Tucked into a quieter corner of E3 2021 was today’s Wholesome Direct, a showcase of the chillest, happiest, and most uplifting games around.
What is the Wholesome Direct?
Put on by Wholesome Games, a collective of indie game devs, Wholesome Direct is a presentation of games chosen for their “feelings of comfort, compassion, and coziness.” Don’t expect to find excessively violent or thematically dark games here. Instead, the Wholesome Direct showed off a collection of games that encourage good vibes and self-care.
Are you comfy? Got your water and your blanket? Then let’s dig into some of Wholesome Direct’s best and most interesting games. There were over 70 games showcased during today’s Wholesome Direct, (and you can watch it here) but here are some that I’m really excited about.
Snacko
Billed as a “farming cat-venture sim,” Snacko is a game about two cute kitties building their new home from the cat-grass up.
Spirit Swap
Spirit Swap is a vibrantly colored, queer dating sim puzzle game filled with “lofi beats to match-3 to.”
SkateBIRD
Kotaku’s already excited about SkateBIRD. Today, SkateBIRD director Megan Fox gave a look at some of the neat customization options she added to make SkateBIRD accessible to all kinds of players at all kinds of skill levels and abilities.
We Are OFK
We Are OFK is an interactive story of how indie pop band OFK came together. They held a special concert at the end of E3’s Day of the Devs showcase on Thursday. I’m always down to check out any game that has a character wearing a ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ shirt.
Dordogne
I’m a sucker for games with unique and complex artstyles. In Dordogne, a new game from French developer (with the Frenchiest name possible) UN JE NE SAIS QUOI, you play in a world of lush, hand-painted watercolors. It looks so lovely.
Paralives
Paralives is a home-builder sim game perfect for the Pinterest addict (a.k.a. me). You can build your dream home, customize it then populate it with people whose lives you can shape and manage The Sims style.
Moonglow Bay
In Moonglow Bay, the way to a friend’s heart is through their stomach. Today we got to see how Moonglow Bay’s friendship-building mechanic works. By talking to your friends, you learn their favorite foods, which you can then fish up and fry up, deepening your relationship and unlocking new story paths.
PUPPERAZZI
Pupperazzi seeks to answer a question that should be asked often and always: What if we lived in a world of dogs and spent our days taking pictures of them? The answer is Pupperazzi, one of my most anticipated games of the Wholesome Direct. I can’t wait.
This is but a tiny taste of all the sweet games showcased during the Wholesome Direct. Visit Wholesome Games’ website if you’re eager for more cat cafe management sims, donut frosting factory builders, or frog warrior RPGs.