Wholesome Direct Highlights

Since we've been cherry-picking our favourite games from the major events from last weekend, I finally had the time to chill with a coffee and watch the Wholesome Direct event in full. One highlight I'll pull straight away is the first Western release of Milano's Odd Job Collection, which I reported on here.

Here's my pick of the presentation, with the full Wholesome Direct at the bottom so you can find your own!

Everdeep Aurora

With a Game Boy graphical style and a delightful central character of a platforming Cat named Shell, Everdeep Aurora explores a world subjected to apocalyptic meteor showers. You can download the demo and see for yourself on Steam.

Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk

Having been to Japan many times, the culture of vending machines is very much something I took to heart. Vending Dokan is a vending machine management sim, which allows you to customise the device with your own style, stocking it with the best drinks - keep it clean, maintain it and manage the warehouse. You can play the game passively while working (much as I do with Spirit City: LoFi Sessions.

Luma Island: Pirates

I loved the use of light on the night time levels of this Island sim, which is due a Pirate expansion on June 20th. The development team have been very responsive to quality of life requests from the community and this latest update looks like a lot of fun. There will be new minigames, temples and traps to discover, decorating options (pirate themed) three difficulty settings and lots of other extras. If you're new to the series, this might be a fun time to jump in.

Fishbowl

The wonderful pixel art and haunting soundtrack made me perk up during the presentation, this looks like a wonderfully imaginative adventure that centers on life and  healing as your character, Alo, tries to move on in a new city and a new job following the loss of her grandmother. 

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

The latest in the long-running Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon series which debuted back in '97 on the SNES, you're tasked with bringing your farm back to life and reinvigorating the towns once celebrated bazaar. With typically cute graphics, charming vocal work and a wholesome community feel, this looks like a good bet for resource management fans.

You can watch the full broadcast below if you'd like to pick your favourites too: