Farming, cooking, and selling your wares to the locals. What was once a typical day in the life of a peasant in the Middle Ages is now a welcome respite from the technologically-dominated life of a modern citizen of the internet. It used to be that making bread was a way to stay alive; now it's a hobby that you take up when you're bored of eating the bread other people made for you.

Wholesome Games is dedicated to showcasing the games that make us feel all toasty inside when the real world leaves us cold and sad. Although there was a full-size Wholesome Games Direct back in May, we just had what the team is calling a "Wholesome Snack": a smaller teaser of upcoming indie games just in time for the holidays. Here are all of the games featured that will be coming to the Nintendo Switch:

Calico

Calico
Image: Whitethorn Games

A cute little community simulation game, in which you can ride bears, befriend huge red pandas, and run a cat café that you decorate yourself. Calico was, in fact, released on December 15th during the Nintendo Indie World Showcase, so you can get it right now!

Kitaria Fables

Kitaria Fables
Image: PQube

A rather pretty RPG and farming sim that gives us big Rune Factory and Dragon Quest vibes, only you play as a cat-person. The enemies and townsfolk are equally cute, so it's going to be hard to know who to kill and who to trade with, but that's a problem for another time. The trailer says "coming to PC and consoles in 2021", which includes the Switch! We featured this in our very own Indie Spotlight a while back.

Here Comes Niko!

Here Comes Niko
Image: FrogVibes

Billed as a "cozy 3D platformer for tired people", which includes pretty much everyone in 2020, Here Comes Niko! includes most of the wholesome games tropes: fishing, farming, friendship, frogs, and yes, more felines. (Did cats take over games while we weren't looking?) Here Comes Niko! is listed only as "coming soon", so we'll have to wait a while longer to know when it'll be on the Switch.

Potion Permit

Potion Permit
Image: PQube

Finally, a game that represents the section of players who prefer dogs to cats. As the doctor/witch of a small town named Moonbury, it's up to you to fix the various ailments and issues of the locals with the help of your cauldron, your foraging knowledge, and your companion pooch. And... what's that? You can maybe date the townsfolk? Isn't that a breach of doctor-patient ethics? Ah, who cares. It's cute! Potion Permit has a vague release date of 2021, but it's already looking quite polished. This was another game we featured during our own indie spotlight.

Onsen Master

Onsen Master
Image: Whitethorn Games

Last but not least, it's Onsen Master, a "Spirited Away meets Overcooked" game about corralling customers into various hot tubs to fix their problems. It's not as simple as it sounds - with the addition of yokai, the mischievous spirits who want to make your life hard, and a range of different onsens that require a little more management and puzzle-solving. Described as "short and sweet", and featuring a couch co-op mode, Onsen Master will be out some time in early 2021.

[source youtu.be]