Welcome to our Wholesome gaming news!
This week, we have news about a release date for Bambas! and for Lord Ambermaze and a demo for Strange Antiquities. Gourdlets Together, emotional puzzle-platformer Colorbound, TOEM 2 and LEGO Voyagers are all announced. Islanders: New Stores is coming soon, a free content update for Little Kitty, Big City and cosy designing game MakeRoom is coming soon. A demo for Little Rocket Lab, an extensive demo for Albert’s Ark Idle and a narrative game Fishbowl is announced. Become a sentient letter in Origament, a demo for Twinkleby and a narrative management game, Above the Snow, has been announced.
Release Date for Bambas!
Bambas! will be released June 27 on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Priced at $14.99, this playful walking simulator from DevilishGames invites you to relive the joy of exploring your neighbourhood streets as a kid.
Explore a lively Mediterranean coastal town brimming with personality and detail, where creativity is king and exploration is your passport to fun. Take control of each sneaker independently using the gamepad’s sticks and triggers, just like moving your own feet. But walking straight won’t cut it: you’ll have to dodge crosswalks, kick cans, balance on curbs, and pull off impossible jumps to overcome hundreds of challenges and unlock a wardrobe full of customizable sneakers.
Bambas! promises a fresh twist on exploration with plenty of personality to discover.
Lord Ambermaze Has a Release Date
Lord Ambermaze, a whimsical yet deadly turn-based puzzle adventure, is set to launch on Steam on August 14. Margaret already gave the game a test run when the prologue demo came out and was looking forward to see how the game would turn out.
Unveiled during the MIX Summer Showcase, the brand-new gameplay trailer gives you a look at fresh puzzle mechanics, including classic sokoban-style challenges, alongside quirky new characters and even a bit of romance. There’s even a curious rock creature that looks very huggable.
Here’s the new trailer to check out.
Strange Antiquities Demo Available
Developer Bad Viking is busy making the new game called Strange Antiquities, this is the same studio that made our beloved Strange Horticulture!
In the game, you become the custodian of a store dealing in occult antiquities. Explore the quaint and gloomy town of Undermere, where strange goings-on and dark mysteries abound. Find and identify arcane artefacts, use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems, and remember to pet your cat!
Can’t wait to give it a try? There’s a demo available on the Steam page now!
Gourdlets Together Announced
Gourdlets Together was announced by solo creator AuntyGames and publisher Future Friends during the Wholesome Direct. While still being a super relaxing building game like it’s predecessor Gourdlets, Gourdlets Together adds the much requested multiplayer to the mix and now also lets you go fishing.
In Gourdlets Together, you’ll design your own peaceful island, fish on quiet shores, and use your catches to unlock accessories and decorations. You can also visit your friends’ islands, build side by side, and get inspired by each other’s creations. It’s all about creativity, connection, and cozy vibes….together.
No release date has been announced yet, but we will keep an eye out!
Emotional Puzzle-Platformer Colorbound Announced
Whitethorn and Chilean indie team Panpipe Studio have announced Colorbound.
This colourful and emotional puzzle-platformer is inspired by the traditions of the Aymara people of the Andes and follows the story of a young boy named Anku as he sets out to reunite his late grandfather’s beloved band for one final concert.
In Colorbound, you’ll guide Anku through peaceful but challenging environments, using the power of colour to shape the world around you. From sunlit deserts to overgrown forests, players will solve puzzles and collect colours to unlock new paths and bring forgotten instruments back to life. With its warm art style and moving narrative, Colorbound blends platforming with logic challenges to tell a story of music, memory, and connection.
No release date has been shared yet.
TOEM 2, Sequel to TOEM: A Photo Adventure
The first gameplay for TOEM 2, the sequel to the BAFTA-winning TOEM: A Photo Adventure, has been revealed. We gave the first game our highest score, so good news!
Set a few years after the original, TOEM 2 invites you to lace up your sneakers and grab your camera once again. This time, the relaxing photography adventure shifts into full 3D, giving you the freedom to climb, explore, and discover new vantage points for the perfect shot. You’ll meet a variety of new characters, some of whom will join you on your journey, as you seek out the mysterious TOEM events once more.
TOEM 2 is planned for release in 2026 on PC and consoles.
LEGO Voyagers Announced
Light Brick Studio, in partnership with Annapurna Interactive and the LEGO Group, has announced LEGO Voyagers, a new creative co-op adventure set to launch later this year. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
From the team behind LEGO Builder’s Journey, LEGO Voyagers invites players of all ages to team up as iconic LEGO bricks and explore imaginative worlds filled with platforming challenges and puzzles. Whether playing on the same screen or online, the game emphasises creativity and connection through a charming, nonverbal story about friendship and adventure.
A standout feature is the Friend’s Pass, which allows two players to experience the full co-op game together—even if only one of them owns a copy. Sounds good!
Islanders: New Shores Coming Soon
ISLANDERS: New Shores, the serene strategy-building sequel, will launch on July 10th for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Published by Coatsink, New Shores expands on the minimalist city-building formula of the original ISLANDERS, inviting you to create beautiful settlements across a variety of tranquil islands. With a streamlined inventory system and thoughtful placement-based scoring, the game offers a peaceful yet strategic challenge.
One major new addition is the introduction of boons, one-time power-ups earned by scoring points. Boons give you useful abilities like duplicating buildings or replacing those you’ve already placed, adding a clever twist to each stage.
Coatsink has confirmed that ISLANDERS: New Shores will receive free content updates throughout the rest of 2025. These updates will include monthly challenges, a new biome, seasonal content, an additional boon, and new rewards. Details and release dates for each update will be shared via the game’s Steam page. And if you can’t wait to give it a try, there’s a demo on the Steam page as well.
Free Content Update for Little Kitty, Big City
A free content update is coming this summer for Little Kitty, Big City, bringing even more playful chaos to all platforms. Revealed in a brand-new trailer, the update promises new areas to explore, more charming characters to meet, and plenty of surprises, including a feline celebrity and even a dog impression.
Players can expect fresh wardrobe options with new hats and customisation items, expanded photo mode features, and more chances to wreak delightful havoc around the neighbourhood, all in true Kitty fashion.
The update follows a big milestone for the game, which celebrated its first birthday on May 9 and recently launched on PlayStation 4 and 5. Since its release, Little Kitty, Big City has become a cosy favourite.
Little Kitty, Big City is available now for $24.99 USD on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Cosy Designing Game MakeRoom Coming Soon
MakeRoom, a cosy sandbox game all about designing your dream spaces, is set to release on August 7 on Steam.
In MakeRoom, you can create detailed dioramas using over 1,000 customisable objects, from furniture and decor to tiny finishing touches. Everything can be resized and recoloured to suit your vision, and with the built-in design tool, you can even craft your own furniture pieces to make each scene truly unique.
Whether you’re decorating a snug reading corner, a sleek kitchen, or even a cozy camper van, MakeRoom offers endless possibilities. Plus, you’ll be able to take on fun design challenges from the residents of MakeRoom Island, unlocking new items as you help bring their rooms to life.
MakeRoom also supports Steam Workshop, making it easy to share your creations with friends and fellow decorators.
Demo for Little Rocket Lab
The first chapter of Little Rocket Lab, a cozy automation adventure from No More Robots and Teenage Astronauts, is live with a playable demo. Budding engineers can jump in today and start crafting, automating, and exploring.
In Little Rocket Lab, you play as Morgan, a young engineer working to transform her childhood home into a functioning rocket launch site. But before you can shoot for the stars, you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and build efficient production lines, help out the quirky residents of St. Ambroise, and restore the town one machine at a time.
The Chapter 1 demo lets you: Set up your first machines, Experiment with factory layouts, meet the locals, take on their requests, unlock new tools and blueprints and explore the charming world of St. Ambroise, from overgrown train yards to hidden quarries.
Extensive Demo for Albert’s Ark Idle
Albert Tross Productions has announced that a full demo of Albert’s Ark Idle is now available as part of Steam Next Fest. For a limited time, players can enjoy the complete version of the game ahead of its official launch later in Q2 2025.
Albert’s Ark Idle is a vibrant and cosy clicker game filled with charm, magical mini-games, and a whimsical cast of characters. The game invites you to restore a magical kingdom, one click at a time.
You’ll gather income by clicking your castle, upgrading buildings, and unlocking magical mini-games, from farming and fishing to sailing across the Seven Seas. As you progress, you’ll collect Creature Essence to revive mythical beings like Bigfoot, unicorns, and fairies, each offering unique powers to help your kingdom flourish.
Magical Journey Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth
It’s time to return to Moominvalley for another magical journey. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is the next cosy, story-rich adventure from developer Hyper Games, known for Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley and Mørkredd. The game is set to release on PC and consoles in 2026, and is available to wishlist now on Steam.
In Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, the beloved character Moomintroll wakes from hibernation far too early, only to find the valley he knows transformed by a deep winter and eerie silence. Cloaked under the icy influence of the Lady of the Cold, Moomintroll embarks on a gentle but heartfelt journey, learning to care for others and forge new friendships in a changed world.
Described as a spiritual successor to Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, this new title offers a similarly cosy blend of storytelling, exploration, and environmental puzzles—though you can enjoy both games in any order.
To celebrate the announcement, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is currently 30% off on Steam.
Narrative Game Fishbowl Announced
Wholesome Games Presents has teamed up with Goa-based indie developer imissmyfriends.studio to reveal Fishbowl, a tender narrative game about grief, connection, and self-discovery. Told through beautiful pixel art and thoughtful gameplay, Fishbowl invites players to experience a coming-of-age story one day at a time.
You play as Alo, a 21-year-old who has just moved to a new city for her first job while processing the recent loss of her grandmother. Over the course of a month, you’ll help her navigate daily life—balancing remote work, keeping in touch with loved ones via video calls, and caring for herself in small but meaningful ways.
The game blends gentle storytelling with light puzzle mechanics. You’ll sort through Alo’s late grandmother’s belongings to rediscover cherished childhood memories, edit videos for a quirky social media star in a fun arcade-style mini-game, and make everyday choices that shape Alo’s unique journey.
Fishbowl does not yet have a release date.
Become a Sentient Letter in Origament
Indie studio Space Sauce has revealed a brand-new trailer for Origament: A Paper Adventure, a family-friendly 3D platformer where creativity and curiosity take centre stage. In this whimsical world, you play as a sentient letter that can transform into various origami shapes, each offering a unique way to explore.
Whether gliding through ornate Venetian rooftops as a paper plane, drifting down moonlit rivers as a boat, or slicing through dense foliage as a spinning shuriken, every form adds a new twist to the gameplay. Each level is filled with multiple paths, hidden corners, puzzles, and characters to meet, all set within a relaxing and meditative atmosphere.
Origament invites players of all ages to use their imagination and discover the secrets tucked away across different eras and magical landscapes. No release date has been announced just yet, but the trailer offers a beautiful glimpse at what’s to come.
The Steam version will be released soon, and plans are already being drafted on paper to bring the cosy game to PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S later.
Demo for Twinkleby!
We’ve mentioned Twinkleby before, a cute-looking decoration game coming to Steam in 2025. And now, there’s a demo if you can’t wait to try it!
Twinkleby invites you to create beautiful dioramas on floating islands while exploring a starlit archipelago filled with antique treasures and whimsical characters.
In Twinkleby, you’ll decorate Victorian dollhouses and gardens with a growing collection of items. Flying boats bring new residents—each with their own personality—who will interact with your creations and each other. Keeping them happy not only brings joy to your island but also earns you lovely rewards!
As you expand your sky-bound world, you’ll unlock larger islands, new seasonal themes, fresh furniture variations, and more. You can even shape the soundtrack by changing the weather and seasons in your sky-high neighbourhood.
Narrative Management Game Above the Snow Announced
Indie studio Above the Desk has unveiled Above the Snow, their debut title set to release on PC in the first half of 2026. Announced with a heartfelt teaser, the game is being developed in partnership with publisher Wandering Wizard and is now available to wishlist on Steam.
Set in the snowy peaks of the Alps, Above the Snow is a narrative management game with a refreshing twist. Players will run a mountain lodge during the early boom of hiking and mountaineering tourism. Your lodge becomes a haven for weary travellers seeking warmth, stories, and shelter from the harsh alpine conditions.
With the help of a quirky team of characters (and a sleepy St. Bernard named Brutus), you’ll build and manage your lodge, focus on hospitality, and create a welcoming space filled with hot cocoa, glowing fireplaces, and camaraderie. Success lies in managing personalities, building synergy, and turning a humble retreat into a memorable sanctuary.
Promising a cosy and story-rich experience, Above the Snow blends light management gameplay with a heartwarming atmosphere.
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