It’s December, a month of gift giving, and that’s especially true of the video game industry.
From The Game Awards to Day of the Devs, December is a month packed with delicious new game reveals.
Plenty of those reveals just arrived during the Wholesome Snack 2025 Showcase, delivering updates on the brightest upcoming cosy releases.
A real standout for me was Mandrake from developer Failbetter Games which just dropped a fresh look at the upcoming rural life sim.
Mandrake may be a rural life sim, but it doesn’t follow in the footsteps of titans of the genre like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing.
Instead, its world is far more akin to that which you’ll find in The Legend of Zelda or the works of acclaimed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli.
Mandrake is inspired by British history and folklore and is set within a world “of old wild powers, of uncanny spirits; of deep histories, and deeper mysteries” according to a press release.
“Though in a first for the studio, it doesn’t contain cannibalism,” it added. Uh, okay?
In Mandrake’s world, horticulture is considered a forbidden practice, but our player character takes no note of that.
“Long ago, the world changed. The Covenant of the Hearth decreed that the day belonged to humanity, but the night… the night belonged to other things,” the synopsis reads.
“Now, all earthly lights save hearthfires go out when the sun sets, and the Mara ride the night-winds. Don’t go out after dark – the night is not for you.
“For now. (After all, what self-respecting sorcerer follows the rules?)”
Gameplay will see you not only farm but also forage and mine for supplies, with plenty of NPCs roaming the game’s world for you to encounter.
Meet “Furry, Friendly” Yolf
In the newly dropped look at the title, we’re introduced to a character by the name of Yolf who’s described as a “furry, friendly neighbour who nonetheless demands payments for debt owed to him by your ancestors”.
Huh, not so friendly then?
Yolf is a bit like what you might end up with if Totoro had the greedy capitalist mindset of Tom Nook.
For now, Mandrake is confirmed for PC via Steam only, but devs are contemplating a console release, with further platforms simply listed as ‘TBD’, so that’s promising.
Mandrake has no confirmed launch window, so I highly suggest you wishlist the title on Steam if you want to be kept up to date on its progress; I certainly do.
This post really highlights an exciting upcoming release! The combination of Zelda and Ghibli sounds intriguing and promises a unique gaming experience. It’s always fun to see how different creative worlds can come together.