I love video games. Love love love them. I have since I was a kid. But, for the past five years or so, I’ve been struggling to engage with the more popular games. I’m not super into forever games or competitive shooters or massive 140-hour epics. I still dabble, I still try, but it’s not where my gaming heart lies. I like the simpler games, the weirder games. The ones that, honestly, call back in some way to the games of my youth. I’m not a nostalgic person but I do find comfort in some memories and some associations with the past.
Like all of you, I am fortunate to live in a time when the gaming options are so incredibly varied. Honestly, there is interactive media out there for almost everybody. You like those massive, competitive, forever games? Oh, they’re out there. You want games inspired by the classics you grew up on? Say no more! You want spiffy new consoles that play those cartridges that are taking up space in your parents’ attic? Get you some! You want a bright-yellowed pocket-sized handheld that lets you play games with two buttons, a D-pad, and a hand-crank? That’s real specific but I’m happy to report that’s out there too! And with a stacked catalog of games and another season of titles coming out, there is no better time to get you one.
If you don’t already know, I’m talking about the Playdate.
Even though the device came out in 2022, I didn’t grab a Playdate until just over a year ago. I don’t know why it took me so long to turn the crank on getting one but I’m glad I did. I could drop multiple thousands of words on what I love about the system but I’ll let a list of facts do the talking for me.
Take It Anywhere
The Playdate is about the size of an iPhone cut in half. Maybe a bit bigger. But not much. You can charge it (with any USB-C charger available), drop it in your pocket, and it’s ready to go.
A Simple Idea Done Well
The Playdate builds on a simple premise: what if the Gameboy had a crank? I don’t know if anyone ever said that exact phrase while bringing the system to life but that’s it in a nutshell. The crank isn’t even required for a lot of the games. Yeah, for some, it’s the primary input. But, for others, it’s an alternate means of control. For a good portion, it’s not used at all. It’s just an interesting option for game devs to use.
Harkens Back to a Better Time
Okay, “better time” is subjective but the games, due to the simple restrictions of the hardware, have a simplicity and pointedness to their design that speaks to me. Games today can do and be so much that many try to be everything. Playdate games are often a couple clean concepts given room to thrive.
The Crank Works
I mean, of course, the crank works but also the crank works. It spins smoothly, has an impressive level of response and reactivity, and easily docks to get out of your way when you don’t need it. Yeah, it’s a gimmick–and they own that–but it’s also fun.
A Wide and Varied Catalog
The Playdate catalog covers so many gameplay bases from platformers to puzzlers to RPGs to rhythm games to card battlers to adventure games. The catalog goes far beyond what you might be thinking. You buy most games piecemeal but the device also has seasons, which is timed content that drops over the course of a year.
Games Such As…
Play a ghost trying to mend the relationship between two feuding vampires in this incredibly charming adventure game. Once finished, grab the seaworthy sequel, the holiday special, and the game jam side story for the complete Life’s Too Short series!
Tetris meets Frogger in Pullfrog Deluxe. As the titular amphibian, you have to sort falling blocks into their proper slots to clear lines and complete levels–all with the power of your prehensile tongue.
Lucas Pope, the man behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, brought his vision to the Playdate in Mars After Midnight. You run a community center where Martians of all stripes meet in a variety of support groups. It’s your job to make sure only the right aliens are let into the groups, the snack table is amply stocked, and the place is kept nice and clean! Trust me, you need to play this game.
Explore a hospital being overrun by monstrosities in Reflections: Nightingale, an atmosphere storytelling game about isolation and illness.
In the twin-stick action game Spooky Squad!, you clear levels full of spectres using only your spook blaster. Look, it’s a pixel art game where you bust ghosts. This was made for me so of course I’m going to put it on this list.
In Root Bear, your one and only goal is to pour the perfect glass of root beer for your ursine clientele. That’s it. That’s the game. You will raise an eyebrow. You will squint your eyes. You will go “what how is that fun” in lower case with no punctuation. You will buy it anyway. You will play it. You will be happy. You will get mad. You will get happy again. You will keep playing it. You will ask to be buried* with a copy just in case.
*bearied
Shadowgate PD isn’t out yet but I have to talk about it because the classic point-and-click dungeon-crawler Shadowgate is being remade for the Playdate which is so insanely cool and completely unexpected that I want the entire world to know about it because stuff like this makes me so incredibly happy. Not enough nearly 40 year old games are being reborn onto weird little handhelds.
And I have barely scratched the surface here. Check out the full catalog to see what the Playdate has to offer. And then get you one. And don’t forget to pick up a cover too.
