gAmeDHD

Colin Clark

The playdate is a console for neurodivergent people, and you’ll never be able to change my opinion. It’s as much a fidget toy as it is a videogame console, and it’s the most approachable little thing that has come out of the industry maybe ever. Mine lives in my back left pocket at all times. When I leave the house, I check my pockets for – in this order – my phone, my wallet, my keys, and my Playdate. That’s not to say that I use it every day, or that it even takes precedence over my phone in my brain’s “on queue” waiting mode, but knowing that I have the option has done a lot for my mental fortitude over the last few months I’ve had it. I sometimes take it out to catch a quick ghost in Shining/Shadow Gadget on a walk to-or-from work. I’ll open a quick session of Hand of the Divine when I’ve got a longer hold pattern I’m facing, and I check it from day to day to keep tabs on my Tamagochi-esque Pocket Pets!, or make some quick upgrades in Crank that Clicker. The Playdate is a perfect little dude. It’s there for you when you’d otherwise be futzing with your keys or your ring, your brain running up a wall to try and catch itself. I find it a more wholesome alternative to doom-scrolling social media on my phone. Its games are perfect to play on mute in public while you listen to a podcast, and the ability to freeze any game at any time and come right back to it a-la Nintendo Switch sleep mode is a stroke of genius.

For the first 12 weeks I had it, every Monday was a glorious day of two new games being auto-delivered to the device by the time I was getting out of bed. The selection that Panic – the Playdate’s manufacturer who is also known for titles like Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game – have hand picked as what they have dubbed “Season One” as a free addition to every Playdate purchased showcases what this small goober of a console can do. It’s obvious Panic has put a lot of thought into the order in which you receive the Season One games. For example, week one consists of Casual Birder (a lifestyle RPG about taking photos of birds with the vibes of Earthbound) and Whitewater Wipeout (a score-chase arcade surfing game that controls solely with the crank). They know what they’re doing. Throughout the twelve weeks you experience all the bells and whistles the machine has to offer, and almost every one of the 24 Season One games at least has something to say. If you’ve been reading this site, you know we’re the biggest suckers for games with something to say. Even if that something to say is “Whoa, tubular flips dude, that wave was so pitted!”

I’ve compiled a short list – Round One – of some of my favorite Playdate games. These aren’t necessarily my favorite of all time, nor are they in any order. I just aim to put together a nice little list for those of you who have just received your Playdate, or are thinking about purchasing one. The $250 entry point is a barrier to be contended with, but when you take into account that it comes with 24 games over 12 weeks, I can’t help but feel this is the least “buyer’s remorse” videogame purchase I’ve ever made. The thing is just flat out fun. This list will not include any of the games included in Season One. I think the surprise of finding out what each of these games are on a week by week basis is a huge part of what makes the Playdate sing. At the end of the list I speak to what this little yellow rectangle has done for me and my mental wellbeing and what I think it has to offer to neurodivergent folx of all walks. I really need to stress that I am not sponsored by, nor have I been in any communication with anyone at Panic. That needs to be said, because it’s going to come across like an ad the way I love this little screen with a crank.

I can’t recommend the Playdate enough. With that in mind, let’s get started.

Bloom

Midori has quit school and opened a flower shop. She rents out an apartment and uses the roof to grow her flowers. She struggles with social situations, and she struggles even more with executive disfunction and day-to-day tasks. As you plant, tend to, and sell flowers, you’re also contending with navigating a new queer relationship, lying to your parents about school, paying rent, and having to be hyper vigilant about weird men coming into your shop. To say this game spoke to me more than any other game on the Playdate is a drastic understatement. I see myself in Midori in my early 20s. Midori does a better job than I did, and she still has an incredibly rough go of it. The concept, phenomenal lo-fi soundtrack, and presentation scream “cozy”, but the core of this game is anything but. It’s uncomfortable. I wanted to scream at Midori as the only two options to reply in texts both lead down a path of anxiety and narcissism. She’s really trying her best, but boy-howdy is it hard to watch. This game is the epitome of what I want to explore on this site, and deserves its own write-up. This is something I didn’t expect from the Playdate, and watching it play out over weeks and weeks is a masterclass on what can be done with the system from a narrative standpoint. If you’re reading this article, this is a must-play.

Shining / Shadow Gadget

This little Pokémon-esque duo of games from Strangest.io are arguably the most important games to me on the entire console. I bought both versions just so I could catch every single ghost on offer. This is the one I take my Playdate out of my pocket for on my walks to snag a quick specter. It really brings a new kind of enjoyment of being out and about that I haven’t felt since the early days of Pokémon Go. S/S Gadget is a pared-down monster catcher, whose only mechanic is catching and trading said ghosts. The charm, however, is through the roof. Your Playdate will record the movement you make from walking with the device in your pocket, and the software itself uses sound to increase an internal meter to 100%, at which time you have the opportunity to catch a mysterious ghost. Using the crank to vacuum it in, and the gyroscope to aim your target inside the circles, you huff these little bastards into your Playdate one at a time. Strangest.io has incorporated online trading and an upgrade system to their collect-a-thon, and the descriptions of the ghosts make each catch a joy. Pure dopamine hit, ghost by silly ghost.

Under the Castle

I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a little bite-sized classic roguelike to dip into on the Playdate. This one is perfect if you’ve gotta wait somewhere for a few minutes. The game is split up into three distinct areas in which to delve your little guy, each with its own distinct goal and meta progression. In one, you’ll be tasked with taking down a certain amount of enemies, in another to collect orbs – often found in secret areas, and the third to free captured villagers. Monsters roam in all three scenarios, so you’ll need to be prepared. You can unlock special items to take with you on each run, from a lightning spell, to a few shields and potions to manage your HP. The music is pensive and impactful, and the visuals are some of the cleanest on the device. The crank is used to suck the little delver into his hat to float across gaps and traps. There is more depth here than you’d expect on such a system – Under the Castle shines in its production value. Disregard me forgetting that orbs take up space in your inventory!

Hand of the Divine

In Hand of the Divine, you have ten turns to approach godhood. This solitaire deck builder neatly fits into my Playdate library as a most welcome addition. You take your turn by spending cards from your hand at the bottom of the screen to gather PWR – a currency to buy more cards – and IP – your overall score. You can play cards if the previously played matches in number or sphere – a type of suit. You build your deck out of three spheres before setting out, and there are twenty three spheres to choose from. The combinations are basically endless. Each sphere has its own specialty, and there’s even a “Daily Deal” of three random spheres with an online leaderboard to shoot for. Hand of the Divine takes just enough concentration to be enthralling, but is casual enough to make sense on the Playdate. I’ve just started my journey in this one, and I’m having a blast unlocking new spheres and trying new combos. I’m also terrible at this game, nonetheless finding the joy in slowly getting better, improving my IP score almost every round I play. Hand of the Divine is a great entry point into the genre for newcomers, but is also deep enough for deck building vets.

Eyeland

Eyeland is an enigma, and is truly something that wouldn’t do quite as well on any other system. It’s a perfect little one hour jaunt through a surreal world full of puzzles and contemplation. Explore lighthouses and mines, and meet some bizarre giant globs. To say much about Eyeland would be to spoil the magic. The artwork and music work hand in hand to create a comforting and unsettling journey. Push mine carts, puzzle out teleporters, wander the darkness, wait for the sun to set, and learn what it means to lose something. My favorite part about Eyeland is that it must be completed in one go. You can put your Playdate to sleep, but if you exit the game, your progress is lost. Eyeland gave me a little over an hour of Playdate bliss, and I’ve been on the hunt for something like it ever since.

These five games go a long way to showcase what the Playdate is capable of. I’ve spent a lot of time filling up my little device with all manner of games, simply because each game is so cheap, and collecting them is a reward unto itself. I’ll say it again, this thing is approachable almost to a fault. It’s easy to connect to Wi-Fi and browse what’s new in the shop, its own little dopamine hit. Having this little device in my pocket has gone so far to calm down my brain when it just won’t stop. I know I can take out my little yellow screen and have something to do to quiet my mind. Something that doesn’t have the inevitable detriments that doom scrolling has. Passing it to friends to show them something like Root Bear is also a joy in its own merit. Everyone is at first confused, as pure joy spreads across their face. Non-gamers seem to get it the most. It’s just so easy to see why this thing rules. I love to be alone in public – whether that’s at a bar or a coffee shop – and the Playdate is the perfect companion for such occasions. Sure, $250 is a steep ADHD tax point, but every second I’ve spent with the Playdate proves how worth it it truly was. If you’re reading this site, the chances that the Playdate is for you are astronomical. I don’t know if Panic knows what they have done for the neurodivergent gaming community with this weird square, but someone should thank them.

hyperfocus

Skald: Against the Black Priory is an RPG harkening back to retro CRPGs of the 90s. Its world is unsettling, its characters compelling, and its combat deep and strategic. The narrative focus of Skald keeps me coming back for more, and the depth in character management keeps me around. I’ve just begun my time with this beautiful RPG, but I find myself finding more and more to love in everything it does. It runs great on Steam Deck, and has more of my attention than anything else in recent memory. Skald is out on Steam and can be found here.