This Game About Frogs, Stars, And Birds Reading Poetry Looks Perfect For Fans Of A Short Hike

Whether you loathe the “wholesome game” moniker or not, you have to admit: Paradise Marsh looks gorgeous. Looking at its soft, rounded font (reminiscent of beloved indie game A Short Hike) and cast of friendly bugs and critters with gigantic peepers, don’t you just want to dive in to this warm-coloured beetlescape?

Paradise Marsh has a lot of the wholesome boxes checked — frogs, check; bug catching, check; flower picking, check; low stakes, check; ambient music, check (by FEZ composer Disasterpeace!) — and yes, it has featured on two Wholesome Direct trailers. But it’s clear that it’s more than just another toothless fluff game.

There’s a real sense of comedy in there, evident from the screenshots (is that blue jay okay?) and even the system requirements on the Steam page, which recommend Windows 69, a Quantum Fusion Reactor 4000 as your processor, and a Moog System 55 Modular Synth instead of a sound card.

There may also be a sinister-ish side to this lovely landscape, with mysterious monoliths, missing constellations, and lost notes scattered across the marsh, which promise to reveal the strange mysteries of this place…

Paradise Marsh is now confirmed for an eShop release on the Nintendo Switch on October 13th. Hop to it!