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Today’s Wholesome Direct overflowed with thoughtful, creative, and, most of all, relaxing titles either out today or on the horizon. The showcase spotlighted dozens of titles you should go out of your way to check out, but I singled out 13 that most excited me in no particular order. Be sure to catch the entire showcase here<\/a>. <\/p>\n When your sister goes missing, it\u2019s up you you to hop into a high-tech van to find her. Whether in the van or on foot, Caravan Sandwitch takes players across a \u201chopeful\u201d post-apocalyptic open desert filled with color. Solve puzzles in this combat-free experience and help your community using the van\u2019s array of tools, such as a scanner and grapple hook.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I love Picross and welcome any unique spin on the formula. Squeakcross covers those bases by letting you solve puzzles that transform into cheese-shaped furniture to decorate a cute little mouse\u2019s home. With hundreds of decorations and accessories to collect, I look forward to solving tons of Picross puzzles and giving the mouse a better home than I live in.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The sequel to the 2021 isometric puzzle game dramatically ups the production values with photorealistic dioramas. Like its predecessor, you\u2019ll examine two versions of a densely detailed world to spot their differences in this laid-back scavenger hunt.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n We\u2019re all used to passively filling out maps in games, but Map Map makes this the core of its adventure. As a cartographer for a crew of treasure hunters, you explore a series of islands and mark relevant locations on your blank map to help them explore. Uncovering ruins, wildlife, forests, and secret areas requires you to rely on your sense of direction and then notate its precise location on your map using various helpful tools, such as a compass.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n On Your Tail aims to prove that even solving mysteries can be relaxing. Set in a scenic seaside village, you control Diana, a curious detective searching for the perfect summer vacation. Unfortunately, a masked thief spoils the good vibes, so you\u2019ll collect clues, chat with residents, and use your deductive skills to unmask the culprit. Or you can spend time cooking food, fishing, and playing arcade games in the city\u2019s leisurely interactive sandbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Try to stay with me as I explain this game\u2019s premise: the god of communication has started a war with other gods, triggering an apocalyptic event. It\u2019s up to you, a mail carrier for the gods, to save the world by wielding a mouth-shaped megaphone\/vacuum that can suck up characters\u2019 dialogue bubbles and spit them out to solve message-based puzzles. Backed by an equally kooky art direction, this bizarre-looking adventure has me shouting for more.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As Miho, you open a pantry to grab a potato for your grandmother\u2019s soup recipe, only to be pulled into a strange fantasy land. Worst of all, the potato\u2019s been stolen! This 3D adventure sees players explore a bright world filled with strange, talking animals, food-based topography, and other mysteries to retrace the steps of a great traveler who came before. Miho also learns the importance of food and family.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This photography-based adventure unfolds in a hand-drawn world. As Dei, you\u2019ll capture photos while following in the footsteps of your missing mother to solve puzzles and piece together a family mystery. You can read more about it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In Discounty, you\u2019ll manage your own supermarket as a local entrepreneur in a quirky town. You\u2019ll set prices, create sales, appease your customers\u2019 varying tastes, and redesign its appearance to turn a failing business into a thriving cash cow. But it\u2019s not all sunshine and rainbows, as the more successful you become, the more people you\u2019ll encounter that are actively plotting your downfall.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m always up for pocket-sized open-world games, and ILA: Frosty Glide fits that bill. As a young witch-in-training, you\u2019ll soar across an island surrounded by snowy mountains atop a skatebroom (that is, a broom ridden like a skateboard). During your journey, you\u2019ll learn new spells, solve platforming puzzles, find collectibles, and uncover secret areas.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Described as an \u201coddball RPG\u201d, you\u2019ll board a train to the spirit world to chart a path of self-discovery. Meet and befriend troubled spirits with individual goals and motivations, wield telekinesis to help others or yourself, and, most importantly, eat ice cream. Decision-making funnels into determining your personality type, with characters reacting differently towards you based on how you behave.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Backpacking is fun, but it\u2019s also physically challenging and may not be viable, depending on your location. Albatroz translates the fun of backpacking into an RPG where you\u2019ll trek through beautiful landscapes in search of a lost sibling. As you hike towards a mythical mountain, you\u2019ll pass through villages filled with interesting locals, stay prepared through thoughtful inventory management, earn more abilities via a skill tree, and visit locales such as tropical coastal areas and frigid mountain ranges. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Sporting a gorgeous art direction that resembles a living toy set, Littlelands sports some old-school Zelda in its top-down adventure design. You\u2019ll explore dungeons, find treasure, and make new friends who can teach you new skills by helping them with their problems. Though you can fight enemies, you can also chill out and cook dishes, farm berries, catch insects, or go fishing.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Other games that excited me, such as After Love EP, Screenbound, While Waiting, and Building Relationships, appeared yesterday at Day of the Devs. You can read about them and the other cool games in our showcase recap here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n What was your favorite reveal at the Wholesome Direct? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caravan Sandwitch<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Studio Plane Toast \u2013 Release: TBA<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Alblune \u2013 Release: 2025<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Tiny Lands 2<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Hyper Three Studio \u2013 Release: 2025<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Map Map: A Game About Maps<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Pipapo Games \u2013 Release: <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
On Your Tail<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Memorable Games \u2013 Release: 2024<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Great God Grove<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Limbo Lane \u2013 Release: 2024<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: StudioBrando \u2013 Release: August<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The Star Named EOS<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Silver Lining Star \u2013 Release: July 23<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Discounty<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Crinkle Cut Games \u2013 Release: 2025<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
ILA: A Frosty Glide<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Magic Rain Studio \u2013 Release: TBA<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Freeride<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Flightyfelon Games Inc. \u2013 Release: 2025<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Albatroz<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Among Giants \u2013 Release: 2024<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Littlelands<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nDeveloper: Rafael Martin and Kyle Creamer \u2013 Release: TBA<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n