Playdate’s “seasons” are basically curated collections of games that are released over a short period of time. For season 3, there are eight games in total, with two launching weekly over the span of four weeks. The whole thing costs $39, and the season is off to a pretty good start with two games that are indicative of what the overall Playdate experience is like.
One is called Soggy Froggyand it’s an arcade game about giving a frog a bath. The little guy sits in a cauldron over a fire, and your job is to keep the water at just the right temperature to keep him warm and cozy. Do nothing and the water quickly heats up, but turn the crank and you can cool things down. If the water gets too hot, well, the poor little froggy boils to death. The goal is to keep him alive for as long as possible, making it a game about chasing a high score that’s both cute and morbid. I can’t stop playing.
The other new release is a dungeon-crawling RPG called Gloom Gate. Here the goal is to traverse a sprawling castle, defeating all kinds of monsters and gathering gear and experience points to get stronger. What’s most notable about the game, though, is its 3D graphics, which feel like they shouldn’t be possible on the underpowered Playdate. In each battle you enter into a small arena with an enemy, and you have to dodge, parry, and attack while keeping a close eye on your stamina, which depletes with every action you take. It’s kind of like a stripped-down version of Dark Souls (there are even campfires to rest at), but it also really reminds me of Epic’s long-lost mobile series Infinity Bladewhich was similarly a technical showcase centered around surprisingly deep combat.
The full lineup for season 3 hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’ll also include a word game, hide-and-seek for two players on the same handheld, and a classic Mac-style point-and-click adventure (a trend I can really get behind). It seems like there’s going to be quite a bit of variety, and that really captures what the first few years of the Playdate have been like so far. Between its seasons and the Catalog store, as well as the ability to sideload games from platforms like Itch.iothe handheld has built up a very strong lineup that covers just about every genre you can think of: daily puzzle games, demonic pinball, Monument Valley-style adventures, even an MMO. It’s impressive both how much developers have been able to squeeze out of the device as well as how expertly Panic has managed to curate the platform. Every time I check out the shop it seems like there’s something new and interesting to try.
The Playdate hasn’t been totally immune to the steadily more expensive nature of the world. Last year, it got $30 more expensive due to increased production costs. But when compared to everything else going on, the current $229 price tag feels like a drop in the bucket, particularly when most new games for the Playdate only cost a few bucks. For comparison, the special edition of Grand Theft Auto VI — which, to be clear, doesn’t even include the game — costs $399.99.
Obviously the Playdate isn’t a one-to-one replacement for a new PlayStation or Switch. You can’t play the latest big-name releases — you’re going to miss out on a very busy November, for instance — and outside of a few titles, it’s a mostly solitary experience. But even still, in an era of rising costs and formulaic games, the Playdate remains a breath of fresh air, a comparatively affordable platform that’s home to games that are inventive and surprising. And it’s a platform that only seems to be getting better with time.
