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Everything Shown Off During The Wholesome Snack Showcase 2023

Last week, Wholesome Games held their own livestream ahead of the Game Awards to showcase cozy titles, and we have that whole list.



Article Summary

  • Recap of the Wholesome Snack Showcase 2023 featuring cozy indie games.
  • Titles include Vivarium, Communite, and Pine Hearts for laid-back gaming.
  • Special mention of Cozy DLC Eastward: Octopia and Simpler Times' meditative play.
  • Explore farming on Europa or keep virtual bugs in Bugaboo Pocket this year.

Following the Day Of The Devs showcase for The Game Awards last week, we got the Wholesome Snack: The Game Awards Edition 2023 – Indie Game Showcase. This is basically a showcase for all things cozy gaming, as a lot of the titles have you doing all sorts of low-key gaming that are both fun and entertaining without having to get super serious or intense. We have the rundown of everything revealed, as well as the livestream, for you below.

Everything Shown Off During The Wholesome Snack Showcase 2023
Credit: Wholesome Games

Vivarium

You wake up and find yourself in an enormous terrarium. Explore, meet characters, and grow your escape – and along the way, uncover the mysteries of the terrarium as well. Vivarium is an adventure game about finding where you belong while surviving in a familiar yet alien environment.

Communite – Build Together

Communite is a wholesome, cozy, multiplayer city builder based on kindness and teamwork! Relax and use your creativity to spread new life in an endless world – working together with other players to create your perfect paradise! Whether it's planting plants, growing carrots, designing a desert, or creating vast oceans (with your own volcano island hidden deep within) – the world is what you make of it! ​The game is currently in Alpha but already has tons of content ready as we prepare for our next HUGE update!

Pine Hearts

Welcome to Pine Hearts Caravan Park! As Tyke, hop into your hiking boots and explore the paths and rivers of this cozy little world. Rummage around the park and find handy tools that will help you on your journey as you fill out your trusty hillwalking journal. Rediscover memories of Tyke's time in the park many summers ago and unearth the heartfelt story of his childhood.

Lightyear Frontier

Lightyear Frontier offers players a peaceful opportunity to explore a strange and beautiful new planet, setting down a homestead and building a successful farm as they live in harmony with the environment. Playing solo or with up to three other players, roaming around in fully customizable mechs, the world will live and respond to players' actions as they gather, grow and trade resources while exploring a land full of landmarks and mysteries. Exofarmers will uncover ancient secrets and develop a successful farm as they build the homestead of their dreams in their small corner of the galaxy.

Go-Go Town

Once a bustling hub of tourists and culture, Go-Go Town! has fallen far from its prime. As soon as you arrive, you will find yourself (involuntarily) volunteering the role of Mayor, where it will be up to you and your friends to save the town and bring life (and tourists!) back to its heart.

Everything Shown Off During The Wholesome Direct 2023
Credit: Prideful Sloth

Snacko

Explore and revitalize a cursed island as Momo, a former big city kitty who strikes out with her childhood best friend in hopes of finding something more fulfilling than a 9-5 office job. With the help of the island's caretaker, you'll farm, fish, and build as you please in your efforts to turn the ruined village into a thriving new home filled with new friends and family. Gather supplies to build everything from furniture to houses to farming materials, and turn the fruits (and veggies!) of your labor into delicious dishes for yourself or your friends. Over time, you'll find your tiny community begin to grow as like-minded folks from all over decide to come and open up businesses of their own.

Usagi Shima

Usagi Shima is a relaxing, idle bunny-collecting game. You've been tasked as caretaker of an abandoned island — as you decorate it over time, curious (but adorable!) bunnies start to appear… Entice cute bunny tourists to pay your island a visit! Decorate and personalize your own island with all sorts of toys, plants, and buildings. Relax and enjoy the calm and cozy island ambience, synced to your time of day. Pet and make friends with all sorts of cute, lovable bunnies that visit based on how you've decorated and arranged the island. You can dress them up with all sorts of adorable hats too! They'll even give you a special gift if you become best friends with them!

Baladins

Buskers, party animals, troublemakers. They've been given many names, but they call themselves Baladins! These legendary heroes wander from town-to-town to fulfill their sacred quest: entertaining the masses! It's a difficult task, but one the Baladins take in stride. From helping those in need to throwing parties, they bring surprises with them wherever their travels take them. All that matters to them is bringing joy to the people who inhabit the bright and lively world of Gatherac.

Eastward: Octopia

Set in a parallel world free of hardships and the toxic miasma that dominates EastwardEastward: Octopia reveals a cozier set-up for Sam and John. Set in the quaint countryside, the duo settles into the good life, complete with cooking, fishing, and a charming community to call home. A separate adventure from Eastward, players won't need to have completed the main game to access the DLC. Eastward: Octopia is accessed from the main menu of the base game but will require a copy of Eastward to play this DLC. 

Simpler Times

In Simpler Times, you step into the shoes of Taina as she prepares to move out of her childhood home and begin the next chapter of her life. Relive her memories and learn how she grew into the creative, expressive person she has become. This is a contemplative, cozy experience. There is no score, no timer, no combat, no failing, and no anxiety. Just vibes.

Everything Shown Off During The Wholesome Snack Showcase 2023
Credit: Lost In Cult

Summerhouse

Summerhouse is a small-scale building game and a love letter to the feeling of long lost summer afternoons. Craft a neighbourhood of tiny, beautiful lived-in homes in a variety of settings: the sea, the city, or the mountains. While there are some little secrets to uncover, there are no rules, and you can't win or lose. Just chill out, build to your heart's content and soak up the atmosphere. If relaxation and creation are your thing, this is a game for you.

Sky: Children Of The Light – Days Of Feast

The end of the year is headed our way, and that means it's time to celebrate the year we spent together and the year that lies ahead. Days of Feast approaches, with friendly characters and new ways to zoom through Sky. Beginning on December 18th and running through January 7th (all times PST, UTC -8), the Winter Courier and Bearhug Hermit Spirits will be staying in Aviary Village and welcome everyone into the event workshop, to be Sky kids' guides for everything the event offers.

Bugaboo Pocket

A virtual pet game starring bugs from land, air, and sea! Play as a research scientist living in a cabin with just your bugs and a pen pal for company. Spoil them with pets, minigames, food and furniture. Raise and release bugs to help Beetleback Ridge recover from a devastating fire.

Eurpoa

On the moon Europa, a lush terraformed paradise in Jupiter's shadow, an android named Zee sets out in search of answers. Run, glide, and fly across the landscape, solve mysteries in the ruins of a fallen utopia, and discover the story of the last human alive. Europa is a peaceful game of adventure, exploration, and meditation. As you travel, you'll gradually upgrade the capabilities of your Zephyr jetpack, boosting yourself further through the air until you can flow freely into the sky.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

Solving crime is no walk in the pond. You are a down-on-his-luck detective who also happens to be a duck. Use your powers of de-duck-tion to inspect evidence, fill in the blanks, and bust the case wide open, in a narrative mystery adventure where nothing is quite as it seems.

Everything Shown Off During The Wholesome Snack Showcase 2023
Credit: Future Friends Games

Trash Goblin

Trash Goblin is a wholesome and cozy shopkeeping game where you uncover and clean trinkets for sale! Customize them by upcycling and more to meet the eccentric requests of your endless colorful customers. Spend your savings to upgrade your shop, buy new and better tools, and even expand your business to exciting new districts across town!

Momento

Journey through a life where the objects you choose to keep influence the life you lead. Momento is a calm and cozy room decorator with a twist: decorate your room, choose which items are important to you, and discover what your choices mean for the life you lead. Begin life again as a child and think, 'When I grow up, I want to be…' as you decide what to keep… and what to throw away. Wander down different narrative paths and find yourself in wildly different settings. Uncover stories of love, heartbreak, wonder, and loss. Learn the meaning of the objects chosen and find hidden endings. Maybe some things are more than what they seem.

Sticky Business – Plan With Me

Plan With Me not only brings you a delightful array of cozy stickers for your shop but also infuses them with a unique theme! Plan With Me centers around planning, writing, bullet journaling and everything stationery. Plus, you'll have the chance to connect with new friends like the penpals Tim and Sanjay or Dani, the travel blogger.

Voyagers Of Nera

Voyagers of Nera is a cooperative survival-crafting game for up to 16 players set in a vibrant ocean world brimming with magical creatures and ancient mysteries. Tend your island's spirit, build a unique village with friends, and skim across the water in the ever-shifting ocean.


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Gavin SheehanAbout Gavin Sheehan

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, and Hive, for random pictures and musings.
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