Garden Story is an upcoming social sim adventure RPG. With an emphasis on helping the residents of a broken island, this game is undoubtedly wholesome. The game is being developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games and VIZ Media.
The planned release window for the game is currently Spring 2020, although no official date has been given. The game will be released for Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Macintosh operating systems. An official price is yet to be announced.
Players assume the role of Concord, who is a recently appointed village guardian. However, you will definitely be kept on your toes. Whether it be neighbours requiring assistance, or the sudden appearance of a strange rot that has seeped into the foundations of the once thriving island, Concord has his work cut out. Fortunately, he is not alone.
If you help friends with their problems, they’ll help you with yours. Care for the environment, explore new regions, solve puzzles, make new friends, and ultimately, help restore the grove to its former glory.
You can visit the game’s website here. Alternatively, you can check out their Twitter account here.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an upcoming social simulation game where you play as a human character living on a deserted island amongst anthropomorphic animals. Players can shop, socialise with the animals, and participate in activites such as fishing, catching bugs, gardening and decorating. Nintendo are both the developers and publishers of the game. Therefore it’s understandable that the game will only be released on Nintendo Switch. The game is set to release on March 20th 2020, and will retail for $59.99
Tom Nook is ‘switching’ things up with a new business venture. This business venture is his exclusive Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package. Naturally, the Tanuki isn’t offering this for free. When you have landed on the island, you also find yourself landed with debt (yet again) by the tiresome tanuki.
Like in previous games of the franchise, players can participate in activities such as gardening, fishing, decorating, and interacting with a variety of NPCs (both old and new), etc. However, the game will also offer some new features. Examples include, collecting resources, crafting furniture and tools, new ways to interact with trees and flowers, more diversity in skin tones, outdoor stair, more multiplayer options, the handy ability to pole vault rivers etc.
Then of course there’s the tiny details that Animal Crossing fans quickly picked up on. These include, shirts with sleeves for villagers, overally realistic kneecaps for players’ characters, toe beans, and even shoelaces..
Mineko’s Night Market is an upcoming cat-themed crafting adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture. The game is essentially about friendship, choices, and of course, cats. The indie game is being developed by Meowza Games, and being published by Humble Bundle. The game will be released on a multitude of different platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Macintosh operating systems.The exact release date for the game is yet to be determined. However, the game’s official Steam page says that the game will be release in 2020. Fingers (and paws) crossed! ?
Playing as Mineko, a girl who has moved to a superstitious fishing town inundated with cats, you will uncover secrets whilst assisting Mineko in becoming a successful young entrepreneur. This can be done by completing tasks, undertaking quests and gathering resources in preparation for the weekly night market.
Players can craft a variety of odd items, toys, and trinkets, which can then be sold to townsfolk (who are now your customers) at Mineko’s night market stall. After you’ve finished selling your items, you can explore the Night Market yourself, where you can play mini-games, eat unusual foods, and purchase collectibles.
The game allows you to explore distant lands by unlocking different types of transport (which include buses, bullet trains and cat carts). Each land offers new people to meet and unique things to do, dependent on the time of day and season.
There are 16 uniquely themed markets every year which all feature a stage event that you can partake in. Examples of events include Taiko drumming, karaoke competitions, sumo suit wrestling, and more!
The better you perform at the market, the bigger and better the market will become, which may well attract new townsfolk and even celebrity guests!
For more information regarding the game, check out this interview with one of the lead creators of the game here. You can also visit the game’s website here.
To bag some awesome game merchandise, click here.
Ooblets is now out on Xbox One and PC – more info right here.
Ooblets is an upcoming indie game that combines features of popular game franchises such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon. Initially, the game was going to be published by Double Fine. Ooblets will now however be developed and self-published by the game’s two main devs, who created a tiny game studio called Glumberland in order to do this.
According to the game’s latest Devlog, Ooblets will release this year, although no definitive date has been specified. It has also been confirmed that the game will release on PC and Xbox One. The price of the game has not yet been revealed.
Ooblets is essentially a game where players have to balance farm life, town life, and the unexpected pressure of having to deal with numerous different Ooblets. On the plus side, you get the experience of helping to grow and train your ooblets, explore strange lands, and have dance-offs!
Lots of awesome Ooblets merchandise can be grabbed here.
For more information about Ooblets, you can visit the Ooblets website here where developers regularly post updates in their devlogs. You can also follow Ooblets on Twitter and Facebook.
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where players run their own sushi restaurant in a town filled with anthropomorphic animals. The game is being both developed and published by Catch & Release, LLC. No definitive release date has been given, but developers are pushing for a 2020 release. It willl initially only be released on PC via Steam, but there is the possibility of the game being released on other consoles also.
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where you get given your very own sushi restauraunt in a small village. This restaurant has been offered for free by inhabitants of the village. The only catch is that you help to rebuild their town. Players will have their work cut out. When not occupied with the sushi shop, you also need to rebuild the town as promised and improve the lives of your neighbours. On the plus side, you’ll make friends along the way. If you’re lucky, you’ll also attract some new villagers.
Make your restaurant successful by collecting different recipes and buying ingredients. You can then use your profits to profit the town. Watch your town improve and better the lives of townsfolk, customers and yourself through the actions you make.
You can follow the progress of Rolling hills on Twitter here.
Hokko Life is an upcoming cute and cozy village life simulation game. The game is being both developed and published by indie game developer Robert Tatnell. Hokko life will be released for PC via Steam at some point this year. The cost of the game is not yet known.
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your expertise. Help tocreate an endearing town for those who live there. Armed with paint and tools, design, build and decorate new homes for your new friends.
Players are able to craft materials and combine them however they wish. This allows you to create new and amazing furniture and items for the town. By collecting flowers and mixing paints, you can then use them to design wallpapers, flooring and even clothing.
With plenty of choice, you could design a bright flowery wallpaper set, or instead opt to create an urban-industrial furniture collection. Whatever your taste, with a workshop at hand, you have complete freedom when designing a town for the villagers.
Click here to check out an exclusive interview with the game’s solo developer.
You can visit the game’s website here.
Developed by Peachy Keen Games and published by Whitethorn Digital. Calico is a magical, relaxed and family-friendly simulation game where players are given an opportunity to run their very own cat cafe. The game is expected to be released on Steam at some point during Summer 2020. The game will most likely release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and MacOS shortly afterwards.
Calico came about due to the game developer’s obsession with cats, magical girls and fluffy animals. However, wanting to create a game that would appeal to everyone, she also included creatures such as lizards, birds, deer, raccoons, dogs, turtles, red pandas, foxes, etc.
She then shares about how she wanted to publish a game that would make players feel ‘soft, happy, cuddly and cozy’. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, she has said in an interview that she just wanted to create a game where the only goal is to have the best time possble.
However, simply running the cat cafe is not the only things that players can do. The game also incorporates enjoyable aspects from other popular gaming franchises such as Animal Crossing. Similarities between Calico and Animal Crossing include the simulation aspects of both games, and the ability to place furnitire and decorations in your buildings. A perk about Calico however, is that the animals will not leave, the shop never closes, and crops never die.
Little Witch in The Woods is an upcoming life simulation RPG. The game is currently in development by Sunny Side Up Games. No official release date has been given, but the developers are aiming for fall of 2020. They plan to release the game on Steam, and are hoping to release the game on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
Little Witch in the Woods is an adorable fantasy RPG. You play as a super cute witch named Ellie. Close to graduating from witch school and becoming true witch, Ellie must experience the life of a witch as an apprentice. This involves moving to a new town and living in a witch’s house in a forest. Upon arriving to the town however, she is inevitably disappointed to find the in a state of disrepair, and a town which is virtually empty.
As the school is grading how well Ellie completes various tasks, she must explore the mysterious and magical region to gather the ingredients necessary for her potions. These potions can be used in other ways in the game too. Many of the ingredients can be acquired from obliging plants and creatures. The more rare ingredients can be obtained in the nearby village, where a curious bunch of NPC’s reside. By helping them out, they will reward you with ingredients, and some useful items as well.
Additionally, lending these characters a hand improves your relationship with them, and allows you to upgrade the small village. The game’s NPC’s, each with their own stories can sometimes move in or out of the village. It is possible to date these NPC’s, but they may not be human..
Check out an interview with the game’s developers here. You can follow the developers on Twitter here.
For more witch-y games, check out these ones.
You can also check out these upcoming magic school games and add them to your calendar.
Alchemic Cutie is a wholesome pixel-art-stylised RPG set on a colourful Island named Wimba, where you players can tame wild jellies. The game is in development by Vakio and Viridian Software, and will be published by CIRCLE Entertainment this summer. Alchemic Cutie will be released on itch.io. and Steam. A price has not yet been announced.
Set on Wimba island, players get to tame slime-like creatures called Jellies. There are over 4,000 visual styles for jellies, each with unique traits and statistics. Players will have to meet the needs of their Jellies, which inlcude hunger, energy and happiness. Raise the perfect jelly companions and you may be in with a chance of claiming the top prize in one of the game’s eight competitions. In order to improve your jelly’s abilities, you can use alchemy in order to create special items with various powerful affects or to change items into something more rare and powerful. When you’re all jellied out, you can explore the island and uncover its secrets. In the village you can chat with its inhabitants and choose whether to form friends, or if you’re so inclined, rivals.
If you would like to receive updates regarding the gaem, or share your modding creations after the game’s release, you can do so by signing up to the game’s ‘Cutie Club’ here.
Peaceful Days is a farming RPG simulation game reminiscent of Harvest Moon games. The indie game is being developed by Nhat Nguyen and published by Nhat Nguyen and Huiyin Studio. According to the game’s Steam page, Peaceful days is set to release for Microsoft Windows on August 31st 2020. It is currently priced at £7.19.
Heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series, Peaceful Days is a farming simulation set in the attractive Aurora Town, which is located by the sea. Living up to its title, the game appears to be peaceful and wholesome. Players have the freedom of character customisation and farm customisation too! Players can build friendships with the town’s inhabitants, become an important addition to the small seaside town, and participate in a variety of interesting festivals. Additionally you are able to build your very own farm from scratch. In your spare time, you are free to discover fish that you have not yet caught, spend time in the mine to discover ores necessary to upgrade your tools, play minigames, solve puzzles plus more.
As of February 3rd, an early access version of Peaceful Days became available on Steam.
For those that have been waiting, the time has almost arrived. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town was recently confirmed to release in Europe and Australia on July 10th, and in the same week for the United States. Ahead of launch, XSEED has released a new trailer in English for all its western followers.
The upcoming game is a remake of the original Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. Friends of Mineral town is a farming and life sim game with loads of charm and plenty to do, not to mention being the inspiration for many farming and life sim games to come.
The new trailer also came with the announcement that there will be a pre-order bonus, a “pocket plushie”, when the game is purchased through participating retailers. The plushie included is modeled after Strawberry Hanako, an adorable little pink and white cow from the game.
For more adorable games like Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, check out my coverage of Hokko Life.
I am always on the lookout for great deals on games to add to my library, and share with my friends. Doraemon: Story of Seasons is certainly one of my favorite Nintendo Switch games currently available.
If you are unfamiliar with this game, it is a crossover between the mega popular Story of Seasons games, and the Japanese manga Doraemon. It is a super cute little adventure game with lots of farming and social aspects.
You play as Noby, the main character from the Doraemon series. Explore the town, make friends, and help build the community into a strong, unified and beautiful place to be.
Run your farm, raise cattle or relax and do a little bug catching. If you are feeling adventurous, there will always be some exciting journeys to partake in Doraemon: Story of Season.
Doraemon Story of Seasons is currently available for $34.99 through the Nintendo eShop. There you can also find a demo for the game, that way you may try before you buy.
For more great games like Doraemon Story of Seasons, check out what’s new with Hokko Life, an Animal Crossing inspired indie game.
Seablip is a Stardew Valley inspired game about living the pirate live and exploring a vast open world.
Stardew Valley is an extremely popular indie game and created by only one single person, you may know him as ConcernedApe. Jardar is the developer behind Seablip an upcoming indie game that already met its funding goal on Kickstarter today.
Jardar openly says that “It is not a secret that I (Jardar) love Stardew, and I love the mood and feeling it creates. My music is finding a lot of inspiration from Stardew.” He aims to capture the spirit of the beloved farming game for Seablip.
Every pirate needs something to call home, while your ship is most likely the place you will spend most of your time, you can also call the island Seablip your sanctuary – you gotta stash those treasures somewhere!
You start out with just a few inhabitants and as you continue to play the game, you will grow the island and attract more people who want to live on your island. You will be able to build homes, dig for treasure chests and live the best pirate life you can possibly imagine!
Pirate life is all about going to sea and exploring the vast ocean and huge open world. Your ship is your pride and precious, you can upgrade it and make it become the best version of itself.
Add and enhance your ship as you gather resources to make it more powerful and withstand any encounter with other maybe not so friendly pirates.
It is your job as the captain to recruit crew-mates and make sure they are happy and safe. Your crew-mates may slip off the deck when its raining so perhaps keep them safe inside the boat at times.
Jardar mentioned that in Stardew Valley players have choices over how they like to approach the game, go with evil and big cooperations like JoJo-Mart or choose to buy from local traders instead.
He tries to capture this feeling by giving choices to the players.
In Seablip you live on an island that in the old days was a powerful and glorious trading center for merchants, but has for a long time ago been abandoned. Now it is only you, your grandma, a grumpy lord/owner of the island, and a small trade outpost from the good guys “Whale Trading Company“.
If you are excited about giving Seablip a try don’t be shy to check out the Seablip Kickstarter page, there is still time to participate!
Seablip is currently slated for a release on Steam for PC and Mac in early 2021. You can follow Jarad and the progress on Seablip on Twitter!
Check out this life simulation game about Japanese Rural Life! There is also Hokko Life – a game inspired by Animal Crossing is also set to release this year!
I am always on the lookout for new great exploration games, especially if they include some farming. Lately, a great source of farming and life-sim games has been the indie community. You can always expect something new and interesting when it comes to the minds of independent developers, and Wildspeakers appears to be no exception.
Well, it looks the the small crew at Team Verdant are cooking up something super sweet right now. There is not much information available on their game quite yet, as it is still deep in the development process. But we do have a title, Wildspeakers, and a quick preview of the way the game looks at this point in development.
The developers describe their game as “an adventure RPG with a farming twist.” I’m already sold. If you check out their Twitter, you will find a few images and even a bit of gameplay for Wildspeakers, but not much more. I expect the developers will release more soon, as the game is already looking super terrific.
To keep an eye on Wildspeakers as it is created, be sure to follow the developers on Twitter and Discord. I will be sure to keep an eye on this one and update you when more info is released.
For more great adventure games that have a bit of farming, check out what’s new in Hokko Life. As the game is still in early development, there is no word of release date or consoles yet.
Rune Factory 4 Special was announced what now feel like years ago during a Nintendo Direct. After the initial release back in 2012 on the popular Nintendo 3DS, the game finally made its way to Nintendo Switch in its most colorful, more polished and best version of it yet.
Rune Factory 4 Special recently got its western release date making the game available in the US and Europe in addition to Japan.
XSEED Games and Marvelous finally lifted the curtain on the release date for Rune Factory 4 Special! The game will be available on February 25th in North America and only 3 days later on February 28th in Europe!
To celebrate the upcoming release you can watch some new gameplay showing the first 45 minutes of the game!
Hokko Life is a village simulation game inspired by Animal Crossing. Live with animal villagers, furniture creation, fishing, gardening and so much more! Get the latest on Hokko Life here!
If you are looking to play a co-op game with your valentine and/or loved one, check out these wholesome games you can play together right now!
Portal Knights is a huge adventure game with randomly generated 3D worlds. Much like Minecraft, shape and form the world around you as you resource materials to build anything you can imagine.
Use the portals to travel to different realms to find new materials in a seemingly endless quest to transform everything to your liking.
Well, all this amazingness just got that much more awesome. In a recent Tweet from the developer, it was revealed that Portal Knights is getting an update that will add weddings and gala’s to the game. That’s right, you can now officially get married and start a family.
The new DLC will be released tomorrow, and will be free to download. If you do not yet own Portal Knights, you can purchase it for Nintendo Switch for $29.99, or on Steam for $19.99. To stay up to date with what’s going on in Portal Knights, you can follow the games official Twitter account.
For more info on Portal Knights, you can check out the official website. For more cute games like Portal Knights, check out Hokko Life.
Animal Crossing New Horizons is only week away and since Nintendo just announced the new AC themed Nintendo Switch fans of the series are more excited than ever. Recent advertising for the game revealed that Animal Crossing New Horizons Public Projects might become a reality!
Animal Crossing New Horizons takes place on a deserted island and recent information that Nintendo revealed. According to a recent bit of information parts of the island will be inaccessible at the beginning. This points at a larger town area than we may be familiar with from Animal Crossing New Leaf.
Unlockable areas are always exciting as it gives you something to work towards to right away. Discovering new parts of your islands adds a sense of exploration which is not something that any AC game had prior to this one. However, how would we be able to access these areas? A few New Horizons screenshots that were revealed show multi layer islands with up to three layers.
A recent bit of advertising from Japan show off buildable stairs for the very first time. Since a deserted island most likely would not have any stair-sets already built, it would be safe to assume that these are some sort of public work projects allowing you to reach new parts of your very own island. Take a look at the photo below. ( click / tap images to enlarge )
Check out some of the most adorable Animal Crossing New Horizons merchandise announced so far – most of it is even available in the West! Yay!
You may also like to take a look at Hokko Life an Animal Crossing inspired indie game featuring tons of new features like shop keeping and designing your very own furniture from the ground up.