Everything Revealed During Wholesome Direct 2022

Wholesome Direct 2022Wholesome Direct 2022 just wrapped up, and it contained more than an hour of wholesome indie titles and more than 90 games showcased in total.

Considering the brisk pace of the showcase and the massive number of games shown, it's fair to assume that a few of the announcements might have passed you by, so we're going to highlight the most interesting and wholesome titles of the whole showcase. With so many games showcased, we can only highlight a few, but it's worth watching the stream yourself as there was a ton on offer.

Alongside detailing some of the highlights of the direct, we'll also be listing every single game that was announced (all 96 of them!) and listing any release windows, if they were given. With that in mind, let's get wholesome!

Little Bear Chef - 2023

One of the early highlights of 2022's Wholesome Direct was Little Bear Chef, a game that sees you controlling what looks to be a honey bottle bear as they try to make it big as a chef. It's a unique concept that seems to combine platforming, cooking, and the aforementioned honey bottle bear. That's really all you need to know.

Lumbear Jack - June 11

There was a bit of a theme with this year's Wholesome Direct - bears. While the last bear on this list wanted to be a chef, Lumbear Jack just wants to save his forest home from deforestation and he does so with the help of his animal friends and by disguising himself as different bear officials to help solve puzzles.

Usagi Shima - TBD

Moving away from the bear theme, but not away from animals, Usagi Shima has you customising an abandoned island area and interacting with the bunnies that find their way over and start living and interacting in your space. Yes, you can feed the bunnies.

Freeride - 2023

Freeride was one of the more mysterious games of the showcase, advertising itself as an RPG that's also a personality test. If that sounds a little imposing, Freeride won't judge you for whatever decisions you make or whatever person you turn out to be - in fact, most of the time you apparently won't know you're making decisions at all.

Oddada - TBD

Oddada is a musical game that has players placing a red house, a blue house, and a yellow house in different spots on the map to create different melodies. It doesn't seem to be much more than a musical experience so far, but the potential to create interesting music out of a moving landscape is a very appealing one.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominville - 2023

Arguably one of the biggest games of the Wholesome Direct was Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, a musical adventure game that takes place in Moominvalley. Players take control of Snufkin, a vagabond who wants to help the Moomins from the industrial park leader. It's another indie title that just wants players to focus on relaxing and having a good time over everything else.

Paper Trail - Q1 2023

While most of the games from the Wholesome Direct have been about having a relaxed time, Paper Trail looks to challenge players somewhat with its unique mechanic of being able to fold the environment into itself to create new passages. It still looks relaxing, but this one might be appealing to anyone looking for something a bit more thought-provoking.

A Frog's Tale - 2023

This one goes out to all of the Amphibia fans who haven't gotten over that show ending just yet. A Frog's Tale is a beautiful RPG that syncs its puzzles, platforming, and combat to the beat of the already-far-too-catchy soundtrack. It was easily one of the most impressive games on show at the Direct and one to keep a close froggy eye on.

Kaichu: The Kaiju Dating Sim - Q2 2022

This year's Wholesome Direct gave us a look at a bird dating simulator called Love Birb, so what can possibly top that? Well, here's Kaichu, a dating sim that has Kaijus going on dates to destroy cities with one another before sharing a passionate smooch. Consider yourself topped, Love Birb.

Schim - TBD

Have you ever looked out of the window when sitting in the backseat of a car and imagined a shadow man managing to jump through every shadow and clamber across the environment? Schim is like that, but if the shadow man was a frog who could only travel through the shadows. Okay, I guess they're pretty different things, but the inventive platforming on show here manages to evoke that same feeling.

Here's the full list of everything that was revealed at Wholesome Direct 2022.