Welcome to our Weekly Wholesome Gaming Round-Up! I decided to mix things up a bit and add a new title.
As always, we bring you the latest in family-friendly games and positive gaming news: we’re here to keep you informed on all things uplifting in the gaming industry. Whether you’re looking for indie games news, upcoming video games, or little titbits of fun news, our weekly feature has something for every gamer looking for a positive spin on their favourite hobby.
Cozy Caravan Wholesomeness
A new wholesome game is coming: Cozy Caravan invites you into a world of whimsical exploration and heart-warming encounters. You can craft, trade, and form lasting bonds as you and your caravan journey through enchanting towns, enriching lives along the way.
Cozy Caravan is all about hitting the road and making friends along the way. It’s more than just giving a lift to characters you meet; it’s a chance to listen to their stories and learn something new. You’ll get to make your own crafts and snacks, putting a little bit of your own journey’s magic into everything you create. As you travel, you’ll run into all kinds of interesting folks, each adding something special to your journey. You can find more info on the upcoming Steam game here.
Mindfulness for Gamers Podcast
Did you read the interview James did with Shaun Donaghy about his podcast Mindfulness for Gamers? James came across the podcast Mindfulness for Beginners and found Shaun to be an experienced mindfulness teacher who breaks down the fundamentals of Mindfulness in simple-to-digest episodes.
With the new podcast, Mindfulness for Gamers, Shaun hopes to reach a new audience and make a difference in people’s minds. Want to try it, too? You can find the podcasts on Spotify, Apple podcasts and Amazon Music.
Dream of Star Haven for Free in Early Access
Dream of Star Haven is available for free in Early Access. In the game, you go on an odyssey in its expansive atmospheres, where unique first-person 3D platforming is coupled with mind-bending gravity-shifting mechanics in this playful collection.
When James gave us his impression of Dream of Star Haven in Early Access, he wrote:
Dream of the Star Haven is a first-person platformer that features exploration, puzzles, and a little light combat. This comes from developer Orchid of Redemption, who worked on Joon Shining, a 2D experience where you figured out puzzling levels with the power of golf. Joon Shining has a serene tone to its presentation, and I felt similar vibes when playing through the first few levels of Dream of the Star Haven.
The game certainly looks enchanting! Here’s the video:
Botany Manor Has a Release Date!
We finally have a date! Botany Manor is set to bloom on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X on April 9th, 2024, and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one. And what’s more, Whitethorn Games took the trouble to adjust the options of the first-person view so that it isn’t quite as nauseating to wonder around.
Botany Manor, a captivating game set in the beautiful estate of retired botanist Arabella Greene, invites players to embark on a unique gardening adventure. Arabella, with her collection of rare and nearly forgotten plants, needs your help to bring them back to life. As Arabella, you’ll explore the historic manor and its lush grounds, searching for clues in her notes, books, posters, and scattered items to find the perfect conditions for each plant’s revival. The game offers interactive puzzles where you can unlock new seeds and learn about the plants’ mysterious qualities by turning and flipping items around the estate.
Cozy Management Game Minami Lane
Welcome to Minami Lane! Build your own street in this cozy, casual management sim. Unlock and customize buildings, manage your shops, and maximize the happiness of your villagers to complete quests and fill your street with love.
Build homes to add villagers, then improve their happiness by building shops and attractions, including ramen shops, boba cafes, bookstores, and more, each with unique inventories, abilities, and effects. Complete missions to unlock new levels with more buildings, villager types, and other surprises. Once you start the day, you’ll get to see each villager explore your creation and react to your decisions. Be sure to check on them throughout the day for helpful feedback on how to improve!
Sounds good to me!
The expected release date is February 28th on Steam, and you can find more info here.
Lo-fi City-Building Rogue-Lite Tranquil Isle
This sounds like an interesting combination of gaming styles! In Tranquil Isle, you can grow your settlements on idyllic, randomly generated islands, manage resources and upgrade skills – or chill out and build with no restrictions in sandbox mode.
Enjoy relaxing gameplay that drops features like combat and trading in favour of a more chilled-out, building-focused experience. Tranquil Isle includes a rogue-lite mode for players seeking a challenge and a sandbox mode for those looking to chill out and build purely for aesthetics and vibes. Build your island havens on randomly generated maps with different themes, including grasslands, desert and winter, spread across everything from tiny islands to sprawling archipelagos.
Let’s School Free Update
On February 7th, 2024, Let’s School has received a free update. This update adds lots of new features to the game, including After-School-Clubs for students (Basketball and Popular Music to start), a new winter game map, new school closure gameplay, community investment, more graduation choices, full gamepad support, Parent Teacher Associations, new building styles and loads more. This new content adds lots more nuance and decision-making to a typical playthrough.
There’s a 25% discount on Steam now till February 20th, so now might be a good time to give the game a try!
Free Dorado Crest Update For SteamWorld Build
Thunderful and The Station have released a new free update for SteamWorld Build, now available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. The update, named Dorado Crest, adds a new map with a Mesoamerican theme, including three new smaller maps, new decorations, and a new building.
This update introduces a special building called the “Sacred Site,” shaped like a pyramid from Central America, which gives players a special bonus for their next game. It also brings 12 new decorative items, like pyramids, a firepit, and statues, to make the game more fun and interesting. This comes after a previous update called Jingle Bolts, and there are plans to release more free updates in 2024.
Lake is Coming to Switch!
Lake, a popular game that lets you experience life as a mail carrier in a relaxing setting, is coming to the Nintendo Switch! I’m pretty excited about this news, as I played the demo on the SteamDeck and wished for it to come to my much lighter Switch. Lake will be available on Switch starting February 15th.
Set in 1986, players step into the shoes of Meredith, a woman in her 40s seeking a break from her hectic city life. She returns to her peaceful hometown of Providence Oaks, Oregon, to take over her father’s duties as the local mail carrier for two weeks. This beautiful lakeside setting is where she delivers mail, rekindles old friendships, meets new people, and possibly finds love. As Meredith’s vacation ends, players will decide whether she goes back to city life or chooses a new path. This slice-of-life interactive game offers players the chance to shape the story according to their choices.
Wytchwood on Mobile
Wytchwood, a game we gave our highest rating and even made a guide for, has now made its way to mobile devices and is available on Android via Google Play and iOS through the App Store for $4.99 USD.
Wytchwood is a gothic crafting adventure game where players become the enigmatic witch of the woods. In this world of dark fairytales and fables, you’ll explore the eerie countryside, gather magical ingredients, concoct powerful enchantments, and dispense peculiar justice to a variety of characters and creatures. It’s a chance to teach them the moral of their stories in your own unique way.
Trailer Story Mode Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator
NACON and stillalive studios have unveiled a new story mode trailer for Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator, a soothing gardening game set to release on 22nd February 2024 for PlayStation5, PlayStation4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam), with a Nintendo Switch version following on 14th March 2024.
In this game, players step into the shoes of a steward tasked with revitalizing a community garden in a quaint, secluded village. They’ll be greeted by Jasmine, a flower-loving local photographer, among other vibrant characters throughout their journey.
Players will fulfil various requests from villagers to earn Florins, the in-game currency, allowing them to expand the garden, buy new tools and decorations from Leslie’s store in the village square, and unlock structures like the pavilion, which displays flower sculptures representing the villagers.
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is designed for both seasoned gardeners and beginners, offering a laid-back gardening experience where players can work at their own pace, collaborate with villagers, and unleash their creativity to rejuvenate the garden. Be aware, though, that the game is from a first-person perspective.
Lunar Onion Festival on Ikonei Island
The Lunar Union Festival has come to Ikonei Island to celebrate the Lunar New Year in a wholesome way. The island will shine under the soft glow of lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere filled with unity and celebration. This event is more than just a gathering; it’s an opportunity to welcome the Lunar New Year together.
If you want to bring your friends along for the adventure, you can do so with the free Friends’ Pass, making the celebration even more special when shared. You can find more details about the event and the Friends’ Pass here.
That’s it for this week. Have fun gaming!