Wholesome Direct 2021 – list of games
Today we celebrated Wholesome Direct 2021 with a huge lineup of delightfully wholesome games. All of the game events this week can be a bit overwhelming, but Wholesome Direct is like a nice, warm hug. It is the event I look forward to the most. With a huge amount of games showcased, it can be difficult to find information on the ones you loved, so below, you’ll find a list filled with your favourites.
They’re sorted in alphabetical order, but you can change any of the columns. There is a description of each game and a link to their website, wishlist and Twitter accounts. If you need more Wholesome Games in your life, be sure to check out my list from last years Wholesome Direct.
| Game Name | Description | Release date | Wishlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Little To The Left | A Little To The Left is a cozy puzzle game that has you sort, stack, and organize household items into precise arrangements while you keep an eye out for a mischievous cat with an inclination for chaos. Check out this playful and intuitive puzzler with 40+ satisfying messes to tidy. | 21 October | Steam | maxinfernogames |
| A Walk With Yiayia | A Walk with Yiayia is a light adventure game/visual novel about taking your Greek grandmother on a walk after she's lost her confidence from having a scary fall. Connect through engaging conversations, explore a relaxing environment, and complete microquests in this thoughtful, bite-sized adventure. | TBA | Steam | TrentGarlipp |
| Alekon | Photograph dozens of whimsical creatures, solving puzzles to get them to strike collectable poses! Then befriend them through unique quests and minigames, from snowflake design, to tuning and playing crystal harps, to organizing parties! | Out now! | Steam | AlekonTheGame |
| Amber Isle | Welcome to Amber Isle- a quaint, friendly village of prehistoric residents who are in need of a new shopkeep- That’s you! Craft and sell items, upgrade your shop, befriend your Paleofolk neighbours and customise the island to bring the village back to life and welcome even more prehistoric pals! | TBA | Steam | AmbertailGames |
| Apico | APICO is a laid-back beekeeping sim game about breeding, collecting, & conserving bees! Set in a series of lush environments, APICO uniquely combines resource gathering, biology, and beekeeping minigames, taking ideas from a mix of real-life and fantasy apiculture & floriculture. | 2022 | Steam | apico_game |
| Battle Cakes | Indulge in a delicious adventure as you choose to battle or befriend your enemies to save the day your way! Personalize your cupcake hero and meet charming friends along the way. Leave the world better off than you found it in this turn-based RPG. | 2021 | Steam | volcanobean |
| Bear & Breakfast | Bear and Breakfast is a laid-back management adventure game where you build and run a bed and breakfast...but you’re a bear. | 2021 | Steam | BearBreakfast |
| Beasts of Maravilla Island | Beasts of Maravilla Island is a 3D adventure game where you take on the role of a young wildlife photographer who traverses Maravilla Island's magical ecosystems to discover extraordinary creatures, learn their behaviors, and, most importantly, photograph their majesty. | Out now! | Steam | MaravillaBeasts |
| Behind The Frame | Guide brush strokes and solve a variety of puzzles to help an aspiring artist complete her masterpiece amid her brusque neighbor’s gaze and his pesky cat. As her painting starts to take shape, uncover an emotional tale of chance and artistry revealed behind unrelated yet familiar moments. | TBA | Steam | SilverLiningWW |
| Bird Problems | A sitcom narrative game about an awkward and anxious canary trying to make friends and drink cold drinks. | TBA | Steam | |
| Book of Travels | Ready your pack, grab your walking stick and step into a world of mystery and legend. Craft a unique character and immerse yourself in the enchanted lands of Braided Shore. Set your own goals and adventure alone or together with Travellers you meet on the road in this serene TMORPG. | 9 August | Steam | MightAndDelight |
| Button City | Button City is a colorful low poly narrative adventure game about a fox and his friends banding together to save their local arcade! Explore a diorama world, play exciting arcade games, complete quirky quests and meet cute animal friends. | Q3 2021 | Steam | ButtonCity |
| Cat Café Manager | So you're the cat cafe's new owner? Nice meeting ye! Hope ye can fix this old place up. Plenty of stray cats around who deserve a proper home! Reckon the townsfolk could use a wee pick-me-up, as well. Lots of talk about a mysterious black cat stalking the streets... | TBA | Steam | roostgames |
| Cat Designer Mocha | TBA | kotoriyama_ | ||
| Clawfish | Clawfish is a fishing claw machine game. Visit an isolated train station with a fishing arcade. Explore the dock, play the machines, and take some time to relax by the water. | Out now! | Steam | |
| Cloud Jumper | Cloud Jumper is a chill game about exploring the Sky. Take the wheel of a tiny flying tug boat and launch yourself through a beautiful pixel world, filled with floating islands, colourful characters and ancient secrets. | TBA | Steam | HyperLuminalUK |
| co-open | co-open is a game about a kid's first time buying groceries on their own. Looks like it's time to explore and have some fun! | TBA | Itch.io | lowpolis |
| Dordogne | Dordogne is a narrative adventure game in which you play as Mimi, a young woman visiting the house of her recently deceased grandmother who left her letters and puzzles to solve. To do so, Mimi will revisit her childhood memories and reconnect with the little girl who marveled at everything. | 2021 | Steam | studio_jnsq |
| Dreamland Confectionery | Surrounded by vibrant creatures and peculiar characters, Ami finds herself in a strange dreamland full of mysteries and wonder. Bake for others, ride colorful creatures, and solve environmental puzzles to find the missing pieces needed to wake up. Is this more than just a dream? | 2023 | Steam | WonderseaStudio |
| Fire Tonight | A narrative puzzle game about two people trying to find their way back together in a city on fire. | 12 August | Steam | reptoidgames |
| Floppy Knights | Meet the Floppy Knights: tangible projections summoned from floppy disks! Tactics fuse with card game mechanics as Phoebe and Carlton - a brilliant young inventor & her robot-arm bestie - square off in turn-based battles. Select your Knights, hone your deck, and execute your strategy for victory! | 2021 | Steam | FloppyKnights |
| Fossil Corner | You're a retired paleontologist. Collect fossils and solve puzzles in the calm of your old garage! | Out now! | Steam | bradysoglin |
| Freshly Frosted | Place conveyor belts to solve puzzles in the world's most adorable donut factory! | 2021 | Steam | QuantumApG |
| Frogsong | A heartfelt adventure where it's okay to be small. | TBA | Steam | frogsonggame |
| Game Director Story | Game Director Story is an unflinching and satirical look behind-the-scenes at how big-budget AAA games are made. Based on first-hand accounts by industry veterans, Players experience the emotional roller coaster of guiding a team through the agonizing decisions and compromises needed to ship a game. | 2021 | Steam | DoubleBlit |
| Garden Story | Unify a broken community as the newly-appointed Guardian of The Grove. Traverse a vibrant island to combat invasive Rot, inspire its inhabitants, and rebuild your home. You won't have to do this alone: fruity friends await, ready to lend a hand! | 2021 | Steam | gardenstorygame |
| Here Comes Niko | Here Comes Niko! is the cozy 3D platformer for tired people! You play as Niko traveling across scenic islands. Make new friends, catch fish, solve puzzles, snag bugs, and more! Oh, Did I mention your boss is a frog? | TBA | Steam | HereComesNiko |
| Hoa | Hoa is a beautiful puzzle-platforming game that features breathtaking hand-painted art, lovely music, and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. | 25 Aug | Steam | hoathegame |
| Hot Pot For One | You are alone on a cold, Christmas night, stuck at home, in a foreign country. You get through it by cooking a hot dish intended for six people. | Out now! | Steam | HotPotFor1 |
| Key We | KeyWe is a cute, co-operative postal puzzler starring Jeff and Debra, two small kiwi birds working in a whimsical post office. They must jump, flap, peck and butt-slam their way across an interactive landscape of levers, bells and buttons to get those messages delivered on time! | 31 August | Steam | KeyWeGame |
| Kokopa’s Atlas | Discover new beginnings after crash-landing on an undiscovered planet. Join Kokopa and Pollimero as they explore, build, garden, and meet new friends — while uncovering the mysteries of this unknown planet! | TBA | Steam | HyperMegaPixel |
| Kotodama Diary | Kotadama Diary's characters evolve depending on the words which you feed them, and could even grow up into something... unexpected. | Out now! | KotodamaD | |
| KreatureKind | KreatureKind is an approachable and wholesome Card Battler/Deck Builder game about helping monsters, rather than killing them. | TBA | Valiant_GS | |
| Lake | It's 1986 - Meredith Weiss takes a break from her career in the big city to deliver mail in her hometown. How will she experience two weeks in beautiful Providence Oaks, with its iconic lake and quirky community? And what will she do next? It's up to you. | 1 September | Steam | Lake_The_Game |
| LEGO® Builder's Journey | LEGO Builder’s Journey is an atmospheric, geometric puzzle game that asks us to sometimes follow the instructions… and sometimes to break the rules. | 23 June | Steam | |
| Letters | Letters is a fun word puzzle game about friendship, growing up and finding your place in life. Follow Sarah, a shy girl from Switzerland, by moving through her pen pal letters and chat messages. Use the power of words to solve riddles, interact with her friends and decide who she will grow up to be. | 2021 | Steam | LettersTheGame |
| Loddlenaut | Play as an interstellar custodian sent to clean up a polluted ocean planet. Repurpose marine debris and take care of axolotl-like alien creatures! | Steam | loddlenaut | |
| Lonefarm | Lonefarm is a farming and driving simulation game. Harvest a wide variety of crops, care for and feed your animals, decorate your cabin with furniture and drive your old Van all over the island in the middle of the South Pacific. | 2021 | Steam | LonefarmGame |
| Luna’s Fishing Garden | Luna's Fishing Garden is a cozy fishing and building game. Catch fish, trade it in and create the garden of your dreams by planting new trees, placing water objects and bringing animals to the archipelago. | 16 June | Steam | ColdwildGames |
| Moonglow Bay | In Moonglow Bay, you play as a rookie angler, working together with friends, family, and neighbours to hone your fishing skills, nourish relationships, and restore a remote town’s fractured community. | 2021 | Steam | MoonglowBay |
| Moonshell Island | Achieve dreams, build a community and save Moonshell Island from Nomsters in this magical action-RPG combining Zelda-like gameplay and story-driven simulation elements. | TBA | Steam | Cheekynauts |
| Mythic Ocean | Teach the gods to create a better universe - or mess it all up in Mythic Ocean, a narrative exploration game where your choices shape the fate of the cosmos. | Out now! | Steam | MythicOceanGame |
| Ooblets | Ooblets is a farming, creature collection, and town life game where you build up your farm, befriend townsfolk, grow ooblets, and have dance-offs. | Out now! | Epic | ooblets |
| Paralives | You live and then you die. But at least do it in a nice house! Paralives is an upcoming life simulation game. Build your dream house, create some characters and manage their lives the way you want! | TBA | Steam | ParalivesGame |
| Passpartout 2 | TBA | flamebaitgames | ||
| Pekoe | Blend tea and friendship in the flavorful world of Pekoe, a cozy cat-filled tea-making simulator about taking the time for self-care and connecting with what makes you happy. Build relationships, upgrade your teahouse, and discover new recipes as you work towards creating a place you can call home. | 2022 | Steam | KittenCupStudio |
| Please Be Happy | A story of love and friendship, and about understanding not just how to be happy, but how to be human. | 2021 | Steam | vnstudioelan |
| PowerWash Simulator | Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find, all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish. | Out now! | Steam | PowerWashSim |
| Princess Farmer | Be the magical bunny farmer you've always wanted to be! Princess Farmer is a charming visual-novel meets match-3 gameplay, with a host of adorable characters to befriend, mysteries to solve, and fashion to collect. Smash rocks! Make combos! Win hearts! | Steam | SamobeeGames | |
| Pupperazzi | Put your love for pups to the test - we have a bunch of dogs that need their photos taken, doggone it! Photograph and catalogue the finest (and derpiest) dogs to build your career, upgrade your camera, and discover new canines. WOOF. | TBA | Steam | KitfoxGames |
| Rainbow Billy | Save whimsical creatures with the power of kindness in order to recolor a black-and-white world in Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, a wholesome 2.5D Adventure-RPG! | TBA | Steam | WeAreManaVoid |
| Recolit | Recolit is a pixel art mystery adventure game where you explore a strange town by following the trails of "light". Help out the mysterious residents of the town by using items illuminated by the "light" to progress through the story. | TBA | Steam | uimss_dev |
| RoboCo | RoboCo is a wholesome sandbox game about designing and building robots to serve the needs of squishy, hapless humans in the world of tomorrow! | TBA | Steam | RoboCoGame |
| Sally | In Sally, you embark on a flying transport ship to guide passengers to their destination. To ensure the ship's success, you'll have to craft items, produce food, take care of other crewmates, maintain the ship and discover new ways to improve the travel experience. | TBA | cooplucidtales | |
| Seasonspree | A game about nurturing friendships and celebrating the changing of seasons, where you play as Sunny, a cute little tanuki with the ability to control the flow of time just by walking around. | 2021 | Steam | seasonspree |
| Shashingo | Shashingo is an edutainment game that teaches you Japanese through virtual photography. With your trusty camera, take photographs of the fictional streets of Japan to capture new words and images as fully translated flash cards! | TBA | Steam | ShashingoGame |
| Skatebird | Grind on bendy straws, kickflip over staplers, and carve killer lines through cardboard and sticky tape parks. Above all else, skate birds try their best! | 12 August | Steam | GlassBottomGame |
| Snacko | Lift a curse and revitalized a ruined island in Snacko, where former big city kitties Momo and Mikan are starting a new life! Grow crops, raise fluffy cows, go fishing, exploring, customize and decorate as you please, and much, much more in this farming cat-venture. | TBA | Steam | snackodev |
| Soup Pot | Cook freely with Soup Pot! Make food with a wide range of locally sourced or supermarket ingredients in traditional kitchens. Discover and learn about more than 100 recipes while streaming your cooking on Cookbook, the in-game social media platform. | Q3 2021 | Steam | chikonclub |
| Spirit Swap | Cast spells, be queer, & crash the biggest concert of the year! Spirit Swap is an action-puzzle game set in a lush, narrative-driven world of witchy demons. | 2022 | Steam | SoftNotWeak |
| Tasomachi | Yukumo is a young girl traversing the world in her beloved airship. Upon arriving at a certain town, her airship breaks down. She decides to explore the town to search for parts for repair; however, the town has fallen silent, with no trace of its inhabitants... | Out now! | Steam | nocras666 |
| Teacup | Teacup is a wholesome narrative adventure game with a focus on exploration and non-linear progression. Help a small and shy frog on her journey to find the ingredients she needs for her tea party! | 2021 | Steam | smarto_club |
| The Garden Path | A slice-of-life sim about the joy of gardening, and the small pleasures that follow. Whether you're fishing, growing, trading or just hanging with new friends, a wonderful and wistful adventure awaits when wandering The Garden Path. | 2021 | Steam | fromcarrotcake |
| The Gecko Gods | Explore a mysterious island as a tiny lizard. Complete ancient puzzles, effortlessly climb cliffs, and eat bugs as you make your way across an island civilization lost to time. | 2022 | Steam | thegeckogame |
| The Magnificent Trufflepigs | The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a first-person, romantic, metal-detecting game. It combines laid-back detecting and exploration with a strong narrative, all set in a beautiful English countryside. It’s a game about trying to find something. | Out now! | Steam | ThunkdGames |
| The Outbound Ghost | The Outbound Ghost is an adventure game about a ghost figuring out the cause of their own death, and helping others come to terms with the afterlife. | 2022 | Steam | ConradicalGames |
| Toodee and Topdee | A cosmic turbulence caused the worlds of Toodee and Topdee to merge with each other. Switch between Toodee’s 2D platforming and Topdee’s top-down block pushing to solve mind melting puzzles, and bring back balance to the universe! | TBA | Steam | dietzribi |
| Tracks Of Thought | Tracks of Thought is a (self) exploration RPG shaped by your own personality. Confront your fellow passengers in card-based conversations to discover more about yourself and your mysterious destination! | TBA | Steam | tracksofthought |
| Unpacking | Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part “item Tetris”, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking. | 2021 | Steam | UnpackingALife |
| Venba | Venba is a narrative cooking game, where you play as an Indian mom, who immigrates to Canada with her family in the 1980s. Players will cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, hold branching conversations and explore in this story about family, love, loss and more. | TBA | Steam | venbaGame |
| We Are OFK | From indie pop band OFK: We Are OFK is the story of how four friends came together to release their debut music without throwing their phones at walls in frustration. A making-of-the-band series & Interactive EP about dreaming, dating, and paying rent in Los Angeles. | TBA | Steam | OFKband |
| Witchery Academy | Witchery Academy is a life simulator where you live the adventures of a wizard apprentice with your spirit companion. Train your magical skills and learn how to brew potions, grow vegetables and catch spells to challenge the curse that lurks in the world. | TBA | Steam | Cubenary |
| Witchy Life Story | Don’t get kicked out of training in this witchy narrative sim! Grow ingredients and craft spells to help the village of Flora prepare for the harvest festival (or not). Make some friends, and get a date (or not). Figure out your life (or not). Growing up is hard, OK? | 2022 | Steam | SundewStudios |
| Woodo | Woodo is a 3D puzzle game. The player immerses in a calm and peaceful world where time stopped at the happy moment. With imaginary friend Woodo, player build bit by bit this tiny world. Woodo tells the player stories and makes the player feel not lonely while playing. The game looks like a wooden kit from childhood. | TBA | YulliaProhorova | |
| Wytchwood | Wytchwood is a crafting adventure game set in a land of gothic fables and fairytales. As the old witch of the woods, explore a strange countryside, collect magic ingredients, brew sorcerous spells, and pass judgement upon a capricious cast of characters. | 2021 | Steam | Alientrap |
| Yokai Inn | Yokai Inn is a slice-of-life sim game, inspired by titles such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, that is currently in the early stages of development. | TBA | ShibaPixels |
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