After a pretty rocky Day One of the Summer Game Fest, the second day was jam packed with various showcases, all with their own slate of games. The main ones covered here are the Wholesome Games, Women-Led Games, Latin American Games, and Southeast Asian Games showcases. There was also the Green Games show. We’ll… we’ll talk about that later.
One of the issues of these types of articles is that when there are a ton of titles to cover, it can become very difficult to give proper attention to each game. On the previous day’s coverage, that was magnified by how awful the main showcase was, but the Day of the Devs show certainly helped make up for it by trying to at least show that human beings with souls make video games still.
The slate of Showcases today have a different problem: they all had so many different games that listing every single one of them is highly impractical and provides no real benefit. So instead, I’ll be giving a short rundown of the general vibes of the Showcase and highlighting a few games from each one that really stood out for me if you’d like to go check them out yourself, as well as links to each Showcase’s landing page so you can investigate them or check out the VOD itself.
And as for the Green Gaming show, well…
Wholesome Games Direct
Returning for another year was Wholesome Games, which regularly focuses on games that foster a sense of comfort, wholesomeness, or otherwise eschew graphic violence or sexual exploitation. These games are sometimes also slapped with the label “cozy” or “comfy”, and while that isn’t a bad thing (despite how it might be used pejoratively), there’s plenty of games from these showcases with emotional depth and complexity as much as there are games that are just meant to be fun and relaxing. Wholesome Games also tries to foster a sense of inclusion in the gaming community and highlights creators (both in games and content creation) from diverse backgrounds, offering a charity drive alongside their show. This year they celebrated by championing Point of Pride, and if you’d like to check out the charity, you can do so here. The direct showed off a whopping 61 games, which was even more shocking in the sense that there were no repeats from earlier in the week.
Leaf Blower Co.
Developer: LifT Games
Release Date: 2025
Platforms: PC
Marcy: Work Sims have been super popular for the last year, with Power Wash Simulator kicking that off and escalating from there to things like Card Shop Simulator, House Flipper Simulator, and beyond. Leaf Blower Co. is billed as a “chilled out work sim” that does remind me a lot of Power Wash Simulator. The thing that really stuck out to me was the physics of the game, at least in the demo and trailer; the way the leaves moved and other objects interacted was a lot of fun and gave the game a very satisfying feeling to it. Something that occasionally bothered me with other sims is their particular and finicky nature, while this one seems to be a little less focused on that and more about just kind of goofing around and having fun with leaves. I enjoyed my time with the demo for sure.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game
Developer: Weta Workshop
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Platform: PS4/PS5, Steam, Xbox Series X/S
Marcy: I think I recall talking about this game once before when we knew basically nothing about it and being kind of skeptical about what it was or what it was trying to do or be. There have not been a great many good Lord of the Rings games, so that also wasn’t working in this games’ favor, but the now approaching release Tales of the Shire was far more fun looking than I imagined. This game certainly leans into the “cozy” side of things, tasking players with playing as a Hobbit in the Shire and building a home, cooking food, and living your Hobbit life the best you can. I found the amount of customization surprising (and welcome), and as far as life sims go, the Shire seems like a pretty great place to live your fantasy life in.
Anxiety Puppy
Developer: 小狗工作室
Release Date: Q4 2025
Platforms: PC
Marcy: Grappling with and understanding anxiety is not an easy process, and in some cases, doing so can take many different forms. Crippling anxiety in yourself or a loved one can be a difficult thing to carry, and Anxiety Puppy (you can see a trailer here) looks to explore that relationship by representing anxiety not as a monstrous horror but as a fluffy little puppy. The visuals did a lot for me to get interested in this game, with a storybook quality to it that really drew me in. I’m curious to see how the game plays and what players are able to do–I assume it is a CYOA style storytelling game, based on the trailers. Thoughtful considerations of anxiety are pretty difficult to find, and many games treat mental health and illnesses as monsters, so I’m kind of happy to see one that doesn’t.
Milano’s Odd Job Collection
Developer: Marvelous!
Release Date: 2025
Platforms: PS4/5, PC, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Marcy: Milano’s Odd Job Collection caught my eye because of it’s pedigree: an unreleased game from the PS1 for the first time in the West. Milano is a young girl who, left alone for a summer while her mother is in the hospital and her uncle is AWOL, gets a variety of jobs to help raise money and pay the bills. Don’t think too much on the premise and instead focus on the gorgeous PS1 era graphics and mini-game action. I love seeing games that never got a proper chance get a release filled with love and attentive care for the original, and Marvelous! has always done a great job with their localization.
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home
Developer: Alblune
Release Date: June 7 2025 (Out now!)
Platforms: PC, Switch
Marcy: The name probably makes it obvious, but Squeakross is a spin on the puzzle series Picross, one of Nintendo’s longest running franchises. Squeakross takes things in a slightly different direction by having your puzzles manifest as furniture to help decorate your rodent avatar’s home with. Picross is already a lot of fun on its own, and Squeakross basically takes that gameplay and just adds a unique little layer to it that helps make it feel a little bit more fleshed out than a straight up Picross clone. Also, the trailer featured a Neil Banging Out the Tunes reference, and I’ll admit that I gave it up for that.
Women-Led Games Showcase
The second show of the day was the Women-Led Games Showcase, focusing on games made by, well, primarily women or women-led teams. There were a few crossover titles from previous showcases, but even still this one had an impressive list of 40 games. If you’re curious you can check out their website here and see what they’re all about (if the name didn’t make it clear, it’s about promoting women in games), and I’ve got a few titles from this showcase that I also really found interesting. I will give a special shoutout to Cairn, because while I did talk about it in a few other showcase round-ups, this one showed actual gameplay and explored how the game worked more, and now I have to admit that I find the concept quite interesting. Funny what happens when you let the team working on it sell you the game other than Geoff Keighly and Co.
Downhill
Developer: Sisterhood Games
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: An action RPG in which the main character is aware of “you”, in some sense of the word, Downhill exuded a very alluring charm and aesthetic that made me take notice of the game. I find the story beat of a character who knows you exist and who you, in turn, have seemingly full power over compelling and with a lot of potential for complicated storytelling and situations. Morality systems in games usually focus on the “character” having an inherent narrative morality, or having the player assume very stark roles, but Downhill looks to blur that line by having Fade try to maintain a level of individuality over her actions and thoughts while you hold the reigns as to what actually happens.
Void Martyrs
Developer: Mac n Cheese Games
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: A self described “grimdark survival horror” game, the isometric view and horror aesthetic really sold me on Void Martyrs, where players are tasked with scavenging space cathedrals to survive and fight off waves of demonic space monsters. Also, you play as a nun, which is pretty sick; I would be lying if I didn’t get some 40k Sisters of Battle vibes off of the game. The demo is out now and while I haven’t had a chance to play it yet (since I had to write this first), it is certainly high up on my list, as it also references inspiration from games like Signalis and Darkwood, two games I absolutely love.
Lily’s World XD
Developer: SonderingEmily
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: A psychological horror game where the player investigates the computer of a young girl, I am a big sucker for horror projects that make use of digital gimmicks like this. The idea of the computer corrupting and warping and hidden, bizarre files and a greater mystery at play really drew me into the game, and the designer shows her understanding of early 2000s computers and technology (it even features AIM style chat windows). The developer mentioned a demo in the works, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for this and how it develops from there.
Prison of Husks
Developer: Glass Head Dolls
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: I’m so thrilled that we’ve reached a point in indie game development in which replicating PS1 era graphics is a thing that’s not only possible but being used to full effect. Prison of Husks is a souls-like, and while you may remember I ragged on this the other day as it flooded the Summer Game Fest, what I like about what Prison of Husks had to show me is that this is a game that understands there’s a lot more to ‘souls’ games than dark fantasy and parrying. The aesthetics here ooze with character and the full impact of the PS1 era nostalgia absolutely sold me on it. There is a demo available if you’d like to check it out.
Drywall Eating Simulator
Developer: Peripheral Playbox
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: Described as a “short and sweet comedic adventure simulator about eating drywall as a result of interacting with society”, I knew I had to add this one to the list immediately. After all, I too have had to interact with society, and it does make me want to eat drywall sometimes. I love the silly graphical style and the semi-desctructible environments, and the acknowledgement that the game is short and to the point means that it is one where I can likely get my enjoyment out of it and move on with my life, or possibly pick up and replay whenever I want something silly or light to eat. Like drywall.
Latin-American Showcase
The third show of the day focused on games made by Latin American teams, ranging from Argentina and Puerto Rico to Columbia and Peru. Another huge showcase, this one had over 50 games all vying for your attention, and there was a frankly huge amount of variety to choose from in this show. If you’d like to check out the website for it you can see the entire list, but as before I’ll be focusing on a few that really caught my eye from this showcase. Also there were a few repeats, notably Neverway, which I spoke about in our Day of the Devs coverage.
Wander Stars
Developer: Paper Castle Games
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Platforms: PC
Marcy: Venezuelan developer Paper Castle Games had one of my favorite trailers in the show, showing off a turn-based RPG oozing with 80s and 90s anime retro aesthetics. The combat in the game utilizes words that you can collect, providing different effects and powers through their usage and combination. It certainly wears its heart on its sleeve, because keen enough eyes can make most of the anime references easy to spot right away. But aside from that, it does look very fun and stylish and I’m excited to try it out when it releases in August.
Euclid’s Inferno
Developer: Adelpha Studio
Release Date: Out Now!
Platforms: PC
Marcy: I picked this one because it was already out, which is a plus, but also because the concept seemed really fun and kind of wacky in a way that I really enjoyed. You play as Euclid–yes, the guy who supposedly invented geometry–as you must navigate hellscapes conjured up by ancient mathematicians. You might assume this is a puzzle game, but it’s actually an isometric shooter, and the stylized art is very eye-catching.
Changer Seven
Developer: Gixer Entertainment
Release Date: 2026
Platforms: PS5, Steam, Epic
Marcy: Rather than drawing on just on anime, Changer Seven draws inspiration from Sentai shows like Power Rangers for its aesthetic spin, presenting players with a world they can explore in a 3D action game. The overall style was nice to look at and I love the idea of a game that riffs on Sentai stuff–it is surprisingly underserved in gaming–so if the character action and character swapping mechanics live up to the trailer in a fun and engaging way then I think this one could be a big hit next year.
Chunky JUMP!
Developer: Pichon Games
Release Date: 2025
Platforms: Steam
Marcy: A new game from Puerto Rican developer Pichon Games, Chunky Jump! is set in the same universe as their Bunny Graveyard games. This time, the game is a ‘short action horror’ game, in which players have to survive the night with their not-Gameboy (called a BIRD BOY) while trying to evade the Ghabbit from taking you. It gives me a little bit of a Five Nights at Freddy’s vibe of a character stuck in one space trying to navigate horrors, but the aesthetics look fun and there’s really nothing wrong with that formula. The expanding of their ip to more games is also welcome, as it feels fun and original.
Bubblegum Galaxy
Developer: Smarto Club
Release Date: 2025
Platforms: PC
Marcy: a hex-map building game with a cutesy aesthetic, Bubblegum Galaxy is a “cozy” game in the sense that the aesthetics are cute and welcoming, but the gameplay certainly seems like it has some real depth to it. The aesthetics did do a lot to sell me on this one, in total honesty, but there aren’t a ton of hexagonal world-building games these days either, so that part also made me curious to check this game out when it releases sometime later this year, hopefully!
Southeast Asian Showcase
The fourth showcase of the day was the Southeast Asian Showcase, and I have to admit that my energy levels were certainly waning by the time we made it to this one. There was yet again another nearly 40 games shown, and only a few repeats from previous showcases. I think that alone is a great sign that the indie market is alive and well, and that most gamers are better served looking to indie developers for fresh, new experiences and ideas than AAA developers, but maybe that’s just how things are these days.
Anyway, like the previous three, I’ve selected 5 games I really found charming to recommend to you all, but if you’d like to see the full list, check out the VOD or their social media accounts for more on each game shown off.
Let’s Build a Dungeon
Developer: Springloaded
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: World building simulators are always fun, and dungeon building simulators have always been a small subset of those games despite not always having the biggest representation in the sim market. Let’s Build a Dungeon promises your ability to do that, and also a lot more, as the game is not just a world builder, but a game development simulator as well! You’re tasked with building and running an amazing MMO, which seems like a lot of fun if the game can pull off juggling all of these hats well. I certainly think this is one with good possibilities IF it can deliver on all fronts, but it at least looks worth a try.
Death & Faeology
Developer: Mushroomallow
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: I’m always down for a good crime noir detective game, and this one mixes faerie folklore into the mix, which makes me even more interested in checking it out. I love games that make great use of folklore and fairy tales, and the setting–1920s New York–is also frankly pretty underserved in gaming settings as well. This is a visual novel, so if you aren’t really into those types of games, this one may not be for you, but otherwise, those looking for a narrative supernatural mystery may want to check it out.
Burning Sword: Death Sun
Developer: Nomadic Games
Release Date: Q3 2025
Platforms: PC
Marcy: Aside from having a pretty badass name, Burning Sword showed off a pretty cool action trailer for the game, described as a “Wuxia hack n’ slash”. Wuxia settings are extremely popular in China and greater Asia, but they haven’t had a lot of games that utilized the genre until recently, so I’m really down to check this one out on the genre dressing alone.
Am I Nima
Developer: HO! Games
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC
Marcy: A psychological horror game, Am I Nima where the player must convince their mother that they really are her daughter. There’s a LOT of interesting implications to that concept, from your mother being the threat or you, the player, secretly being it, is very cool. The game asks you to combine words in your brain, then use those to communicate, and finding new words and combining them in different ways can lead to different outcomes and endings.
Coffee Talk Tokyo
Developer: Chorus Worldwide Games
Release Date: 2025
Platforms: PC, Switch
Marcy: A sequel / spin-off of the Coffee Talk franchise, Coffee Talk Tokyo takes the game to a mytsticalized version of modern Tokyo, where players can encounter humans and yokai at the bar. Coffee Talk is somewhat similar to VA11HA11A, in which you make drinks to the specifications of your clients and through doing so engage with them in deepening conversations and relationships. The first games were quite enjoyable, so I’m happy to play more in the series, and hope the jump to Japan is mostly just a change in scenery instead of impacting the game too much.
Green Games “Showcase”
Marcy: I thought the day had been going pretty steady and that there was almost going to be nothing really ridiculous to talk about, but then the Green Games showcase happened. Ostensibly a showcase about games that, I thought, would have messages about environmental impacts or developers committed to utilizing their works to impact environmental recovery, what we instead got was… probably one of the most second-hand embarrassment showcases I’ve ever watched in my life.
Listen, I get it. Games are art, games are products. Art can convey messages, products can be sold in order for their profits to be utilized to pursue special interests and meaningful change in the world (Kinda. We don’t need to talk about the Immortal Science of Marxism here). This showcase not only failed to do that, it also seemed to oddly feature tons of sloppily made games that primarily seemed to rely on AI for music, art, and more. The host full-throated defending and describing mobile game slop Klondike as “detailed” and “really compelling” in a way that I don’t think anyone could ever pay me enough money to actually do, but the kicker of the panel was the “One more thing”, the tried and true tradition of gaming showcases where some huge announcement is made. For the Green Games Showcase, that was…
The Walking Dead, by Telltale, a 13 year old game.
It was not an announcement, a remake, a remaster. It was, quite literally, an advertisement for a game that is 13 years old, because, as the host explained, the current publisher of the game “gave the largest donation” to their charity. Which means that the games all featured in this showcase bought their placement in it; now, fair, you do pay to be in the Summer Game Fest, but essentially the AI slop content games here were featured in a showcase about protecting the environment by buying what was essentially ad time with their games that use AI, a technology that uses more water than an entire subdivision to draw woman with 4 breasts and 2 necks.
Aside from my qualms with the Summer Game Fest main show, stuff like this shows that Keighly, and the Game Fest crew, care more about dollars than they do sense; while the other directs all had positive messages and focuses on representation, this presentation felt like a sloppy cash-grap grift and really did a disservice to the day’s showcases which had to promote it as if it were an equal.
Wrap-Up
Marcy: I suppose it wouldn’t be a day of Summer Game Fest without something incredibly stupid happening, but boy, was it incredibly stupid. Still, the overall results of the day were great, with an amazing slate of new and upcoming games to look forward to from varied, diverse creators from across the globe. I really appreciate the work the Wholesome Direct and other showcase teams do in lifting these voices up in lieu of the main stage being dominated by cookie cutter AAA content.
There’s still more to come, as Microsoft, PC Gamer, Black Voices in Gaming, and Death Stranding 2 have shows coming up on the 8th and 9th. We’ll be back with more coverage of what happened and what you might have missed, and anything worth checking out. Until next time!
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
