Cozy gaming has become hugely popular recently. People want to play something calming and uplifting; like cultivating a farm or helping their own little community. From this, came the community of Wholesome Games – and the showcase that comes with it.
What Exactly is Wholesome Games?
Wholesome Games describes themselves as “a community that started on Twitter when indie game developer Matthew Taylor began curating games according to their feelings of comfort, compassion, and coziness”. The community has grown, now reaching 500+k members across various social medias including Twitter, Discord, and YouTube.
The intent behind Wholesome Games isn’t just to showcase games the community may enjoy, but to also change what games are taken “seriously” and which ones aren’t. Many games in the past have been about some darker themes which not everyone feels comfortable playing through. While these are games that should be celebrated, Wholesome Games believes that “there’s also a whole world of hopeful video games with rich storytelling, innovative gameplay, and beautiful art and sound”.
Each year, since 2020, Wholesome Games have had a showcase of different indie games coming out which fit in with this concept. Last year, Wholesome Games hosted their own game awards, with games such as Spirittea being featured in the listing.
What Was Announced in Wholesome Games 2023 Showcase?
Hosted by experts of comforting and positive games, the showcase highlighted 70+ different indie games with different announcements and exclusive footage. Some of these included:
Moonstone Island
Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting life-sim set in an open world with 100+ islands to explore. Players can make friends, brew potions, collect friendly and unique spirits – and put their strength to the test.
Fields of Mistria
Fields of Mistria is a 2D farming/life simulator with a pixel style inspired by 80s anime. Farm, explore, and build your homestead with a whole host of different marriage candidates.
Gourdlets
Gourdlets is a game about having no objectives and purely building whatever you like. As you build, more critters will come and make their home in what you build. No timer, no limits, just pure creativity!
The Full List from Wholesome Games
Looking for a game that you heard of but wasn’t mentioned above? Check out the full list of announcements below.
- Athenian Rhapsody
- Baladins
- Beastieball
- Botany Manor
- Bubblegum Galaxy
- Button City Soccer Days
- Campfire Cat Cafe
- Ducky’s Delivery Service
- Everdeep Aurora
- Fall of Porcupine
- Fishbowl
- Feed All Monsters
- Flutter Away
- Frogsong
- Garden Buddies
- Garden Witch Life
- Go-Go Town
- Gourdlets
- Grimoire Groves
- The Guardian of Nature
- A Highland Song
- Henry Halfhead
- I Am a Caterpillar
- Kamaeru
- KarmaZoo
- Kibu
- Lakeburg Legacies
- The Last Alchemist
- Let’s Revolution
- Life After Magic
- Little Friends: Puppy Island
- Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland
- Loftia
- Magical Delicacy
- Manita’s Kitchen
- March of Shrooms
- Mars First Logistics
- Mineko’s Night Market
- Mirth Island
- Moonstone Island
- Orange Season
- The Palace on the Hill
- Pekoe
- Petit Island
- Pizza Possum
- Quilts & Cats of Calico
- Sanya
- Smushi Came Home
- Snacko
- Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley
- Solarpunk
- Sopa
- Spirit Swap
- The Star Named Eos
- Station to Station
- Sticky Business
- Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
- Surmount
- Sushi Ben
- Tall Trails
- Tiny Book Shop
- A Tiny Sticker Tale
- Toaster Ball
- Townframe
- Townseek
- Tracks of Thought
- Usagi Shima
- Venba
- While The Iron’s Hot
- Wood & Weather
- Word Factori
Is It All New Games?
The short answer is no! The longer answer is that the showcase also highlighted several previously mentioned games and the updates that they will be getting. These included:
- A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC
- Unpacking mobile launch coming in 2023.
- Wylde Flowers having brand new updates to gameplay.
Where Can I Find Out More?
Wholesome Games has their own website which can be found here. The website includes links to the newsletter, their most recent showcase, as well as links to their social media. If you were curious to watch the showcase for yourself, you can find everything on their YouTube channel here or check out the video below.
What are your thoughts on the Wholesome Games showcase? What do you think about games that are focusing on uplifting and comforting themes? Are there games mentioned you would like us to talk more about? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
