Five games we can’t stop thinking about from the Wholesome Direct

The weekend of June 8 has been an absolute bumper weekend for gamers. Summer Games Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase captured most of the attention, but causing great excitement in other parts of the gaming sphere was the Wholesome Direct, a Wholesome Games showcase. Featuring over 40 cozy, wholesome games, there are some that we can’t wait to get our hands on.

Crab God

What is it with crab games at the moment? Unclear where the theme came from but I’m not complaining. Crab God is a crab-themed strategy game where you assign roles to your Crablings, journey through the ocean, and defend the egg of the next Crab God. Balance competing resources and requirements and keep your colony happy.

• Planned release date – 20 June
• Demo available now
• Developer – Chaos Theory Games
• Publisher – Firesquid

Tiny Bookshop

Announced at least year’s Wholesome Direct, Tiny Bookshop is back with a demo. Open a tiny bookshop by the sea, select your stock, serve customers, decorate your trailer-cum-store, and get to know the locals in this cozy management sim with narrative elements. Choose where to set up shop each day and discover the secrets of Bookstonbury-by-the-Sea.

• Planned release date – TBD
• Demo available now
• Developer: Skystone Games
• Publisher: Skystone Games

Littlelands

An adorable action-adventure game that seems to take a lot of inspiration from the environments of the 2D Zelda games, Littlelands promises to reward the spirit of adventure and exploration. There are plenty of characters to befriend, treasures to dig up, and goblinetes to defeat, but you can also just take it easy and farm berries and cook. The game promises players can play at their own pace.

• Planned release date: TBA
• Developer: Rafael Martin & Ky;e Creamer
• Publisher: Apogee Entertainment

Wax Heads

Take on the role of managing a struggling record store in this self-proclaimed cozy-punk management slice-of-life narrative sim. Get to know the eccentric and indecisive customers, familiarize yourself with the bands and their music, and try not to get distracted when there are customers in the store. Featuring a comic-book art style and an incredible soundtrack, Wax Heads is not to be missed.

• Planned release date: TBA
• Demo available now
• Developer: Patattie Games
• Publisher: Patattie Games

Tiny Lands 2

The follow-up to the successful indie spot-the-difference game Tiny Lands, Tiny Lands 2 promises more of the same with a stunning art style and gentle soundtrack. There’s no time limit so players can take as long as they like to examine the handcrafted scenes and find the differences. Tiny Lands 2 also features co-op play for two players, a built-in hint system, and easy one-handed gameplay.

• Planned release date: 2025
• Developer: Hyper Three Studio
• Publisher: Hyper Three Studio

Featured image credit: Wholesome Games

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