Welcome to our Wholesome gaming news!
This week, we have news about Rune Factory: Project Dragon, the next Story of Seasons game, and Ark of Charon take root. Harvest Moon is coming to Mobile; there’s a demo for the cosy fantasy game Whimel Academy, and Magical Delicacy has a release date. Mini Motorways has a free update that explores Vancouver, Wéko The Mask Gatherer is coming to Steam, Go-Go Town! has a new demo, Cozy Caravan is being denimified, huge updates to the demo of Projected Dreams and an update on Switch for Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes. Ova Magica releases in Early Access and a remastered version of Yokaa-Laylee named Yooka-Replaylee is announced.
Rune Factory: Project Dragon
At the Marvelous Game Showcase 2024, a new video was revealed for the new title Rune Factory: PROJECT DRAGON, sharing a look at the title’s protagonists. Players can choose to play as either Subaru or Kaguya, two new Earthmates with a twist; they will use the power of dance, rather than farming, to communicate and interact with the world around them. This new approach to interacting with the world comes with non-combat tools, including parasols and drums, the more familiar weapons like swords, and new weapons to experiment with, including bows and talismans.
No further news yet about a release date.
The Next Story of Seasons Game
The Marvelous Game Showcase 2024 also showed more about the next entry in the Story of Seasons franchise. The game is in active development, with the team focusing on improvements to the visual presentation and natural environments. Series Manager Hikaru Nakano has shared a sneak peek of these enhancements, showcasing updates such as natural lighting and festival fireworks to boost immersion. While a full reveal is yet to come, Nakano-san confirmed exciting new gameplay features, including a player-controlled glider and the return of fan-favourite pets.
Ark of Charon Takes Root
Ark of Charon will sprout at Steam Next Fest ahead of its release on July 9th, with a demo available from June 10th to 17th! Ark of Charon blends colony simulation and tower defence, featuring a visual design reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s fantastical worlds.
In Ark of Charon, you will nurture the World Tree sapling, guiding it on a perilous journey to restore life to a world consumed by darkness. You’ll build a flourishing settlement atop the creature, maintaining a mobile city where sustainable growth is essential. Helpful familiars will gather resources, cultivate crops, and unearth lost technologies, much like Pikmin but without the haunting eyes and sad death noises.
To protect the sapling, you’ll need to construct formidable defences, strategically deploying towers and traps to fend off ferocious foes drawn to its life force. More info about Ark of Charon here.
Harvest Moon Coming to Mobile
Natsume’s CEO and president, Hiro Maekawa, has announced Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home, a new mobile game that promises “the traditional Harvest Moon style that fans know and love,” this time on a smaller screen. While the Harvest Moon series has ventured into mobile gaming before, it wasn’t really the same as what we knew on dedicated gaming devices. For instance, the 2019 game Harvest Moon: Mad Dash brought a puzzle game twist to the series.
However, Home Sweet Home is much more like the Harvest Moon games that are now available on the Nintendo Switch, like the excellent Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos.
Home is where the heart is! After ten years of city life, you’re ready to head back home in Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home. Your childhood friend has convinced you to move back to your hometown to try to revitalize it, but it won’t be easy going! The town of Alba has seen better days, and not all its residents are happy to see a city slicker like you back! Can you convince even the negative naysayers that you truly have the village’s best interests at heart? And can you revitalize Alba? With the help of your childhood friend and other villagers on your side, you definitely can!
That’s all we know for now, aside from a release date: August 4th on Android and in the AppStore.
Demo for Cosy Fantasy Game Whimel Academy
Cosy Fantasy game Whimel Academy will transport you to a fantastical school for witches, wizards, and budding mages for a slow-paced magical adventure. After you receive your acceptance letter for the fall semester, you can explore the academy with the campus map and a journal that details everything needed for your first week. Navigate your class schedule, explore your stats, and familiarize yourself with the inventory menu. Whimel Academy offers a relaxing experience as you settle into your new home.
In Whimel Academy, you have to balance classes, extracurricular activities, friendships, and personal well-being by wisely navigating your schedule. Earn income through part-time work or by crafting and selling wares, excelling in potion-making, painting, cooking, and unlocking higher-quality ingredients for greater profits. Forge meaningful connections with fellow students and explore romantic possibilities with Whimel’s diverse in-game characters.
Tailor your character’s journey to focus on your interests, leading to over thirty unique endings based on your decisions and accomplishments. Featuring a diverse cast and an emphasis on personal well-being, Whimel Academy strives for inclusivity and offers an approachable adventure for all players.
Immerse yourself in a charming fantasy world filled with delightful details, a cosy atmosphere, and slice-of-life experiences when Whimel Academy releases later this year on Steam. In the meantime, a demo will be available during Steam’s Next Fest.
Magical Delicacy Release Date
Magical Delicacy, a wholesome adventure set in an enchanting world, is released on July 16! It’s coming to Steam and Xbox and to the Switch as well! You play as the young witch Flora, who travels to the adventurer’s town of Grat to grow her magical skills and fulfil her dream of becoming a fully-fledged witch.
After arriving, she takes up shop to cook meals and potions for diverse characters, from the charming townsfolk and mysterious travellers to forgotten figures of legend and masters of their craft. As she traverses the cosy harbour town, she’ll discover the stories of the townsfolk and learn that there is more to Grat than meets the eye.
Collect an assortment of inspiring ingredients from shops, foraging through the town, and by growing them in your garden, cook up a storm in your upgradeable kitchen using a variety of tools and deliver your meals to fulfil the orders from hungry townsfolk. Explore the unfamiliar town of Grat, learn new ways to traverse, discover secrets, and experience a unique and witchy world one dish at a time.
Mini Motorways Free Update Explores Vancouver
Mini Motorways, the minimalist strategy traffic management sim from developer Dinosaur Polo Club, is getting a great new Sea to Sky update. When James reviewed the game, he liked it a lot, saying in conclusion:
Mini Motorways is a relaxing game that’s ideal for those gaming sessions where you don’t want to think too much. Simple premise but highly addictive. This is a game about controlling traffic, only you won’t get hot and bothered like the real thing. Accessible and entertaining for everyone.
Mini Motorways is now expanding its horizons with a new map set in Vancouver, British Columbia, marking the game’s first foray into Canada. Players can now redesign this scenic coastal city, navigating rocky roads, lush parks, and flowing waterways to keep traffic flowing smoothly.
This update introduces Vancouver’s unique geography, challenging players to manage traffic between mountains and sea strategically. Additionally, new Daily, Weekly, and City Challenges, fresh Achievements, and various bug fixes and performance improvements are now available.
Slip on your hiking boots and raincoat, and dive into the latest adventures in Mini Motorways!
Wéko The Mask Gatherer on Steam
If you put Spyro the Dragon, Majora’s Mask and Dark Souls into a blender, the resulting delicious smoothie might taste a little bit like Wéko The Mask Gatherer.
On July 26th, you can embark on an extraordinary journey with the endearing gecko, Wéko, in Wéko the Mask Gatherer. In this magical adventure, Wéko, accompanied by his moustachioed robot companion, Oz, wants to save his home from encroaching darkness by locating seven primordial masks, each representing one of the seven deadly sins.
As Wéko collects more benevolent masks, he gains unique abilities to help in his quest. You can adjust the play style to how you want it, defensive or aggressive. In addition to the masks, you can unlock new weapons and uncover hidden secrets.
Despite its cosy appearance, Wéko the Mask Gatherer features challenging boss fights that require strategic gameplay and mastery of various skills and item combinations. Balancing these intense battles are relaxing puzzles, side quests, and expansive areas to explore.
Go-Go Town! Management Builder Demo
Go-Go Town! is an upcoming management builder where players transform a forgotten town into a bustling metropolis. You will be able to play solo or with friends to create a vibrant economy and attract new tourists. The game is set to release on PC in 2024, with PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch versions following.
A while back, I checked out a demo for Go-Go Town! and liked what I saw. Now, a new demo will be available during Steam Next Fest from June 10th to 17th, 2024, at 10:00 AM Pacific. This demo introduces loads of new features. A new industry called Protein allows you to harvest mushrooms or master the seafood converter in the Fishing Zone to expand your recipes. You can delight tourists with new ingredients like cheese, honey, and butter and try out new fish dishes at the Noodle Bar. A new shop, the Fish & Chips shop, will be available, with more venues promised in future updates.
Attract diverse visitors, including clowns, each with special requests that you can build, collect, or pay to satisfy. Enjoy interactive activities like swinging beside tourists, sitting with them, and honking to clear your path as you navigate the map. The updated map and build mode offer enhanced building features, more placement control, and new submenus in the demo. Additionally, community-requested updates in Go-Go Town! will include the ability to re-bind keys, un-hire couriers, and enjoy controller rumble.
Prideful Sloth also announced a demo download stretch goal. For every 5000 downloads during Steam Next Fest, the critter takeover intensity will increase from Normal to Cosmic, turning your tourist haven into a wildlife whirlwind!
Denimify Cozy Caravan
The developers of Cozy Caravan are busy behind the scenes squashing bugs that aren’t a part of the game characters and making quality-of-life improvements. On top of that, they’ve added denim outfits as the first of many outfit packs to come. Simply visit Arthur of the Guild in Bassle Brook and unlock these stylish threads! Also, you can now step out in style with an adorable new jumper paired with a new flowy skirt. Perfect for a leisurely stroll through the orchards or a cozy afternoon in Basslebrook!
Huge Updates to Demo Projected Dreams
The latest update to the demo of Projected Dreams brings exciting new features to the game, that happened after Valerie made her demo impressions article. The highlight is the new theatre room, which introduces a unique mechanic allowing players to overlap shadows using two light sources.
Additionally, a photo album has been added, serving as both a narrative driver and a level selection tool. A new grading system rewards accuracy with hearts, making the game accessible for story-driven players and challenging for completionists aiming for all three hearts in each level. Music cassettes have also been hidden in some levels. Players can find these and enjoy funky or relaxing tunes by dragging them into a tape recorder.
However, the space station has been temporarily removed as it undergoes a complete rework. It will be reintroduced once the redesign and photo illustrations are complete.
Check out the newest demo here.
Update on Switch for Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes
Rabbit and Bear Studios has announced on social media that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (a game Margaret loved, by the way) has received a significant new update on the Nintendo Switch. This update addresses various player-reported issues and introduces new graphical settings in the options menu. Players can now choose between Graphics Mode, Performance Mode, and Balance Mode, enhancing their gaming experience based on their preferences.
Release Date Ova Magica
Aside from a demo that’s available till June 17th, there’s good news about Ova Magica: the game releases in Early Access on Steam on July 23rd! Backers waiting for a console release will have to be more patient for the release of the final version in 2025. Though the developers assure us that Ova Magica is fully playable on the Steam Deck.
Here’s the Early Access trailer:
Remastered Version Yooka-Replaylee
Playtonic Games has unveiled Yooka-Replaylee, a remastered and enhanced version of the beloved 2017 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee. This definitive edition boasts the involvement of key creative talent behind Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country and is self-published by Playtonic Friends.
The game now features an art and animation overhaul, enhanced performance, and improved resolution, making the buddy duo look and move better than ever. Players can look forward to updated in-game challenges and many new ones to discover, adding fresh excitement to the adventure. So what to expect?
Capital B’s minions have scattered their coins throughout the game world, creating a new collectable currency that can be spent on items from a sentient vending machine. Navigation has also been improved with a new world map and challenge tracker, making it easier for players to keep track of their progress. Expanded tonics offer new flavours and the ability to equip multiple enhancements, allowing for a customizable gameplay experience.
The move sets have been tweaked for smoother combinations, and the improved camera controls make framing the action a breeze. Additionally, the game features a beautifully arranged orchestral score by renowned composers Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, adding a rich, immersive layer to the experience.
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