Get the latest news from Whitethorn Games and its lineup of current and upcoming titles.
APICO, the wonderful pixel-art beekeeping Sim from TNgineers, is now available on Xbox Series S|X. Whether you're looking for relaxing music and art, a deep but not overly complicated crafting system, or are looking to explore and gather resources for a game that combines biology, beekeeping, plants and a special mix of fantasy, APICO has it all!
Today, we are thrilled to announce that the environmental thriller from developer Brian Wilson, The Forest Cathedral, is coming to PlayStation 5. Now, players on a whole new platform will get to experience a reimagined look into the true events behind the research into the harmful effects of DDT.
Watch the PlayStation 5 Announcement trailer below:
Inspired by the events surrounding real-life scientist Rachel Carson’s investigation of the harmful pesticide known as DDT, The Forest Cathedral is a dramatic reimagining of Carson’s environmental science book Silent Spring. Players will take on the role of Rachel, who has embarked on a field research biologist position on the island. While completing her weekly tasks, she quickly realizes things aren’t as they seem. Players will slowly uncover the horrific effects of the pesticide using advanced environmental technology to complete puzzles that weave together 3D exploration and 2D platforming. What secrets will Rachel discover on this island? Many will try to silence her, but somehow, the truth must come out.
Key features of The Forest Cathedral include:
Hey, Little Man: Switch control between Rachel Carson in the 3D world and the Little Man inside the 2D world of her advanced environmental scanning tools in order to solve puzzles and platforming challenges.
Nature in Peril: Explore a meticulously crafted forested island, dense with trees, animals, fish, and insects, all impacted by the dangerous effects of DDT.
The Sound of the Silence: The game features a fully voiced narrative to invest players in the harrowing history of the attempted silencing of Rachel Carson, backed by an enchanting original soundtrack.
The Forest Cathedral is currently available on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and Epic Games for $14.99 USD. We will have more information regarding the game’s PlayStation 5 release date in the coming weeks.
Credit: Future Games
Today, Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island brought some relaxing vacation vibes to the Future Games Show Summer Showcase as more gameplay from the upcoming friend-em-up adventure was shown.
In case you missed the showcase, you can catch Mythwrecked’s appearance here:
As part of the showcase, Polygon Treehouse has released a Steam demo for Mythwrecked, available on the game’s Steam page. Start your own adventure on the tropical island of the gods here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2000210/Mythwrecked_Ambrosia_Island.
In Mythwrecked, players take on the role of backpacker Alex, who has found herself stranded on the gorgeous shores of Ambrosia Island. As she begins to explore her surroundings, she discovers that she is not alone – the island is populated by the gods of Greek myth and legend! However, something is amiss – the gods are unable to remember who they are. In order to find her way home, she must befriend the inhabitants and help them to restore their memories.
Explore the dynamic island in this non-linear adventure and unravel its story to discover its celestial guests and build friendships with the gods through a unique relationship mechanic. The closer you become, the more they are willing to help Alex with their godly powers. Solve the mystery of Ambrosia Island, save the gods, and hopefully help Alex find a way back home!
Key Features of Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island include:
Gods Among Us: Many Gods call Ambrosia Island home, from Ares to Athena, Hermes to Hades. Tracking them all down is made easier with the Ambrosidex, though some may be harder to meet than others.
Treasure in the Sandbox: Use the radar signal on the Ambrosidex to hunt for lost godly treasures hidden all over the island! Return them to their rightful owners and help rekindle their memories and learn more about the island’s fate.
Conversational Wizard: Explore the island, examine new objects and locations, and talk to others to unlock new conversation topics. Maybe some Gods know something that will help Alex on her adventure, but some sensitive topics may be off-limits until you have earned their friendship.
Greek Legend: Experience a non-linear, emotional story about the importance of friendship, family, and community.
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island will launch on PC via Steam.
To keep up with all things Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, be sure to follow the game on Twitter, and Polygon Treehouse on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, and visit the official website.
Today, new gameplay and announcements for upcoming titles from publisher Whitethorn Games, Magical Delicacy and Botany Manor were revealed during Wholesome Direct 2023.
Magical Delicacy – Cooking Gameplay Revealed
A new gameplay trailer reveals the first look at how cooking works in the upcoming cooking-adventure-meets-Metroidvania-lite Magical Delicacy.
Watch the new cooking video from the Wholesome Direct 2023 showcase here: TIMESTAMPED LINK
The cooking in Magical Delicacy utilizes a deep attribute-based ingredient system, which gives players the freedom to be creative while presenting puzzling challenges as they create crowd-pleasing meals. Each item used for cooking has its own unique properties, which affect the flavor, portions, and other aspects of each dish. Orders received from Flora’s friends and customers will always come with specific requirements that she must fulfill, so choosing the right things to add will require some strategic culinary planning.
From developer sKaule, Magical Delicacy invites you to take on the role of Flora, a young woman who arrives in a bustling, cliffside harbor town to open up shop and fulfill her dreams of becoming a proper witch! Cook meals and potions in your customized kitchen, carefully selecting the right ingredients to meet your customers’ requests. Explore the town in casual platforming to meet the residents and deliver tasty treats, all the while discovering new secrets, finding new ways to traverse, and learning about the world of magic!
Magical Delicacy will be available day one with Xbox Gamepass on PC, Xbox Series S|X, and Xbox One, and for PC via Steam.
Wishlist the game on Steam to receive updates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2231190/Magical_Delicacy
Botany Manor – Herbarium and New Puzzles Revealed; Demo Now Available on Steam
Developer Balloon Studios revealed more gameplay and the first public Steam demo for their upcoming relaxing plant puzzle game Botany Manor.
Watch the new gameplay trailer from the Wholesome Direct 2023 here: TIMESTAMPED LINK
The new trailer offers the first look at the Herbarium, a book that documents botanist Arabella Greene’s research into the mysterious plants she uncovers, and an essential tool to help players track the clues discovered to solve each puzzle. You’ll also get a sneak peek at four of the flowers from the game: Windmill Wort, Fulguria, Phoenix of the Forest, and Sapphire Gloom.
As well, players who are eager to get their hands on Botany Manor are in luck, as the first public Steam demo is now live on the game’s Steam page. From today until June 19, play the Botany Manor demo here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425350/Botany_Manor
The enduring estate of Botany Manor is home to retired botanist Arabella Greene. After a long career, she has amassed a collection of rare, long-forgotten plants that require some research to help them live again. Play as Arabella and explore the stunning historic manor and its grounds to look for clues in her notes, books, posters, and items scattered around the residence to determine the correct set of circumstances to help the flora flourish. Unlock new seeds and plant them. Interactable items around the property that can be turned and flipped will provide information to help you solve each gardening puzzle, grow the plants and discover their mysterious qualities.
Botany Manor is coming to PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch™, and Xbox One and Series S|X.
Today, we’re excited to share our participation in the first annual Access-Ability Summer Showcase. The inaugural event, hosted by Laura Kate Dale and sponsored by I Need Diverse Games, featured recently released and upcoming video games made by disabled game developers and games that feature accessibility settings that help to ensure more disabled gamers are able to play. During the showcase, we shared several videos that provided detailed explanations of the accessibility features available in upcoming and existing titles, including upcoming games Botany Manor and Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, and the fan-loved Princess Farmer.
During the showcase, Chief Accessibility Officer, Britt Dye, revealed for the first time some of the accessibility features included in Botany Manor and Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island. With accessibility at the forefront of the development process, both titles include a variety of options to help players enjoy a relaxing, inclusive gaming experience.
Watch the videos revealed during the Access-Ability Summer Showcase below:
Botany Manor accessibility features include:
Field of view slider for a customized point-of-focus experience
Camera X/Y inversion
Camera smoothing and motion sensitivity sliders to alleviate motion sickness
Plain text overlay of all text for greater visual clarity
Toggle / hold option for “look around” view that allows the player to view their surroundings while standing still
Single-button sprint toggle
Single stick mode allows the game to be played with one hand
No time limit to allow players to explore and solve puzzles at their own pace
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island accessibility features include:
High-contrast text / backgrounds with text presented in a readable sans-serif font by default for greater visual clarity
Dark and light mode text display options
Several dialogue scrolling options, including dialogue speed settings, no dialogue scrolling, and dialogue auto-play
Visual, audio, and haptic feedback to alert players as they solve puzzles and explore
Dynamic tracking camera
Sprint toggle
Full key remapping
Haptics toggle
Non-Dialogue Captions for ambient and environmental sound effects
In addition, match-3 visual novel Princess Farmer – a game created with diverse representation and accessibility in mind – detailed some of the accessibility features that were implemented into the game right from the start of development. After Samobee Games game designer, artist, and story creator suffered a hand injury, she decided to create a game that was easy to pick up and play with one hand.
Watch the video revealed during the Access-Ability Summer Showcase below:
Accessibility features in Princess Farmer include:
One-handed gameplay for both controller and keyboard
Game modes to accommodate different play styles and gameplay experiences
Non-gated story advancement
Skippable dialog and interactions
A variety of button mapping options for controller, keypad and mobile
Haptic feedback
Separate audio channels for music and in-game alerts
High-contrast text and font control for increased visual clarity
High-contrast colours and shapes for easier matching
No screen shake
Optional match flashing
A full detailed description of Princess Farmer’s accessibility features can be found here: https://whitethorngames.com/princessfarmer/accessibility.
