Categories

Wholesome Direct: Favorites in the Comfort Gaming Showcase

Wholesome Direct: Favorites in the Comfort Gaming Showcase

Sometimes you just need a game for stress relief, you know, everything. Enter the comfort game genre, sometimes called wholesome games. These low-stress experiences are designed to be relaxing, friendly escapes. That’s what the Wholesome Direct showcase celebrates. Like herbal tea is a video game. This year’s Wholesome Direct features dozens of new games, including four you can play or try right now:

  • Lumberjack Jack
  • fresh scrub
  • Melody (Demo)
  • Spirit Exchange (Demo)

But beyond that, there are a lot of great games. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite and most anticipated games from this year’s Wholesome Direct. See why we can’t wait to enjoy these comfortable games.

Chicken Eating Tour

I’m not particularly good at platformers, which means there has to be something very special to get me excited about playing it. That said, I’m super excited to try the chicken tour. The sweet and silly game follows a chicken as they search for an answer to a question as old as time itself: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Needless to say, I’d love to discover the truth and solve all the lovely puzzles in this game. – Jessica Howard

autumn of the porcupine

Massive “E3” offshoots like Wholesome Direct are the perfect opportunity to stumble upon new games you didn’t even know existed. For me, Fall of the Porcupine is such a game. It immediately evokes Night in the Woods with its 2D art and fall color palette, and while it seems to handle drama and dark humor like its predecessor, it swaps out quarter-life crises and dead-end town plots for Commentary on failing healthcare systems. I don’t know which real-life healthcare system it might criticize, but I’m glad to find out. Now, forgive me, I have a stack of medical bills on my microwave that wobbles like a late game jerk. – Mark Delaney

melatonin

I’m just mesmerized by Melatonin’s whimsical minimalist art style – which is probably the point, since this game is all about dreams. In Melatonin, the fun begins when your character falls asleep, followed by quirky fantasies and funky chiptune-style music. You can then schedule your moves to the beat of the music to make your dreams come true—whether they’re munching on a burger or slamming a baseball bat on a siren. Each of the dreams shown in the trailer is very different from the previous ones, and it looks like Melatonin will include mini-games led by fun music, which I’m really excited to try out. Melatonin is coming to PC and Nintendo Switch on September 16, 2022. – Jessica Howard

sketch

As one of the most watched games of the Wholesome Direct period, you probably don’t need an introduction to Ooblets, but just in case — and, admittedly, because I couldn’t stop flattering it anyway — that’s why Ooblets is so awesome. Think of it as being part Animal Crossing, part Pokemon, but already stripped of the awkward random violence of those main series. It swaps creature-to-creature fights for cute dance fights. It replaces the genre’s ubiquitous fishing mini-game with “sea-dangling,” where you take crafting items out of the water instead of mobs. From top to bottom, Ooblets grabs every itch that a comfortable gamer expects to find, but it does so by relocating questionable parts of a similar game into generally laudable content. – Mark Delaney

Paper Animal RPG

“Roguelike” has become shorthand for certain game characteristics, often used in run-based games, allowing you to keep some permanent upgrades between attempts. Old-school grid-based roguelikes are rare outside of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, and this adorable style seems like another entry. After the monarch of the animal kingdom goes missing, intrepid animal adventurers set out to find him. The trailer teases chickens, turtles, and even a baby dinosaur, all presented in a stylized way reminiscent of the Paper Mario series. I must have noticed this. – Steve Watts

Potion License

I like games where there’s a sense of cohesion to what you’re doing, and Potion Permit is that kind of game. While simply playing as a town healer is fun enough, in Potion Permit you’ll also need to head out into the wild to find the necessary ingredients to craft your elixirs, brew them, explore the town of Moonbury and bond with the residents. There also appears to be an all-encompassing story in which you have to be the one who heals the mayor’s daughter, which adds an “interesting narrative” to the list of everything this game seems to have. Potion Permit is scheduled to release on PC and consoles later this year. – Jessica Howard

Puff Companion: Island Sky

Listen, I’m a simple woman. You give me a farming simulator with a pastel color palette and character customization, and I’ll give you two big sparkling eyes and my entire wallet. Puff Pals: Island Skies offers all of that, and then some, and it honestly looks like the kind of cute Animal Crossing-esque game I’ve been waiting for. With an original ‘cottagecore’ vibe (you can live in a pumpkin house, y’all), lots to do, and the comfort that emanates from the critters you meet and the warm farmhouse you can create, it’s One of the games I’m most looking forward to from this show — even if I won’t be able to play it until 2025. – Jessica Howard

snack bar

Remember the cute farming simulator I said about it? All of this also applies to Snacko. If you like games like Stardew Valley, the pixelated cat adventure game looks perfect (well, I’ll stop) as it sees you exploring new towns, building relationships, going to festivals, fishing, mining, Farm and turn an ordinary piece of land into a proper home. Snacko is scheduled to release on PC and Nintendo Switch later this year. – Jessica Howard

Spirit Swap: Lofi beats Match-3 To

Spirits have been swapped and a brand new (limited time!) demo is now available on Steam

This release showcases the game’s story mode for the first time: it’s time to meet Mo and Leon!

Play the game from June 11th to June 19th, and if you like it, add it to your wishlist! https://t.co/I31BO7s1DM pic.twitter.com/YZ3tQCZ0sW

— SNW 💻✨ Spirit Swap: LoFi Beats to Match-3 to (@SoftNotWeak) June 11, 2022

Time to admit match-3 games? They are very interesting. While the influx of mobile games may have spoiled the genre for some, many of the questions surrounding these games stem from how they are monetized and, honestly, how bland they are. Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats To Match-3 To However, this seems to be the perfect example of how the studio can elevate the match-3 genre. With a vibrant color palette, chill pacing, diverse cast of characters, and a queer narrative that ties it all together, there’s a lot to look forward to in this game. – Jessica Howard

Rabbit Island

Inspired by the real island Okunoshima (affectionately known to locals as “Usagi Shima” or “Rabbit Island”), Usagi Shima combines Japanese culture with developer Jess Yu’s love of soothing simulation games to create a truly adorable Appearance experience. The game sees you as the caretaker of an abandoned island, however, as you start tending and decorating the island, curious bunnies begin to make their homes home. With over 30 bunnies to befriend (and pets!), hundreds of items to decorate your island, and a real-time idle game for every play style, this game seems perfect for anyone who needs rest, relaxation, and bunnies people. – Jessica Howard

The products discussed here have been independently selected by our editors. Esports.com.tnmay share revenue if you purchase any product on our site.

Find more articles in our categories Gaming & News et encore Anime.

Thanks for visiting we hope our article Wholesome Direct: Favorites in the Comfort Gaming Showcase

, help us and share the article on Facebook, pinterest and e-mail with the hashtags ☑️ #Wholesome #Direct #Favorites #Comfort #Gaming #Showcase ☑️!

Wilbert Wood
Games, music, TV shows, movies and everything else.