This year's Wholesome Direct returns as part of the Summer Game Fest, gracing us with both a brand-new release window and a free demo to play now for the upcoming life sim Sally.
Sally may just be the coziest life sim I've seen - and I've seen a lot of them, trust me. Lucid Tales' upcoming game is all about community and how you fit into your own, placing you in the shoes of a child on board a flying Howl's Moving Castle-style ship. On the ship, you'll navigate daily life by building, cooking, crafting, farming, and more. How you live and who you choose to be is completely up to you, from character customization to bigger choices.
You're not bound to the ship either, as you can explore various sky islands harboring unique animals, inhabitants, resources, and seasons. When you are at home atop Sally's bustling decks, though, expect to bond with the ship's quirky crew - every member has their own aspirations, interests, memories, and tastes to discover. By completing tasks and fulfilling quests for them, you'll gain experience points to spend on all sorts of skills.
In turn, you can use those skills to shape your character into a specific role (or roles) as you please, whether you want to be a master craftsman or an excellent cook. This reminds me of the Stardew Valley mastery system a bit and other similar ones found in relaxing games of all flavors since you get to prioritize the activities you enjoy doing the most rather than feeling obligated to excel at literally everything immediately - something my ADHD brain definitely appreciates.
You can check it all out yourself to see what you think and soar the skies aboard Sally today thanks to its new Steam demo - but that's not all. According to the game's showcase today, it'll also get an early access release sometime in Q4 of 2025. While there's no solid launch date just yet, the given window is exciting - considering 2024's Wholesome Direct, the next couple of years have a lot in store for us cozy gamers.
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