10 demos to try during the Wholesome Games Steam Celebration

The Wholesome Games Steam Celebration is underway on Valve’s storefront until August 21, with tons of demos to try and sales galore.

For those who don’t know, Wholesome Games is a community lead organization that lifts up indie devs creating wholesome games. I spent the last few days playing a couple of the demos available, and put together a list of cute games with demos you should try right now.

Europa

My favorite demo I played had to be Europa. It is a gorgeous 3D exploration platformer akin to Journey, but instead of a desert, you explore a lush alien planet as a little robot boy.

The whole feel of it is stunning and almost brought me to tears with its astounding music, art, and story. The demo left me wanting more and I am so ready to experience the rest. Europa doesn’t have a release date, but will be coming to PC and Nintendo Switch.

Mika and the Witch’s Mountain

If you ever wanted a Kiki’s Delivery Service video game, this is it! In Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, you’ll have a blast delivering packages on the back of a magical flying broom.

It’s very charming and just fun to fly around, although the broom you start with doesn’t fly very high. To fly higher, you’ll have to deliver more packages to get better brooms. You won’t have to wait long for the full game, as Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is out on August 21 on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Misc. A Tiny Tale

I’m a sucker for 3D platformer collectathons and tiny characters in a big world. Fortunately, Misc. A Tiny Tale combines those two so well, alongside some Chibi-Robo! vibes.

The demo has the first two chapters, where you run around as a tiny robot collecting golden gears and solving problems for the residents. There’s even some challenging, but not-required, platforming levels – it has a bit of everything for every platforming fan.

Misc. is aiming for an early 2025 release date for PC, and the new demo will be available until August 21.

Bubblegum Galaxy

Bubblegum Galaxy is a combination of an office sim and grid-based strategy, where you try to rebuild a galaxy. How do you do this? By sitting at a laptop, placing down tiles, and matching shapes to get as many points as possible.

In between building the galaxy, you can talk with your co-workers around the office. It’s all really fun and works well together. If you like cutesy art styles, endearing humor, strategy puzzles, and a little bit of weirdness, this one’s for you. Bubblegum Galaxy doesn’t have a release date, but the demo is playable now until August 21. It’ll be available on PC first, with possible console ports.

After Love EP

After Love EP threw me for a loop. I was not expecting a rhythm game and visual novel that tackles the heavy tones of grieving after the loss of a loved one.

But despite the dour tone, its upbeat art and indie rock music really drew me in, alongside fantastic writing. After Love EP comes out Q3 2024 and will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Detective Dotson

Got a random case or random task that you need solved? Dotson is on the case.

I loved the humor of this detective game set in modern-day India, where you’ll be solving various cases in weird ways, such as going to a party disguised as someone who did not want to. As you listen to people or complete their tasks, you’ll get different clues to solve different cases on a corkboard, or maybe get a new disguise to get into new areas.

It’s a lovable and short slice, and I’d recommend it. The demo is available now until August 22 and the full game will release in Q4 of 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and mobile.

Aloft

Aloft is an exploration survival game that takes place on islands in the sky. While I am not a survival game fan myself, Aloft hooked me with its beautiful colorful art style (albeit with some frame drops) and its focus on creating a meditative experience.

You can play the demo alpha version right now, which includes up to eight player multiplayer. Early access will be available Q3 2024 on PC.

On Your Tail

On Your Tail is an open-world story detective game that also doubles as a card game. You play as Diana, a detective who is trying to also have a peaceful summer vacation.

You’ll gather cards by talking with the townsfolk, exploring new locations, and gathering clues, all to figure out different mysteries. But don’t worry, you’ll have time to relax by doing things like fishing as well. On Your Tail is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC sometime in 2024 and you can play the demo now.

Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island

Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island is a self-described “friend-em-up” that has an interesting premise. You play as Alex, an explorer whose boat crashed onto a mysterious island that is inhabited by Greek gods who don’t really remember who they are.

The demo had me bouncing around the island to help Hermes feed some birds and gather some apples. The gameplay is very focused on having deep conversations and making friends with odd characters, making it a total delight. MythWrecked is available 2024 on PC, Xbox One and Series S|X and the demo is available now.

Arctic Awakening

A survival game with a story as the focus and it has a friendly drone companion? Sign me up!

This demo sees a disgruntled pilot crash landing in the Alaskan wilderness, where he has to rely on an overly-friendly drone to survive. I loved the humorous, fully-voiced dialogue; excellent work from the voice actors. Arctic Awakening will be out on Steam in Early Access sometime in 2024 and the demo is out now.