With owning a Playdate, you get the benefit of access to the 24 games included in the Season One bundle at no extra cost – and some very good games as well. But there are plenty of great games beyond what Season One offers, either once you’ve finished the whole batch or, for new players, while you’re waiting for new games in between weekly drops.
Here, I’ll highlight some of the best games I’ve played so far from the Playdate catalog. This will be divided mainly two ways: games that use the crank and games that don’t. There are also some titles that aren’t exactly games, but are still worth a look.
Echo: The Oracle Scrolls
There aren’t a lot of Metroidvanias for Playdate yet, but Echo: The Oracle Scrolls is a great example of what’s possible. The game takes place in an underground realm where three kingdoms have relocated after a blight forced everyone to flee the surface above.
You play as a child with an important task – delivering a scroll to The Archives. To do this, you must find your way through caves and confront the rulers of each kingdom. It has some great art to appreciate along the journey, and an equally great score to complement it.
Unlike most Metroidvanias, Ico: The Oracle Scroll doesn’t focus on combat. It’s mostly a mix of puzzles and platforming, both of which can be challenging at times, but it’s not a difficult experience.
It’s actually quite calming as you explore the many, many rooms across its four levels. As you progress, you’ll unlock new abilities that will open up more of the map to you. This is a game you can expect to spend many hours in.
A Balanced Brew
A Balanced Brew is one of those games that feels like it really captures the essence of a playdate. It’s simple, quirky, and far more challenging than it might seem.
You play a guy with a handlebar-like mustache who’s in desperate need of his morning coffee, and there’s only one way he’s going to get it: by unicycle, obviously. Using the crank, it’s your job to get him safely to the coffee cart (where the good coffee is), being careful to keep him perfectly balanced so he doesn’t fall off.
There’s a lot working against you – gravity, uneven roads, mud, bird poop – and it quickly becomes an addictive grind to beat your own personal best.
A Balanced Brew is a great game for anyone who’s enjoyed the crankin’ time travel adventure from season one. And there are plenty of coffee puns to appreciate throughout the game.
Angel Pop
If shoot ’em ups are your thing, don’t miss Playdate Bullet Hell Angel Pop. It’s an arcade-style shmup with lovely visuals, adaptive difficulty levels that change as you play and a relentless onslaught of projectiles to dodge.
The bullet patterns themselves are compelling, if you can take a moment to notice them while trying to avoid dying. You can play it using the crank to control the direction of your fire, which is my preferred method, but there’s also the option to use the D-pad and A/B buttons.