Jun 072025
Table of Contents
State of Play
Summer Game Fest
Ball x Pit: The Kenny Sun Story
IO Interactive Showcase
Wholesome Direct
Future Games Show
Xbox Games Showcase
PC Gaming Show
Wholesome Direct
Today’s showcases kicked off with the Wholesome Direct, always a good source of cute games and other interesting indie game ideas. They always show a ton of them, so this year I’m going to focus on the personal highlights for me. Check out the full showcase if you want to see the rest.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar was featured early on, and not only was it a surprise to see a somewhat big-name game there, it also looks really cute and interesting to me. I haven’t really gotten into the Story of Seasons series, but I really like how this one looks.
I’ve also never played Luma Island, but it’s getting a new pirate-themed update that looks interesting.
The next game that really stood out to me was Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell, a miniature detective game inspired by stop-motion animation. It currently has a Kickstarter campaign, so I’ll definitely check that out.
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home looks like a cute combination of puzzles and home decoration, and I was surprised by the announcement of Monument Valley III. I played a little bit of the first Monument Valley, but never much more. Still, it’s a series I’d like to try again someday.
Then there was Big Hops, a 3D platformer starring a little frog. It also is currently on Kickstarter, so I’ll take a look at that one too.
Little Kitty, Big City is getting new content, and I have to admit that Tales of the Shire is starting to look nice even though I was skeptical about it when it was announced. The “cozy horror” game Haunted Paws also looks like it could be fun.
Another big surprise came in the form of Milano’s Odd Job Collection. Besides it being another title from Marvelous, what makes this so surprising? It’s actually an unlocalized game from 1999, now being brought to modern platforms and translated for the first time!
The foraging adventure game Out and About looks interesting, especially since it teaches you about real plants, and Muri: Wildwoods seems like it could be fun, too.
Overall, there were some nice games and unexpected surprises in this year’s Wholesome Direct. Which games stood out to you the most?