Wholesome animals trending towards bears and frogs, away from cats
Just like pastels, plants are often a feature of wholesome games, but this year the trend is going all out, and it’s giving ecology. While things likeStrange Horticulture, or even something likeAmong Treeswere early indicators of this, the combination of everything being on fire and everyone being inside for years has caused a latent interest in nature - and reconnecting with it - to bloom. Games that people started making like two years ago are coming out now, and they’ve all got plants in ‘em.
Slow-burn real time plantventureThe Garden Path, due later this year, made sure to check in, and we’re seeing a resurging interest in Stardew-likes where growing is the day. But note how we’re leaning towards gardening rather than farming, specifically, withCritter Crops,Garden In, or the theme-straddlingGarden Witch Life(which looks gorge).Wholesome - Out And Aboutis really doing what it says on the tin, whileSnufkin: Melody Of Moominvalleyis about finding harmony with nature again. Perhaps the purest expressions of the planty trend comse fromTerra Nil(rebuilding a ravaged wasteland) andLumbearjack(beating the shit out of human-made rubbish, wholesomely).
As for the witches? I have no logical explanation for that, but they’re fucking everywhere. I’m super excited forSpirit Swap, as readers of my ramblings last year will note, and we can addTiny Witch, the very Kiki’s-Delivery-Service-lookingMika And The Witch’s Mountain,Harmony’s Odyssey,Kitori Academy, andSpells & Secrets, along with many others. Basically, if you claim you can’t find an unproblematic witch game then you are a liar.
Other trends worthy of note are that our anthropomorphic animals are showing signs of moving away from birds, cats and dogs and towards less domesticated critters. We’re looking at bears (possibly for the large pun potential) and frogs, people. Get your cats out of here! It’s too easy to make them cute! Go exotic! We’re also seeing a fewer food games and more hints of music on the horizon, so watch out for that over the coming months…
To get a proper look at all the games and judge for yourself, mosey on over to the Wholesome Games Steam showcase, where you can find the lineup alongside the Guerrilla Collective games.
