My Favorite 2024 Wholesome Games Steam Celebration Demos
In 2019, Wholesome Games founder Matthew Taylor started a Twitter feed to curate cozy, comforting, and compassionate games. Five years later, the international community has grown to more than 500 thousand members. Wholesome Games now has a publishing arm and it produces an annual Direct, showcasing new and upcoming games ranging from management sims to puzzles and more. Last week, Wholesome Games had a Steam Celebration to announce release dates, launches, and dozens of demos.
I played as many demos as I could during the 2024 Wholesome Games Steam Celebration. I love getting to experience snippets of these games before adding them to my wishlist or buying them outright and it’s a great way to support developers in the early stages. Although the Showcase itself is now over, these demos are still available for PC gamers on Steam.
Below are my six favorite demos of the ones I played. I added all of these games to my wishlist immediately after playing the demos and I cannot wait to experience them in full!
Broken Shell
Broken Shell is a 2D point-and-click adventure game with puzzle elements that follows Mr. and Mrs. Hermit on a trek across the ocean floor. Interacting with the environment unlocks tools to solve each puzzle, allowing forward progression through the sweet story. The art in this Foggy Studio game is stunning and it has a lovely soundtrack, both of which underscore the emotional connection between these hermit crabs and their community. I was impressed by the moving parts and interactive elements and the demo puzzles scratched my brain in the best way.
The release date for Broken Shell is still TBA; the two-person team behind it just announced their plans to launch the game on Kickstarter and release it for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The Steam demo is available now. For updates, follow Foggy Studio on Twitter or bookmark the Kickstarter to be notified on launch.
Grimoire Groves
Grimoire Groves is a fantasy roguelite with crafting elements in which you play an apprentice witch working with your mentor in her garden. By finding, feeding, and planting adorable creatures, you can befriend mythical creatures and restore the magical forest to its former glory. I love how bright and colorful this game is, and how quick the controls are.
Swiss Indie studio Stardust crowdfunded Grimoire Groves last year and the game is currently in beta with its full release date to be announced. The Steam demo is available now or you can pre-order the physical edition for Nintendo Switch. For updates, follow Stardust on Twitter or subscribe to its newsletter.
Mushroom Picnic Party
Mushroom Picnic Party is a 2D hidden object game in which you collect mushrooms for an epic picnic party by finding and clicking on them in black-and-white illustrated scenes. It’s incredibly casual and very cute, with accompanying sounds each time you click on a hidden mushroom or move to a new part of the puzzle.
Developed by loonyware, Mushroom Picnic Party is currently slated for release this year. The Steam demo is available now. For updates, follow loonyware on Twitter.
Space Sprouts
Space Sprouts is a 2D puzzle game that bends the rules of physics as you navigate an enclosed ship in space. Interacting with the environment allows you to walk, jump, float, and even reverse gravity to walk on the ceiling and reach seemingly impossible goals. Each time you play, you unlock new memories, giving you additional information for your next loop. I wouldn’t describe this as a roguelite, but it would certainly appeal to roguelite fans seeking a more casual experience.
Developed by Schleuder Games, Space Sprouts will be available for PC, though there is no release date yet. The Steam demo is available now. For updates, follow Schleuder Games on Twitter or sign up for its newsletter.
Tiny Bookshop
Joining The Nonbinarian Book Bike team has only made my dreams of someday owning an adorable bookshop even more potent. Although I may never have that experience in real life, in Tiny Bookshop, I can recall the best parts of being a bookseller and simulate being a mobile bookstore owner without the stress of real-life finances, marketing, and other obligations.
This adorable management sim allows you to stock your shop, interact with customers (which includes making recommendations for real books coded into the game), decorate the interior and exterior of the store, and choose where you’ll pop up each day. You have shop, social, and environment goals and you unlock additional features as you play.
Developed by Neoludic Games, Tiny Bookshop is slated for release in 2025. The Steam demo is available now. For updates, follow Neoludic Games on Twitter or sign up for its newsletter.
Tiny Glade
One of my favorite Nintendo Switch games is Townscaper, which is a simple sandbox allowing you to build an island town with as many buildings as you like. Tiny Glade evokes a similar hum of joy, with the added bonus that it feels like creating a renaissance village surrounded by autumnal fields and forests. The demo offers just enough to wet the palette for what’s in the full game, including customization, more building types, weather, and more.
Developed by Pounce Light, Tiny Glade is slated for release on September 23 for PC. The Steam demo is available now. For updates, follow Pounce Light on Twitter or sign up for its newsletter.
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