Welcome to our Wholesome gaming news!
This week, we have news about Tiny Glade demo coming, as well as the Critter Crops demo, the demo for Aarik & The Ruined Kingdom and the Magical Harvest demo, all on Steam. Cosy narrative adventure Fireside is coming; on the 10th, the first Endless Ocean Luminous Event Dive takes place. Farm Manager World is out in Early Access and the next Wholesome Direct is announced, Pocket Oasis is released on Steam, supernatural Life Sim Moonlight Peaks was announced and the Harmony Update is out for A Highland Song.
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Tiny Glade Demo Coming
Tiny Glade will be launching a free demo on Steam this May 30th. This demo offers players a chance to immerse themselves in a stress-free, creative space where they can build whimsical castles and cosy cottages and transform meadows into charming dioramas without the pressure of management or combat.
Highlights of the demo will include being able to pet sheep and explore a living world where ivy grows over your buildings and fireflies illuminate the night. The game features an innovative gridless system that adds procedural details to your creations based on your actions—like automatically adding a door when you draw a path through a house. Don’t miss this chance to dive into a delightful and dynamic crafting experience with Tiny Glade on Steam!
Cosy Narrative Adventure Fireside Coming
Nordcurrent Labs, in partnership with Emergo Entertainment, is set to release its new cosy narrative adventure game, Fireside, on June 4th. Priced at $14.99 / £12.79 / €14.79, the game will be available on PC and Nintendo Switch. Fireside promises an enchanting story set against the backdrop of picturesque, hand-drawn outdoor scenes.
As players journey from one campsite to another, they will engage with a variety of characters around nightly campfires, where gameplay involves nonviolent activities such as trading, cooking, and making dialogue choices. These interactions help players accumulate “soul energy,” which can be used to enhance the player’s home base. The game aims to foster a sense of community and connection through these peaceful evening gatherings.
Paul Redetzky, CEO of Emergo Entertainment, said in the announcement of the release date:
Fireside is an Adventure about Talking, Cooking, and Trading instead of Hacking and Slaying with small choices, heartwarming stories, and relatable characters that will make you happy.. This is an escape into tranquillity, full of friendly faces, serene landscapes, and magical mystery.
Endless Ocean Luminous Event Dive Coming
The diving sim Endless Ocean Luminous was released last week on the Switch exclusively. Though it’s a bit light on content, I really like my time in the Veiled Sea. It’s the relaxing experience that they promised it would be. The stars of the show are the shared dives, so I’m looking forward to the First Event Dive.
An Event Dive is a special online event for which you need a Nintendo Switch Online Membership, and when you buy the game, you get a free 7-day trial to try shared dives. During an Event Dive (which is a special kind of shared dive) you will have the opportunity to meet creatures of the sea that are typically difficult to find.
The first one is called Song of the Sea Dragons and will run from May 10th at 7 am UTC, to May 14th at 6.59 am UTC. Be sure to check your own time zones, though!
Critter Crops Demo
Critter Crops is a game we have on our radar. In the farming sim, you enter the world of Mutter Island in Sylvia’s role. She’s a newfound witch with the ability to grow magical Critters. It’s up to her (and you, of course) to restore the island. And as it says on the Steam page: ‘Welcome the unwelcome and uncover the mystery of Silvia’s past”. Sounds good!
The developer announced in March that the game would be pushed back to later this year, but there is a demo on Steam if you want to give it a go!
Demo Cosy Coming-of-Age Story Fishbowl
Indie studio imissmyfriends.studio has released the first playable demo of their new game Fishbowl, now available on Steam for PC and Mac, as well as PlayStation 5. This demo gives players a glimpse into the first day of the protagonist Alo’s month-long journey in this coming-of-age, slice-of-life title.
Alo, a 21-year-old navigating her new job and life alone in a new city while mourning her grandmother’s passing, will make daily choices that influence her path of grief and self-discovery. The game features multiple endings, branching story paths, and activities like video calls with loved ones, video editing mini-games, unpacking puzzles, and self-care tasks.
Fishbowl will be a story about isolation, friendship, and understanding grief.
Farm Manager World Out in Early Access
Here at LadiesGamers, we love our city-building games, but do you know we also love farm builders? A while ago, we put up a guide for Farm Tycoon, which was the Switch version of Farm Manager, and it got a lot of attention. So, with interest, I read that Farm Manager World has landed Early Access on Steam.
In Farm Manager World, you can farm across vibrant global locations, cultivate exotic crops, and build your agribusiness empire. So far, the reviews on Steam are mixed, though I see that people who have played it for longer than 10 hours are positive on the whole. We will keep an eye on it.
Magical Harvest Demo on Steam
During the Steam Farm Fest, we’ve seen some good-looking farming sims, including Magical Harvest. The game introduces an innovative twist to the genre with its unique blend of magical crossbreeding and evolving crops.
Magical Harvest is set in a world that is suffering from the aftermath of a catastrophic event, and of course, it’s up to the player to restore magic through agriculture. You can host a dragon on your farm, but you also can transform traditional crops into enchanting variants. The game offers a diverse selection of species for players to choose from, including Humans, Ki’shen (animal-humanoids), Elves, Drakys (dragon-humanoids), and Nereids (waterfolk), allowing for relationships that transcend species and gender boundaries. What got my attention, too, is that Magical Harvest features rune carving to master spells that aid in farming tasks.
A demo is currently available on Steam, providing a sneak peek into Magical Harvest. The developer Moon Flame Games is aiming to bring the game to Steam and consoles. A release date is not yet set; it depends on how fast a publisher can be found and the team can grow.
Wholesome Direct June 8th Announced
Another Wholesome Direct is in the works, always a great source of new cozy indie games and a look at games we already know are coming. Be sure to mark your calendars for June 8th, 2024. The show is on at 9 am PT/12 pm ET/18 pm CEST.
Demo for Aarik & The Ruined Kingdom
Another game we have on our radar is Aarik & The Ruined Kingdom. In this perspective puzzle adventure, you guide Aarik through wreck and ruin. It should be a relaxing experience where the puzzle is your environment. Aarik uses his father’s crown to repair, rework and rewind to mend his broken world.
Aarik & The Ruined Kingdom is coming to Steam on June 20th, but there’s a demo if you can’t wait to give it a try!
Pocket Oasis Released on Steam
Pocket Oasis, a hand-painted gardening simulator, has launched on Steam. Set against stunning European backdrops, the game features adorable pets and relaxing, idle gameplay reminiscent of Rusty’s Retirement combined with the visual charm of Dordogne.
Initially, Pocket Oasis is available on Steam, but it will also make its way to Nintendo Switch later this year. We are looking forward to reviewing the game for you soon. Meanwhile, we have Anni’s demo impressions here!
Supernatural Life Sim Moonlight Peaks
Marvelous Europe and XSEED Games have joined forces to bring the supernatural life sim Moonlight Peaks to gamers across Europe, Australia, and North America in 2026. Developed by Dutch studio Little Chicken, the game is set in the mysterious town of Moonlight Peaks, populated by an array of supernatural beings like vampires, werewolves, and mermaids.
Players step into the shoes of Count Dracula’s offspring, tasked with demonstrating a life of compassion in a town where the paranormal is every day. The game promises a rich blend of activities, including designing vampire lairs, farming magical crops, practising witchcraft, and mingling with both human and supernatural townsfolk.
There’s a demo on Steam if you are eager to preview the eerie yet charming world of Moonlight Peaks.
Skedaddle Aff Over The Auld Highlands in A Highland Song
Remember A Highland Song, where teenager Moira McKinnon embarks on an exhilarating adventure across the Scottish Highlands when her uncle summons her to his lighthouse by the sea. Paula loved that game and gave it our highest rating, as you can see in her review.
Moira’s adventure has gotten even bigger! The Harmony Update is live on Steam and Nintendo Switch, and developer Inkle has added the following new content to their narrative platformer:
- Five new tracks by Scottish folk bands Talisk and Fourth Moon
- A new Landmarks feature that lets you see peak names and paths you’ve located on previous runs to help you explore
- New story surprises to discover along your journey
To celebrate the update, A Highland Song is on sale for 30% off on both platforms through May 16th.
That’s it for this week! Have fun gaming!
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