam.

A Short Hike coming to Playstation and Xbox

a small robin flies over woodlands and mountains

Originally released in 2019 (and on Nintendo Switch a year later) A Short Hike from Adam Gryu became an instant classic. Explore a mountainside campsite as you hike to the peak. An adorable and charming adventure you can play in an hour or two. I personally had a lot of fun with this and I’m happy to hear more people will be able to experience it when the game launches on Playstation 4 and Xbox on November 16th.

Trading Time: A Croak Tale

a sailor holds a potted plant while several frogs and frog-people stand nearby

Shipwrecked on an island, you soon discover the residents are all frogs! You’ll have to find the missing pieces of your boat to leave, but there’s no rush. Learn to fish and farm, run errands for the locals and solve puzzles around the island. A free prologue is available right now. Developed by Half Past Yellow.

Wishlist Trading Time: A Croak Tale and play the Prologue on Steam.

NAIAD

a young nude woman floats in a river, fish and lily pads around her

Immerse yourself in a unique and beautiful gameplay experience as Naiad makes her way through a mysterious river, meeting the flora and fauna who live there. Swim like a duck, dive like a fish and jump like a frog to make your way to the sea. The overhead view adds an interesting new perspective for underwater games. Developed by HiWarp.

Wishlist NAIAD on Steam.

Mail Time

A small mushroom person runs past some weeds and plants on a forest floor

Deliver mail to the forest inhabitants in Mail Time. Explore Grumblewood by jumping and gliding, customize your character and even befriend a bee! The adorable art style and gliding mechanic make me want to check this out! Developed by Kela Makes Games.

Coming to Kickstarter early 2022.

The Spirit and The Mouse

a mouse sits on a rooftop overlooking a city

Previously featured in a Wholesome Direct, The Spirit and The Mouse returns with new gameplay and updated graphics. Lila the mouse explores a small French village with her electric powers and provides assistance to those in need. Curious to see more about this one and see the extent of her electricity powers! Developed by Alblune.

Wishlist The Spirit and The Mouse on Steam.

The Ranch of Rivershine

A woman on horseback overlooks a field and farm in the distance

From the creator of Lemon Cake and Bunny Park, The Ranch of Riverside has you managing a horse ranch. Groom and clean their pens, ride the horses through obstacle courses and take part in auctions. Plant crops to make sure your animals have a healthy diet while training them to compete in cross-country races. Developed by Éloïse Laroche.

Wishlist The Ranch of Riverside on Steam.

Mushi Come Home

a tiny mushroom stands on the leaf of a large plant

The first trailer for Mushi Come Home. Explore a huge forest as a tiny mushroom, trying to find its way back home. Speak to animals, gather materials and explore 4 different areas by running, jumping, climbing, or gliding. The pixelated aesthetic can also be turned off if you prefer smoother textures. Developed by Some Humble Onion.

Wishlist Mushi Come Home on Steam.

River Tails: Stronger Together

a purple cat and orange fish jump over a river with several characters in the background

A co-op adventure game where one player controls the cat, the other controls the fish. Solve puzzles together and make your way through the forest. With tons of secrets to discover and tough bosses to face this sounds like a great game to play with the family. Developed by Kid Onion Studio.

River Tails: Stronger Together will launch a Kickstarter campaign on November 16th.

Paradise Marsh

the logo for Paradise Marsh set against a setting sun and starry sky

The stars have disappeared from the sky and it’s up to you to get them back. Catch-and-release small woodland creatures such as frogs and record info in your journal. Collect poems, skip rocks and relax in the beauty of nature. Developed by LazyEti.

Wishlist Paradise Marsh on Steam before its release date of February 3rd, 2022.

Little Kitty, Big City

a black cat jumps towards the screen. a busy city street lays behind them

You’re a little kitty, lost in a big city! But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun while you’re here. Explore, meet other cats, knock items off shelves…and find a variety of cute hats to wear. Developed by Double Dagger Studio.

Wishlist Little Kitty, Big City on Steam.

Lastly, the video talked about the Galaxy Fund, a prototype grant focused on early game development and the winners of the last grant. For more information and how to donate, visit the Galaxy Fund website!

Were there any Wholesome Games that stood out to you especially? As for myself, I’m really interested in Paradise Marsh. I love the graphical style and keeping field notes on wildlife is a very cute concept. See you next Direct!

Written by Lor Gislason

Lor is the resident Indie Game Outreach Expert (patent pending) of 25YL Gaming who will talk your ear off about Wholesome games and Roguelites.

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