13 Fantastic Trailers from the 2025 Wholesome Direct and Women-Led Games Showcase (and One Horrifying Kickstarter)

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home by Alblune

I always look forward to the Wholesome showcases. Every aspect–from the hosts to the projects to the presentations–burst with positivity. I also usually come away with at least a few games I didn’t know I needed in my life. It’s a different kind of surprise than what we typically get from Nintendo, Sony, Xbox, and SGF. 

AND, if this year’s lineup is any indication, I could see the Women-Led Showcase eventually evolving into a similar experience. 

As always, I’ve done my best to keep these impressions brief. If something obvious seems like it’s missing–there’s a good chance I’m covering it in a different write-up (at this point in the process, I have four more articles in progress and there was a decent amount of crossover between June seventh’s slate). 

Here is a glimpse at my favorite things from both the Wholesome Direct and Women-Led Showcase (and a bonus spooky surprise for readers who make it all the way to the end): 

Leaf Blower Co.

How much swagger does it take to kick off your presentation with a game about building and operating a leaf blowing empire?

Recently, I’ve found myself gravitating more towards these sorts of simulators (I have a review for Crime Scene Cleaner coming soon–maybe), and as someone who grew up in a climate without trees, I haven’t been traumatized by this sort of busy work, yet. 

Is This Seat Taken?

I have the tendency to tie all puzzles directly back to Professor Layton (where is that release date Level-5?). 

Are you a fan of logic puzzles that follow the pattern of Person A loves Person B but hates Person C while Person D likes to be alone?  Is This Seat Taken? aims to employ that basic concept and expand it into a full experience with a minimalistic (but adorable) art style. 

I alluded to this sort of thing in the introduction, but this is a prime example of a project that I didn’t know I needed (but now that I know it exists,  I assure you, I DO need it). 

Let’s Build a Dungeon

Let’s Build a Dungeon combines both creating and balancing an MMO (an in-game MMO, this isn’t Everquest Maker) with the business side of running your own game studio. This interests me for obvious reasons. I’m going to build a virtual utopia that actually hires people. 

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home

Regular readers of the site know I have a passion for picross. Here, your puzzling pays off with furniture you can use to spruce up a tiny mouse’s home. 

Squeakross is available to play now. 

Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk

Run your own Japanese vending business and customize everything from the drinks you're selling to the appearance of the machines themselves. It’s available in early access now and seems like one of the coziest games in a showcase built on a foundation of cozy.   

Haunted Paws

Narrative design in video games can be tricky. 

In my opinion, seeing our fluffy friends trot past a vendor selling hats, only to have them wearing said hats after the cut, is peak storytelling. 

Gecko Gods

With the release of the GEX Trilogy earlier this week, 2025 might unofficially be the year of the gecko. 

Gecko Gods probably has less pop culture references than the former, but you can pilot a little boat with your little lizard. 

Did you know, gecko feet aren’t “sticky” in the traditional sense? Instead, they’re able to cling using the force between molecules (their feet form a temporary bond with the surface they’re climbing–or in the case of the geckos I know personally, napping on).

Pawsta

We only got a brief glimpse of Pawsta during the show’s closing sizzle reel, but that was enough for it to make a positive impression on me. You play as a mouse chef and craft delicious recipes–everything from sushi to, you guessed it, pasta. There’s also a sort of Indiana Jones globetrotting overworld map. I’m curious to see how that factors into our culinary quest. 

Crescent County

Your rebellious witch character acts as a courier during the day (because, like real life, you’re broke), and then you use the meager funds you earn to soup up your broom and race in the evening. 

Also, just like real life, there might occasionally be some kissing involved. 

I’ve been a fan of Crescent County from the beginning, but at this point, I’m ready to either see some new footage or just play it next October. Check it out on Kickstarter. 

Ascend to Zero

Isometric intensity, time control tactics, and a healthy serving of chaos on the side (with a decadent dessert of particle effects). 

I’m typically hit-or-miss on roguelites, but there’s so much going on here that it’s captured my attention. You can play a demo now and the full release is coming in early 2026. I’ll be maining Blossom. 

Woodo

I have a running bit about Woodo that I’ve never shared with another person. 

I keep a massive document of every game that gets announced. I update their release dates as they’re revealed and remove them as they either get played, get canceled, or I lose interest. Yes, the page count of this document balloons exponentially every “E3” season. 

Woodo, a stress-free game about building dioramas, was announced ages ago and has been a fixture on this list for just as long. Because I’m so familiar with its location in the ocean of titles, I practically use it as a beacon when navigating the 40+ pages. 

So any time we get a fresh look at this world in miniature, I throw a miniature celebration

I never said it was a funny bit. Anyway, go check out Woodo. It will make your heart happy. 

Spilled!

You play as a small boat.

You suck up sludge.

Then, you upgrade your boat. 

Then, you suck up more sludge. 

Spilled! released in March and already has a “very positive” reception on Steam (and it’s only six dollars). The purpose of this trailer was to announce that it’s coming soon to consoles. 

This is the sort of project that should have been highlighted at the Green Games Showcase instead of a solid hour of predatory mobile games. 

Angeline Era

Angeline Era combines classic Zelda (“classic Zelda” here means A Link to the Past) with an early PlayStation aesthetic. 

It has an overworld! 

The pots burst into so many shards! 

Are those laser fish?

I’m extremely excited for this one. It launches later this year and has a demo you can try now. 

Walk

I was introduced to Walk via a 20 second clip in a showcase a year or two ago and it’s stuck with me this entire time. Its Kickstarter just went live, and while it’s doing well so far, I wanted to do my part in drawing some extra attention to it from my corner of the internet. I would love the opportunity to play the full version of a thing that has existed almost entirely in my nightmares. 

A quick warning, I’ve included it in this write-up specifically as a joke. There’s a good chance this footage is going to upset you. 

Believe it or not, I’m still here writing about all the trailers you missed and all the ones you need to rewatch. I also posted an interview with the developer of Gunmetal Gothic a couple days ago that you should totally check out if you’re interested in Godot development or low poly solo projects.