All posts tagged in wholesome
Oct 17, 2022
Play Matchmaker as an Adorable Ghost
In this sweet little dating sim, you don’t play as someone looking for your love interest. Instead, you play as the ghost who’s acting as matchmaker for the residents of the mansion! There are over 10 residents in the mansion for you to get to know. You will read their diaries to learn about them. Also gift them items to discover what they like best.
In Love, Ghostie, every resident can be shipped with another resident. No one is off limits! And with over 45 pairing possibilities, your options are nearly endless. So far, developer Janbeh Games has revealed only a few of the 10+ possible residents. There is Gerard the emo giraffe, Calathea the…. well, the calathea plant, Noir the goth, who is the literal black sheep of the family, and Mina, a short-tempered little calico cat. Also pictured are a frog character and a dragon character. So, who belongs together? Who knows! The choice is yours!
Set up the residents on dates and give them tasks to complete that affect their happiness. As they learn about and get closer to each other, you will unlock cute relationship scenes and unique storylines. Discover the different story lines for each couple. Which of the delightful residents will you ship together in Love, Ghostie?
Release Date TBD
Sadly there is no release date confirmed for this cute little game. It will be released on Steam, however, where you can currently add it to your wishlist. Meanwhile, you can follow the developer on her Twitter and enjoy the charming trailer video for Love, Ghostie.
For more dating sims, check out this article featuring Dream Daddy, Monster Prom 2: Holiday Season, and Half Past Fate.
- Jun 10, 2020
Garden Story is an upcoming social simulation/adventure RPG where you play as a grape called Concord. The game is in development by Picogram and will be published by Rose City Games and VIZ Media for PC via Steam. Whilst a Spring 2020 release for Garden Story was hoped for, Picogram are still finetuning the game. They have however, released a demo version of the game entitled Garden Story: Autumn Town, which you can play here.
About:
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.
Features:
- Whilst restoring a run down island, players are also able to explore and cultivate the islands four regions as ‘Concord the Grape’.
- By fulfilling residents’ requests, fostering relationships with others, and making friends with fruity people, you may find that these people will help you out in return.
- Take care of garden plots, gather resources, and ensure to upgrade your tools to allow you to take good care of your home.
- Whilst solving puzzles and defending yourself against the insidious rot, you may slowly unral the mystery behind the island’s broken past
- By depositing and cataloguing resources you can create a library featuring the island’s lore.
- At your own pace, you are able to care for garden plots each day, choose to take a walk in the evening, or you can concentrate on completing favors. The choice is yours!
- Experience new things and fill your scrapbook with usable perks and traits.
You can visit the game’s website here. Alternatively, you can check out their Twitter account here.
May update:
The people behind Garden Story recently gave an update on how the game is progressing. This is what’s new to Garden Story:
- Labels have been added to jars so players know what type of dew a jar stores.
- The in-game map, which shows the name and coordinates of each area, now has a handy Concord pin to show you where they are.
- The game’s combat has been updated to be more satisfying. The pick art has more detail and the animation ‘packs a little bit more punch’.
- The request board now has a floating bubble to alert you of new quests. In addition to the request board, there are general indicators above areas of interest as well. This helps players know where to explore if stuck.
- Whilst harder to show, the team have been hard at work finetuneing the game’s storyline and ‘squashing bugs’.
- And finally, Garden Story featured in the first ever Wholesome Direct. They described this as “an event that celebrated cozy vibes and kindness”. If you missed the Direct, don’t worry! You can watch the whole video here.
For regular updates, you can join the Garden Story Discord or follow them on Twitter.
- Feb 8, 2020
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 the following platforms shortly afterwards:
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- macOS
- Macintosh operating systems
About Calico
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.
Calico Key Features
- As all animals are interactive, players can explore the village to find cats and other animals, including raccoons, deer, dogs, turtles, red pandas, foxes, lizards, etc. The animals can be befriended, petted and played with
- Players can ride on giant cats ( as you do? ?)
- Run your café by filling it with animals, furniture and yummy café eats!
- Use magic potions to change your animals and environment
- Meet magical girls, witches and other townspeople who you can help and befriend
According to the Steam Website, Calico won’t playable until at least Summer 2020. However, there’s no need to be disappointed, as you can play these cat-themed games in the meantime to tide you over 🙂
For more updates on how the game is progressing, check their Twitter here.
More Magic Games!
Checkout Witchbrook the Stardew Valley of magic as well as Little Witch in the Woods and adorable magic and life simulation game!
If you love life simulation games, take a looksie at this game about Japanese Rural Life!
- Sep 29, 2019
Our monthly recap is here! These are all of the cute, family-friendly games we’ve been covering which have release dates in October 2019. If you’re looking for a new game to play, look no further! Which of these games are you the most excited for?
TokoToko – October 3
TokoToko is an augmented reality game developed by indie studio Kalank and coming to iOS devices October 3rd, 2019. Help your adorable cat artist apprentice named Hako to save her friends, the Tokotokos, by drawing real-life pictures that will come alive in-game.
Concrete Genie – October 8
Help Ash bring life back to his dark, poisoned town with each stroke of his paintbrush, and help him take care of some toxic bullies at the same time when Concrete Genie releases on PS4 on October 8th, 2019.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair – October 8
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, is releasing on October 8th, 2019 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC! Pre-order starting now and get 4 Tonics included in your digital or physical copies! Stop Capital B from enslaving an entire kingdom of bees with the help of Queen Phoebee and her Royal Beetallion.
Doraemon: Story of Seasons – October 11
Doraemon Story of Seasons is a crossover game that combines the best out the beloved farming sim Story of Seasons and the more adventure-driven Doraemon. Bandai Namco announced that Doraemon Story of Seasons will finally release in the west on Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC on October 11th, 2019!
Potion Paws – Mid-October 2019
Potions Paws is created by the developers of Garden Paws; Bitten Toast Games. It’s a shorter standalone game with a spooky theme that includes potion-crafting and dungeon-crawling. Potion Paws will be releasing on Steam sometime around Mid-October after its Kickstarter campaign.
Little Town Hero – October 17
We finally got the official title for Town; Little Town Hero! This strategic RPG is created by none other than GAME FREAK, the geniuses behind the classic Pokemon games. Little Town Hero will be releasing digitally on the Nintendo Switch on October 17th, 2019
A Hat in Time – October 18
This A Hat in Time is a very cute 3D adventure platformer featuring a little girl in a big top hat, known simply as “Hat Kid”. Nintendo confirmed that there will now be a Nintendo Switch physical release on October 18, 2019, with a new co-op mode!
Megaquarium – October 18
Megaquarium is a tycoon-style simulation game where you build and manage your very own public aquarium. The game is already available on Steam here, and will now be releasing digitally on October 18th, 2019 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
Destiny Connect – October 22
Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers is a beautiful game about a town called Clocknee, and a little girl named Sherry who is trying to save it. The release date for Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers is October 22nd, 2019, and will be available on Switch and PS4.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz – October 29
The last Super Monkey Ball title for console is being remade, and is titled Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. It will feature many improvements over the original, including new levels and some amped up graphics. You will once again have to help Aiai recover the scattered pieces of the Golden Banana Bunch. The game will be releasing for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and later for PC on October 29th, 2019.
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, a spin-off of the Harvest Moon series by Natsume, is essentially a fast-paced multiplayer and color-matching puzzle game. It has recently been announced that the game will be releasing on October 29th, 2019 for the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch. For more details about Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, go to our article here.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 – October 31
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming to the Nintendo Switch for Halloween on October 31st, 2019! This spooky ghost-catching game will feature ScareScraper, the new online multiplayer mode, and Gooigi companion for local co-op!
PINE – ‘October 2019’
Pine is an open-world action adventure game set in a simulated world in which humans never reached the top of the food chain. The developers of Pine, Twirlbound, have confirmed that the game will be releasing on Steam and the Nintendo eShop sometime in October 2019. Edit: October 10th, 2019 has been officially confirmed.
Cooking Mama: Cookstar – ‘October 2019’
Cooking Mama: Cookstar is coming to both PS4 and the Nintendo Switch in late October 2019 and will include a new Vegetarian Mode along with over 90 incredible new recipes for players to master. The menu ranges from classic Japanese recipes to the most delicious home cooking and the culinary soul comforts of today.
Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands – ‘October 2019’
Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands has a release date of October 2019. This open-world adventure and simulation game with pirates and treasure is developed by Lemonbomb Entertainment and published by rokapublish and Merge Games and will be available for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4. Edit: October 17th, 2019 has been officially confirmed.
Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure – ‘October 2019’
Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure is a 3D action adventure game that takes place in a prehistoric environment, obviously. The primary focus is avoiding all obstacles that one might encounter in said environment, such as blasting geysers and flowing lava. The game releases in October 2019, and will be available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
DLC, Expansion Packs, and Other Releases
Wandersong Limited Physical Editions – October 11
Play as a silly bard and use music to interact with everything on a journey around the world in Wandersong! This critically-acclaimed platforming adventure gets a two-week open pre-order for PS4 and Switch starting Friday, October 11th, 2019 with Limited Run Games.
Sims 4 ‘Realm of Magic’ expansion pack – October 15
The divine arts are at your Sims’ fingertips. Use your penchant for sorcery to bring peace or mayhem to the neighborhood. The Realm of Magic game pack will be available on consoles starting October 15th, 2019! (PS4 and Xbox One).
If you missed our last release date round-up for September 2019, you can check it out here: Most Wholesome Game Releases in September!
- May 16, 2019
Last year, you may remember us announcing a 3D animated series based on the heartwarming adventure game of Rakuen.
Rakuen is a beautiful adventure game that features a hospitalised boy, who travels to the fantasy world of Rakuen with his mother. Upon its release, Rakuen was a firm favorite here at MPG, despite flying under the radar a little at first. Since then, however, the game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, earned a rating of 9.5/10 on Polygon, and received a Metascore of 84/100 by Metacritic. Priced at £6.99/USD$9.99, the game offers very good value for money.
On August 10th 2018, Laura Shigihara (the developer and publisher of Rakuen), posted a surprising and exciting trailer to her channel, announcing the future release of a 3D animated Rakuen series, entitled The Farmer in the Sky.
The cute trailer gave us a sneak-peak of what to expect in the animated series, which is set in the whimsical world of Rakuen. Since the trailer’s release, The Farmer in the Sky has been in development by Laura Shigihara and animator Slamacow.
However, fans of Rakuen will be pleased to know that the wait is over, as the first episode of the series, (entitled ‘Too Many Minimoris’) was posted on the YouTube channel of Morizora Studios three days ago on the 13th May. The Rakuen Steam page has confirmed that there will be more future episodes, and therefore to subscribe to the channel.
