Playdate - the good that comes in small packages
When Panic Inc. first announced this tiny yellow contraption called the Playdate back in 2019, I was initially sceptical about whether it was something I'd be interested in. The last proper handheld console that I owned was a Nintendo 3DS back in 2011 and my mileage with that was limited to a couple of Pokémon and Professor Layton titles. These are games that I have kept and cherish to this day, but the investment of an entire console in hindsight seemed wasteful.
What was it then that convinced me to purchase an even more niche product compared to a flagship Nintendo device?
Firstly, there was the way Panic marketed their Playdate. Not only would you be receiving the console, but you'd also receive an entire 'Season' of games gradually given to you over the course of 3 months, totalling to 24 'free' games. The design of this is wonderful as the incremental approach lets you fully appreciate these bite-size games rather than being lost amidst a large collection.
The second reason was when a particular developer announced that their next project was in development specifically for the Playdate, that being Lucas Pope and his game Mars After Midnight. Something of an auteur, Pope's works ooze with style and flair. Often taking unconventional approaches to narrative and world design, it's hard to know what to expect when you play his games for the first time, which is exactly the experience I've been chasing for some time now.
This leads into my final, and arguably most important reason yet, which was the growing weariness I've felt towards 'blockbuster' games in recent years having played so many of them at this point. It's not an uncommon sentiment to have these days, especially as the average age of the gaming population gets older and older.
Making video games is a huge financial risk, so big publishers stick to what works, choosing to prolong their franchises and remaking past successes rather than iterating towards something new. It's analogous to the film industry and the fatigue some fans feel towards the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars franchise.
Indies to the rescue
Enter 'indie' developers. Short for independent, this is an umbrella term which originally meant small teams or individual creators with little to zero financial backing, unlike large development studios and their deals with publishing firms worth millions. Today, indie games are a bit more robust as indie-focused publishers like Devolver Digital, Annapurna Interactive and Panic themselves have supported these smaller-scale projects.
With these smaller budgets and smaller scope games comes one major benefit... the ability to take more risks. If something doesn't land, it won't be a financial catastrophe, lessons will be learned and onto the next project they begin. As a result, the indie-gaming scene is rich with unique and fun experiences that simply cannot be found in the 'AAA' gaming scene because developers have had more freedom to express novel and creative ideas.
The Playdate itself is one of those risky ideas, and I am oh so glad Panic went for it. In the month and a half I've had mine, I feel like I've been introduced to more novelties, more aesthetics, more types of stories and heaps of great soundtracks than I have in the entirety of 2022.
My favourites games on the console (so far) have been:
- Pick Pack Pup - You play as a dog who's sorting items into packages on a Tetris-style board with an overarching narrative about workplace exploitation in a packaging facility. wink wink.
- Casual Birder - An RPG where you take the role of a visitor to a coastal town obsessed with bird watching. Armed with a camera and a notebook, it's up to you to defeat a gang of bullies who win the local birdwatching competition every year by getting better photos than them! "Can a fledgling photographer like you make a mark in the cut-throat world of hobby bird photography?!"
- Demonquest '85 - Imagine if you could go back to school, but this time, you have a grand demon of hell who'll help you get in popular with the cool kids. Spellbook in hand, that's exactly what's possible in this story-book game where Hell and Science class become one.
