Here’s your weekly Wholesome Gaming Roundup, packed with demos, updates, and upcoming releases to keep on your radar:
Try your hand at something new with fresh demos for Sheepherds!, the innovative 3D puzzler Pazleum, and the charming diorama builder Block Block Block. If you’re in the mood for puzzles, mark your calendar: Spooky Express and Dream Garden both have official release dates now.
Big updates are rolling out too. Upin & Ipin Universe gets a major refresh, while STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar adds a cheerful Bingo twist. And if you’re feeling lucky, there’s a Shujinkou Switch code giveaway you won’t want to miss.
Looking ahead, there’s plenty to get excited about: Cat Isle brings cosy management vibes, Fading Serenades offers a reflective courier adventure, and All Hands on Deck sails onto Steam and Nintendo Switch later this year with colourful co-op fun.
New Demo for Sheepherds!
Sheepherds! is a colourful co-op game that’s all about herding fluffy sheep and having a laugh with your friends. You’ll play as a lively sheepdog (or maybe even a pig), collecting wool, dressing up in silly outfits, and bouncing through vibrant maps with zero stress and plenty of charm.
A fresh demo has just landed for Steam’s October Next Fest, giving you access to eight levels, a playful new 3D lobby, and a first peek at the game’s story. Your dog can kick a football around while waiting for friends, snap selfies, or simply chill before diving into the Glowing Fields—one of the new maps added alongside updates to the Mossy Highlands.
Sheepherds! now supports nine more languages, making it easier to join the fun wherever you’re from. If you’ve played the earlier demo you’ll also spot quality-of-life tweaks like adjustable difficulty, controller hints, and smoother timed challenges.
Our writer Soozi Q had a chance to participate in the playtest, read about that here. The demo’s available now on Steam—just in time for the October Next Fest. Grab your crew and get herding.
Release Date for Puzzler Spooky Express
Hop aboard Spooky Express, a charming puzzle game arriving just in time for Halloween on 21st October 2025. You’ll be laying tracks and planning routes through the haunted land of Trainsylvania, making sure your undead passengers reach their eerie destinations across more than 150 handcrafted levels.
It looks like a cosy puzzler packed with playful details, from the Pumpkin Patch to the Impish Inferno, each map feels like a spooky little diorama, complete with a haunting soundtrack by Priscilla Snow. You’ll spot delightful comics from David Hellman and Zac Gorman along the way, and the game’s elegant design comes from the award-winning team behind A Monster’s Expedition and Cosmic Express.
Whether you’re playing on PC, iOS or Android, Spooky Express invites you to keep this grave situation on track with clever mechanics, monster-filled maps, and a whole lot of Halloween charm.
Major Update for Upin& Ipin Universe
A major update has landed for Upin & Ipin Universe on Nintendo Switch, marking the game’s first big patch since its July release. If you’ve been waiting to dive back in, now’s a great time—this refresh brings smoother gameplay, sharper visuals, and a heap of new content.
You’ll spot fresh quests, upgraded animations, and a dedicated streamer mode, alongside tweaks to controls, UI, and inventory systems. It looks like this colourful, family-friendly adventure is now running much better. Lynne reviewed the original version for us, you can read her thoughts here.
Whether you’re a returning player or trying it for the first time, this patch is designed to make your experience more polished and engaging.
Bingo Update for STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar
A free update has landed for STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar, the cosy farming sim on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Steam. If you’ve been enjoying life in Zephyr Town like I have, version 1.1.0 gives you even more reasons to stay.
You’ll now have access to Happy Bingo, a cheerful new feature that rewards you for everyday tasks like fishing and petting animals. That caught my interest, as I’ve been petting them daily to give them that extra bit of love! Complete bingo cards and trade them in at the Happy Shoppe for handy items, with Deluxe cards offering even bigger prizes, think gliders and special outfits.
The patch also brings bug fixes, smoother gameplay, and UI tweaks, making the game feel more polished overall.
Giveway: Switch codes for Shujinkou!
We have a very special giveaway this time: we are giving away 6 Switch codes (3 US and 3 EU) for Shujinkou, thanks to Rice Games! Shujinkou is a game that proves that a game can be both educational and a terrific RPG.
Read more about how to enter this giveaway on LadiesGamers!
Pazleum, an Innovative 3D Jigsaw Puzzle
Our eye was caught by a special looking jigsaw puzzle on Steam, called Pazleum. Pazleum invites you to build intricate 3D jigsaw puzzles of ancient sculptures, statues, and cultural artefacts, each one packed with historical insight. It looks like a thoughtful blend of art appreciation and puzzle-solving, wrapped in a calming, semi-meditative experience.
In the base game, you’ll piece together 25 detailed sculptures from civilisations like Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Meso-American, with new content arriving monthly that will be part paid and part for free. Two game modes offer different vibes: Chill mode lets you relax and admire the art, while Assembly mode brings a more traditional challenge.
Each puzzle will unfold in handcrafted environments, from dreamy museum halls to a Zen garden by a waterfall. The intuitive controls will mimic real-life movement, and even entry-level PCs will be able to handle the cinematic-quality visuals. You’ll also find a self-organising board, hint system, and a personal gallery to showcase your completed works.
Pazleum now has a demo live on Steam, so check it out!
Management Game Cat Isle Coming
If you’re after a cozy management game with pixel charm and plenty of feline flair, Cat Isle might be right up your alley. Developed by indie duo PixelDuckoo and Domke Games, this upcoming title invites you to transform a tiny train platform in the sea into a bustling cat haven, complete with shops, restaurants, and vending machines tailored to your whiskered residents.
It looks like a colourful, laid-back experience where you’ll decorate buildings to suit your style, discover each cat’s favourite snacks and hobbies, and juggle supply and demand across four themed levels. Expect a lot of cats, a lot of charm, and just enough strategy to keep things purring along.
Cat Isle is currently in development and heading to Steam.
Cozy Courier Adventure Fading Serenades
If you’re in the mood for a cosy courier adventure with a nostalgic twist, Fading Serenades might be just what you’re looking for. Releasing on Steam on October 23, this top-down indie game from Vienna-based solo developer Bernie Wick invites you to explore Clifford’s Island as young courier Callum.
It looks like a gentle, self-paced journey where you’ll run, jump, and climb through movement-based mini-games, making deliveries to quirky islanders while managing a backpack that’s always slightly too small. As you uncover the island’s secrets, you’ll meet reserved but endearing characters, take on heartfelt quests, and piece together a story of vanishing traditions in a futuristic world.
With its big-pixel charm and reflective tone, Fading Serenades serenades a quieter life. Check out the trailer here. And if you’re curious, the demos are already live on Steam.
Make Dioramas With Block Block Block
If you love cozy creativity and interior design, Block Block Block gives you the perfect space to unwind and build something beautiful. This tiny building game lets you stack and arrange wooden blocks to craft charming dioramas—whether it’s a snug bakery, a quirky studio, or a serene bedroom, you’re free to shape your dream space.
It looks like a relaxing, intuitive experience, with drag-and-drop tools that make designing effortless. You’ll experiment with colours, shapes, and layouts, personalise items with paint and wood types, and even deform objects to get the perfect fit. From interactive realism to a full lighting system, every detail helps bring your creations to life.
You can share your builds with friends or simply enjoy the quiet satisfaction of crafting something that reflects your imagination. If you want to give it a try, there’s a demo on Steam now.
Dream Garden Has a Release Date
From the indie duo behind My Dream Setup, Campfire Studio, cosy simulation game Dream Garden invites you to craft tiny, tranquil garden dioramas, no timers, no pressure, just pure zen. And Dream Garden now has a release date: November 3 2025! And there’s also a demo live on Steam if you can’t wait.
You’ll shape landscapes with hills, rivers, and lily-dotted ponds, decorate with hand-sketched sculptures and bridges, and even rake intricate patterns into sand and pebbles. It looks like a dreamy, meditative space where you can build to your heart’s content.
Puzzle Platformer All Hands on Deck for Steam and Switch
All Hands on Deck is developed by Studio Mantasaur, and this puzzle-platformer lets you and a friend team up as Lefty and Righty—two cheerful hands on a mission to explore toybox-style worlds, solve clever puzzles, and collect quirky trinkets.
It looks like a light-hearted, two-player experience packed with creative tools and hand-tastic powers. You’ll stretch with Extendable Arms, fling yourselves with Rubber Bands, and use Rock Paper Scissors abilities to uncover secrets and unlock cosmetic goodies. Whether you’re playing locally or online, it’s all about teamwork and improvisation.
All Hands on Deck is coming to Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam later this year. You can try the free demo now on Steam as part of Steam Next Fest, or keep an eye on the Nintendo eShop for pre-purchase options.
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