Yonder shows off lovely lands and animal friendship

A pair of wee new Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles [official site] trailers give pleasant looks at the colourful land we'll get to save by... not killing anything. Nope, while Yonder might have a mild look of Zelda to it, it's a nonviolent adventure where we'll save an island from creeping corruption, sure, but also do a lot of crafting, farming, and fishing. The game's still a bit mysterious but it looks and sounds delightful. My main lesson from these videos is: you can befriend a red panda.

Yonders island follows a day/night cycle and seasons, and ranges across eight biomes. Here's a new peek at Hearthwind Vale:

And a visit to The Grasslands:

I will befriend all these animals.

Yonder sounds a bit Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon-ish but I couldn't rightly tell you how it'll work. Developers Prideful Sloth say:

"The hero of Yonder will explore the island, uncovering its secrets and the mysteries within them self as they embarks on a journey of self-discovery, while saving Gemea and its people. On the quest to become the island’s champion, he or she will join forces with natives and Sprites, ethereal creatures whom are the only thing capable of dispersing the murk.

"The towns of Gemea are filled with kind-hearted residents who have faced many difficulties since the arrival of the murk. By contributing to the island through talents like farming, crafting, cooking, fishing and brewing, relationships can be built with the locals, who offer everything from resources to a new farm as rewards."

Yonder is coming on July 18th.