Wholesome Games Direct 2021 had SO. MANY. GAMES. 75 to be exact.
We wanted to make a list of all the games coming out this year that you could play. But it turned out to be way too long which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because there are so many games to get excited about! Bad because I have zero time in which to complete them. I know that this probably won’t stop me from still getting them though.
Here’s our list of games that are coming out in the next couple of months for you to get excited about! If you didn’t catch our Part 1 of this list be sure to tab that open for later reading.
Button City by Subliminal
Release Date: Q3 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC – Steam, Mac
Button City is a colourful 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.
Fennel is a shy little fox who just moved into town. After discovering the local arcade, he makes new friends and gets swept up in a whirlwind adventure to save it from being shut down at the paws of greedy fat cat Peppermint Pepperbottom.
A Little To The Left by Max Inferno
Release Date: 22 October 2021
Platform: PC – Steam
Where my anxious OCD peeps at? If you love order and righting chaos from the disorderly world around us, then A Little To The Left is the game for you! This cozy puzzle game has you sorting, stacking, and organising household items into precise arrangements. While you keep an eye out for a mischievous cat with an inclination for chaos. This playful and intuitive puzzler has 40+ satisfying messes for you to tidy up and be soothed by.
Letters – A Written Adventure by 5am Games
Release Date: Late 2021
Platforms: PC – Steam, Mac
Letters is a coming of age story about a shy girl named Sarah, learning how to find the right words. You move through her pen pal letters and chat messages in a nostalgic journey from childhood to young adulthood. In a branching storyline, you’ll learn more about her life, friends, fears and dreams, making decisions along the way that will influence what kind of person she’ll grow up to be.
BattleCakes by Volcano Bean
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PC – Steam
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. Meet charming and endearing friends along the way as you work together to uncover the mysteries and hardships plaguing the nearby towns. Choose your approach by either battling or befriending the monsters who stand in your way. Discover the joy of friendship and community as you fight to leave the world better off than you found it and make your mark.
Unpacking by Witch Beam
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam, PC – Humble, Mac, Linux
Unpacking is a zen game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking. Over the course of eight house moves, you are given a chance to experience a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told.
Bear and Breakfast by Gummy Cat
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
Bear and Breakfast is a laid-back management adventure game where you play as a well-meaning bear trying to run a B+B in the woods. Hank and his friends find an abandoned shack and, equipped with their teenage ingenuity, turn it into a money-making bed and breakfast scheme for unsuspecting tourists. As your business expands so do the mysteries of the forest, and Hank soon finds himself uncovering a plot deeper than the wilderness itself.
Behind The Frame by Silver Lining Studio
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PC – Steam
A combination of a narrative game, escape room puzzle mechanics and Studio Ghibli art. Behind the Frame is one of the most beautiful games at Wholesome Direct. It presents profoundly interactive storytelling of characters’ emotions and plot development. With 360°panorama techniques and an exquisite hand-painted art style, the game takes you into the world of 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.
Please Be Happy by Studio Élan
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
Please Be Happy is a comfy, slice-of-life visual novel set in a fictional version of Wellington, New Zealand. It tells a story of love and friendship, and about understanding not just how to be happy, but how to be human.
Born as a fox in the forest of Korea, Miho carries with her the memory of a traveller who showed her kindness and spoke of home. Now more human than fox, Miho has spent a long, long time searching for her person. She arrives by airship to Wellington Skyport, one of the jewels of the floating island of New Zealand.
Despite her years spent observing humans, she still has a lot to learn about their culture and society. It’s only after meeting Juliet, the owner of a small library, and Aspen, an aspiring novelist, that Miho starts to understand what kindness is, and that there’s more than just the bad stuff when it comes to people.
Teacup by Smarto Club
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PC – Steam
Teacup is a wholesome narrative adventure game with a focus on exploration and non-linear progression. You play as the titular Teacup, a shy and introverted young frog who loves drinking tea and reading. The day before she is to host a tea party at her house, she realizes she is completely out of tea, and thus must venture into the woods around her to find the herbs she needs to restock her pantry. You are free to tackle the list of ingredients Teacup must gather in any order you wish. Find your own path through the world of Little Pond.
We last featured Teacup on our list of ridiculously charming games and we’re happy to see a release time at Wholesome Direct.
Moonglow Bay by Bunnyhug
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC – Steam
Miss fishing in the great outdoors but are stuck at home in quarantine? Then this RPG fishing simulator is for you. Moonglow Bay is set along the Eastern Canadian coastline during the 1980s and offers players a diverse and emotionally charged story, complemented by a relaxing, slice-of-life fishing RPG. You play as a rookie angler, struggling to fulfil your partner’s final wish by keeping a business afloat in the face of impending bankruptcy.
You’ll need to cook your catch of the day, then sell a variety of recipes to upgrade your shop, gear, and fishing boat. With your journal and rod in hand, explore the furthest reaches of the ocean, from frigid glaciers to boiling geysers, and learn to cast nets, set traps and fish through the ice, documenting over 100 varied aquatic species while uncovering the secrets of Moonglow Bay.
Dordogne by Un Je Ne Sais Quoi
Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PC – Steam
Dordogne is a narrative adventure game in which you play as Mimi, a 32-year-old woman visiting the house of her recently deceased grandmother. As a souvenir of the childhood summers Mimi spent with her in Dordogne, her grandmother left her letters and puzzles to solve, to remind her to make the most out of life.
In this colourful region, full of wonderful scents and feelings, Mimi will immerse herself back into her childhood memories, and see once again through the eyes of the little girl who marvelled at everything.
Dordogne is set both in the present and the past. In the present timeline, Mimi explores the rooms in her grandmother’s home. In the past timeline, you’ll help a 10-year-old Mimi explore Dordogne and complete her quests, affecting the present.
Wholesome Direct
That’s the show from Wholesome Direct at this E3 2021! There were so many games we had to narrow it down to only about a third of the games and even then it was too much! So be sure to check out our part 2 list of Cozy Games to play this year right here!