This week in Cozy Gaming News: a wave of cosy and colourful adventures is on the horizon, with upcoming releases like The Regreening: Soilpunk Fairytale, Woodo expanding to consoles, the newly announced release date for Gecko Gods, TOEM 2 set to launch this summer, and Go! Go! Mister Chickums is preparing to hatch this Easter.
If you’re in the mood for something you can try right now, fresh demos for Slumbering Woods and the co‑op narrative adventure Hidalgo are already waiting for you on Steam.
Meanwhile, several favourites are evolving, with Weyrdlets dropping its in‑game monetisation (download now for free!), THE NEWZEALAND STORY: Untold Adventure arriving on Steam, Tales of the Shire confirming a Switch 2 version, and Harvest Island rolling out a major update that deepens its cosy‑meets‑mysterious charm.
Weyrdlets Loses In-Game Monetisation
Idle Weyrdlets is about to change shape: on 17 March, the game shifts from free‑to‑play to a one‑time premium purchase on Steam, and all in‑game monetisation disappears. If you download it before that date, you keep it permanently at no cost, even after the switch!
The update arrives alongside Weyrdlets 2.0, which gives you a noticeably refreshed experience. You can expect a cleaner UI, a reworked in‑game economy, and a new multiplayer mode called Worble that looks like a lively way to play with friends. A new pet and habitat DLC is planned shortly after launch, hinting that the world will keep expanding.
A fresh trailer for Weyrdlets 2.0 also lands on 17 March, marking a full relaunch moment for a game we previously reviewed and scored at the very top.
The Regreening: Soilpunk Fairytale
Look forward to a soilpunk fairytale in The Regreening which is coming to Steam. It’s a cozy simulation game where you breathe life back into a deserted world. You wander through a land shaped by Baltic folklore, meet ancient spirits, and slowly watch the environment flourish as you plant, craft, and care for every creature you come across. It looks like a colourful, nurturing experience where you build living biomes, restore habitats, and turn discarded junk into something charming and useful.
You’ll spend your days:
- Growing plants, discovering new seeds, and choosing which habitats you want to bring back to life.
- Upcycling scrap into decorations or handy watering systems for your expanding garden.
- Befriending folklore spirits who trade powerful abilities for your help (and the occasional shiny trinket).
- Sharing flowers, berries, and gifts with animals and friends as the world becomes vibrant again.
The Regreening is the debut project from Positive Impact Games, a remote Hamburg studio founded in 2024 by industry veterans.
Woodo Coming to Consoles Too
Good news in this week’s Indie Showcase: Woodo is coming to consoles this Summer, as well as to Steam. Woodo invites you into a peaceful countryside brought to life through charming wooden dioramas, where you solve cosy, object‑based puzzles while following Foxy — a city girl discovering a slower, more heartfelt way of living. As you place each piece, you unlock whimsical scenes narrated by Laurence Olivier Award winner Miriam‑Teak Lee, giving the whole experience a warm, storybook feel.
The new demo that’s available on Steam lets you step into Foxy’s world for the first time, discovering gentle animations and a nostalgic summer tale at your own pace.
What you can expect:
- Cozy diorama puzzling with a find‑the‑object twist
- A handcrafted wooden art style that feels tactile and playful
- A heartfelt story about creativity, growth, and connection
- A pressure‑free experience with no timers
- Narration from Miriam‑Teak Lee for guidance and companionship
Woodo is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and both Nintendo Switch 1 & 2. The showcase also confirmed that the Switch 2 version will support mouse controls, giving you a more intuitive way to interact with its delicate mechanisms.
Cozy Co-op Adventure Hidalgo Coming to Steam
After a successful Kickstarter, Infinite Thread Games and publisher Loopr Partners have revealed Hidalgo, a cosy co‑op narrative adventure inspired by Don Quijote de La Mancha, launching on Steam in 2026. If you’re eager to dive in early, there’s a demo waiting for you on Steam right now.
You step into a handcrafted puppet world built from recycled materials, joining Don Quijote, Sancho Panza, and loyal Rucio across three chapters inspired by the novel’s most iconic moments. It looks like a colourful, story‑driven adventure where you’ll battle windmills, solve environmental puzzles, get knighted, and fight for Dulcinea — all wrapped in warm Spanish‑guitar vibes.
Blending local co‑op, perspective‑shifting sequences, and a heartfelt narrative, Hidalgo aims to offer a cosy, imaginative journey that brings Quijote’s dreams (and delusions) to life in the gentlest way.
Release Date Gecko Gods
Gecko Gods finally has a release date, landing on 16 April for PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.
In the game, you play as a tiny gecko exploring a forgotten land that looks warm, colourful, and built for curiosity. You’re free to scamper up walls, ceilings, cliffs, pretty much anything, thanks to the gecko’s easy agility. That freedom lets you wander across islands at your own pace, poking into temples, solving gentle environmental puzzles, and uncovering relics and bugs tucked away in quiet corners.
The world feels designed to slow you down in the best way: you hear the soft patter of your feet on sand, the hush of waves as you sail between islands, and the subtle clues offered by the creatures you meet. Each island brings its own atmosphere and secrets, giving you a small but thoughtful journey to sink into.
Demo for Slumbering Woods
Slumbering Woods is about to make its first public appearance, with a free demo now on Steam. The demo arrives just as Steam’s Women’s Day Sale kicks off, putting the game in a perfect spotlight for anyone curious about cosy exploration titles with a nurturing twist.
Created by a small indie team in Australia, the game looks like a gentle exploration adventure where you wander through a wild fungal forest and slowly bring it back to life.
You spend your time planting mushrooms that spread across the land, transforming the terrain and opening new paths as you go. That growth helps a remote village thrive, giving you a sense of quiet purpose as you explore. The forest itself looks rich and atmospheric, full of soft colours, hidden corners, and that earthy, slightly magical vibe you’d expect from a world built around fungi.
TOEM 2 Launch This Summer
TOEM 2 is set to launch this summer on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC. And if you fancy catching up first, the first TOEM is currently discounted on Switch for $3.99.
You’ll set off on a gentle photo‑adventure, exploring new regions, meeting quirky characters, and using an upgraded camera to solve puzzles and uncover secrets. You’ll fill your journal with stamps as you complete quests, unlocking new areas at your own pace with no pressure or time limits.
The developers say they’ve built TOEM 2 to run at 60 fps on the original Switch, marking a return to Nintendo’s Indie World lineup five years after the first game!
THE NEWZEALAND STORY: Untold Adventure on Steam
THE NEWZEALAND STORY: Untold Adventure has landed on PC via Steam, bringing you a fresh, endearing take on TAITO’s 1988 cult classic. It looks like a bright, cute, nostalgia‑friendly platformer that stays true to the original while adding new ideas for modern players.
You follow TIKI on a new chapter of his journey, including an entirely original fifth stage inspired by New Zealand’s Kaikōura district. You explore four new levels, face a brand‑new boss called WORMAGEDDON, and try out updated systems like a new map layout and revamped health mechanics. The world feels colourful and varied, taking you through forests, coastlines, sea caves, and labyrinths as you rescue TIKI’s friends.
The heart of the adventure still lies in its characters, with TIKI’s courage and the bond with his fellow Kiwis giving the story its warmth. Bitobit says this remake is designed to honour TAITO’s legacy—something that longtime fans will recognise instantly, while newcomers get a charming introduction to a classic reborn.
Tales of the Shire Gets Switch 2 Version
Last summer, Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings™ Game launched to a mixed reception. Some players enjoyed its cosy charm, while others were put off by early bugs that made parts of the experience a bit frustrating. I still had a lovely time with it, as I mentioned in my review, and it’s great to see a Switch 2 version arriving on 25 March, with a free upgrade if you already own the original.
The release date is a thoughtful nod to Tolkien lore: 25 March marks the destruction of the One Ring, the end of Frodo’s quest, and the fall of Sauron. It’s also the date the Tolkien Society has celebrated as Tolkien Reading Day since 2003.
Major Update for Harvest Island
Harvest Island 2.0 has landed on Steam, giving the psychological‑horror farming adventure a complete modern refresh. You’re getting smoother movement, richer atmosphere, and a far deeper story.
Highlights of Version 2.0
- Freer exploration with fluid, non‑grid movement.
- Moodier visuals thanks to dynamic lighting and new atmospheric effects.
- Expanded story routes with multiple endings and deeper character arcs.
- A new trust system where Dad controls how far you can explore.
- Magic as a second resource, letting you evolve crops into blessed versions.
- Improved interactions with animated portraits and refined mechanics.
- A new moon cycle that plunges the island into darkness every other night.
- A time‑shifting dial to speed up growth, tides, and entire days.
It looks like a major step forward for Harvest Island, a game we already liked when it first came to Switch (read our review here), keeping its cosy‑meets‑unnerving charm while offering a far more polished and atmospheric adventure. The game is now on sale (40% off) and there’s a demo available too.
Go! Go! Mister Chickums Hatching This Easter
Go! Go! Mister Chickums is officially hatching on Easter Thursday, 2 April 2026, bringing its cheerful 2D arcade action to PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. After a strong showing during Steam Next Fest, com8com1 Software has confirmed the release date — and you can already try the demo on Steam.
You’re getting a classic single‑screen platformer inspired by 80s arcade hits, where you jump through 100 handcrafted stages, grab stolen eggs before the timer runs out, and outsmart enemies with their own quirky tactics. You can play solo or team up in local co‑op, making it a lively couch experience.
The game also features an upbeat soundtrack by Zane Little — known for his Flipnote animations and a YouTube channel with over a million subscribers — giving the whole adventure a bright, nostalgic energy.
Go! Go! Mister Chickums launches on 2 April 2026 for $9.99 USD, with a demo ready for you to try now.
Do you like our content?
Support LadiesGamers as a member on Patreon!
Or buy us a cup of coffee or tea on Ko-Fi!
