Wholesome Direct 2021 Highlights

This is basically just a post of "hey please look at these, they are so neat".

With E3 weekend having come and gone, I wanted to write a quick post about some of the stuff I'm ecstatic for that was shown in the Wholesome Direct which aired on June 12th. This is partially to share my enthusiasm, but also so I can remember to keep track of them lol. Worth nothing: these are the games I'm extremely excited for and stood out to me significantly, although I want to play literally every game that was on the showcase... which was a lot.

Spirit Swap

If you watch this 1 minute and 11 second long trailer, look me in the eye, and say "I don't want to play this game" then I cannot help you. You know how to close this tab. Match 3 puzzle, music that SLAPS, absolutely gorgeous character designs, personalized room decoration. I don't need to say anything else.

NOTEWORTHY: This game has a demo available on steam!

APICO

APICO is an adorable management sim about breeding, collecting, and taking care of bees! Between the simplistic pixel art style and the overall concept, this feels like a very good time. As someone who gets lost in large, in-depth management sim games, I love smaller scope ones like this that are focused and more niche. Throw in minigames and I'm 100% sold (I freaking love minigames).

NOTEWORTHY: This game has a demo available on steam!

Moonglow Bay

I don't play games on my PC but if my dinky little Surface Go can run this, I'm playing it day one (unless I own an xbox by then cough cough). I love fishing. And I love voxels. That's it. Take my damn MONEY.

Snacko

By now you might have noticed a small pattern on my blog - I love exploration and crafting-based farming games. Snacko will be no exception! What truly has my attention though is the combination of art styles. The 2D character sprites existing within the endearing 3D-rendered environment, topped off with adorably detailed character portraits when you're conversing with them, this game feels truly unique and I want to see more of it.

Garden Story

I cannot WAIT for Garden Story (I even wrote about how excited I am about it over on Mint's blog earlier this year). This game looks so sweet and full of puns and I can't wait to get my grimy little hands on it. A post-adventure RPG about revitalizing your home and keeping it safe while fighting baddies and solving puzzles along the way - sign me the FUCK up. The art style alone is what interested me, but the more I learn about this game, the more in love I fall.

And boom! There you have it! Like I said, there were countless games announced in the showcase so be sure to go check out the entire docket on the Wholesome Direct's website!

Did you watch the Wholesome Direct? Are you as excited for these as I am? Is there something else you're excited for? I'd love to hear about it over at @atlaspolara!