Playdate Review: Small, But Mighty

In a year filled with exciting new hardware outside of mainstream norms, Panic has carved their own unique path with the Playdate. The tiny yellow console was staged as a portal into some of the most unique experiences on the market. As an individual who utterly admires the strange and unusual within the gaming space, the Playdate delivers on that promise in spades. It does come alongside a few downsides in terms of accessibility, but what Panic has crafted inside a tiny package is impressive, magical, and downright fun. 

Little, Yellow Friend

There is one aspect of the Playdate that cannot be exaggerated enough; it is remarkable how small this little device truly is. With the amount of comparison photos that the Playdate will spark across the internet, nothing does the size justice like holding it in the palm of your hands for yourself.  As someone with larger hands, the size brought an initial wave of worry. But I was blown away with the sense of instant gratification I felt when holding it. The device is surprisingly comfortable to handle and use in practice. Typically, my hands begin to cramp up when playing on devices such as a 3DS. What Panic nails is how lightweight and sturdy the device is, which helps avoid the cramping issues. Its weight allows the player to handle how it works for them; full grip like a traditional GameBoy, hold at the fingertips, or even one hand gripping while the other cranks.

With the sturdy build, there is a sense of physical feedback that comes with handling the Playdate. While it may give off the impression of a toy at first glance, the Playdate is an impressive piece of tech that has a high quality feel to it. Quality is translated through the inputs as well. The d-pad and the A + B buttons provide clicky feedback; a sensation that is pure bliss to those who are quite picky when it comes to controllers. 

The crank, the proverbial star of the show, is no exception either. The crank serves as a brand new type of input unlike anything else in the console or handheld market. As a centerpiece feature, it is expected that it will garner a fair amount of abuse with regular gameplay. Panic made the smart choice into putting a whole lot of thought and care into the crank. The input is metal, giving off a tough feel. Hinges as the base prevent the little metal limb from bending or attracting any strain. When met with any resistance, it naturally swivels to adapt. Particular games encourage fast cranking, and the plastic handle is delicate enough to not cause any friction that would deter from rapid rotations. All of this is to say the crank feels well built, fluid, and sturdy. Of course, time will tell. But at the moment, the little limb packs quite the punch.

Another feature that delivers a massive punch in a small form is the Playdate’s speaker. Only slightly larger than a USB-C port, audio output can get surprisingly loud without sacrificing quality. It is very easy for a single speaker on such a small device to output a weak and tinny timbre, but that’s not the case here. Without much body, music and sound effects are crisp with weight to back it up. Even with the lack of a second speaker, the illusion of a stereo spectrum is achieved greatly; potentially a trick our minds are playing while handling a small device. It’s by no means as high definition as modern cell phone speakers, but the quality within the small package is still remarkable nonetheless.

With a tiny overall device comes an even tinier display; another major worry when delving in. But the initial boot alleviated any and all concerns. To simply put, the display and what it’s capable of outputting is gorgeous. The spectrum of blacks, grays, and negative spaces are utilized precisely. Assets pop thanks to stark contrast, and it impresses throughout the operating system and within every game.

As much as I adore the what the display delivers, there is one major downside: the lack of a backlight. While the display flourishes in well lit rooms or outside, the Playdate is all but unplayable in dark spaces or rooms with tricky light sources. Hilariously enough, I found myself using a headlamp to play comfortably on my living couch. In a nostalgic sense, it was fun to harken back to the struggle of the GameBoy days; maybe this was the creative point. But in 2022, it’s a bit of a bummer. Yes - hardware production is a nightmare nowadays, but in a perfect world I almost wish there was the option for a backlight model at an additional cost. 

Doubling down, unfortunately there are no accessibility options to help compensate for the lack of a backlight. There are two accessibility options included to help reduce flicker and even flip the display for left-handed players looking to crank comfortably. But additional options such as contrast, saturation, or even an inverted-color mode could have gone a long way to help alleviate potential eye strain or frustration. Personally speaking, I have not had issues seeing what is happening on screen when playing in well lit rooms. But for folks who are visually impaired, the Playdate may not be a great match. 

Press Lock Twice

Panic crafted a brilliant user experience within the operating system. It is simple, yet responsive and even fun to interact with. In many ways, the Playdate is a character. When idle, the display shares the time (which will come in handy with the dock accessory). Pressing the iPhone-like unlock button prompts a tiny face to appear. Clicking once opens one eye, and twice the second to bring you into a very clean menu showcasing one thing: the games. 

The games within season one are delivered over wifi on a weekly basis. When the new games are ready, a small light on the lock button flashes purple. “New Games Available!” in a comic-action bubble rests on the corner of the idle screen. Something I absolutely adore about the game delivery system is the presentation. Borrowing a “mechanic” from the 3DS, new games are gift wrapped on the screen. Selecting one prompts an endearing unwrapping animation. Every week is a new surprise, and Panic executes a Christmas morning-like experience with the utmost care. Once unwrapped, games are laid out in beautiful fashion with artistic panels as wide as the display. Resting on a selection before launching triggers a subtle animation from game to game, bringing a bit of movement, curiosity, and personality before even playing.

Sticking with the theme of simplicity, pressing the menu button offers three prompts; volume, settings (when on the home screen) or home (when within an app), and screenshot. The settings offer the usual suspects; wifi, device info, storage. While there is little-to-no ability to customize the system much, the one aspect you can play around with is the idle clock. At the moment, there are three clocks to choose from. Down the line, it would be nice to see more idle screen options. 

Delving into the ‘games’ menu setting a bit, users have the ability to delete save data and the games themselves. Out of the available 3.7GB capacity, the 24 games of season one (plus save data) take a total of 1.1GB. Using the same metrics, it seems users can expect to fit approximately 70 games on the system pending game size. Outside of Panic’s planned seasons, players have the ability to download user-generated games from the free Playdate Pulp development kit. Users are able to side-load Pulp games through the Playdate website, so installing/deleting/reinstalling is a simple process. But from what I’ve dug into so far, I have not seen a way to reinstall seasonal games if deleted; surely fixed with an update. For now, I’d advise against deleting core games. Down the line, with the lack of storage expansion, time will tell how far that 3.7GB will go. 

Press Start

Panic prides themselves on the surprise each week brings to the Playdate; something I quickly learned to truly appreciate upon my first delivery of games. In the spirit of surprise, I will not be delving into specifics in regards to the games. Instead, I’ll take this time to share overall impressions on the first season as a whole.

The developers involved in season one completely flex their muscles in regards to tech limitations, creative choices, and the utilization of the inputs. The variety of games within season one is outstanding. Ranging from bite sized experiences such as a match three puzzler to an Asteroids spiritual successor, all the way to more in-depth experiences such as a Pokemon Snap-like narrative adventure and an action game seemingly inspired by The Legend of Zelda, season one truly has something for everyone. 

Touching on the display once again, the craftsmanship put into each of the games’ visuals is (once again) impressive. The developers use the display to their advantage by creating expressive visuals out of the grayscale color palette. With the lack of color, one would expect games to look all too similar. Surprisingly enough, this is not the case. Isometric action games, the illusion of 3D rendered sports titles, top-down RPGs, fine-line arcade experiences; no two games look the same, and each seemingly pushes the capabilities of what I expected out of the device. What’s wild is that this is only the launch of the system and these development tools. I am feverishly eager to see how far independent developers will be able to push the device with more time.

While I enjoy some experiences more than others, an astonishing fact is that there is not a single mediocre or bad title here. The quality, variety, and innovation within Playdate’s first season carries the torch lit by the GameBoy and Game & Watch libraries into the modern era. 

Final Thoughts

Panic has crafted an impressive device that packs a major punch inside of such a tiny device. From the case to the little crank, the hardware is comfortable and sturdy when handling. The audio and visual experience is a surprising delight. The amount of care is expressed in loving fashion through the character that is the user experience. The games already delivered are keen displays of innovation and creativity throughout the indie scene. The one downside is the lack of a backlight and a few accessibility that may deter a portion of the audience from playing comfortably.

The Playdate marks the start of an exciting era for independent developers; one that comes with the opportunity to excel in a specific niche of the indie market. Some of medium’s most impressive innovations come alongside tech limitations, and we’re already seeing that with the first slate of games. For indie enthusiasts and creators, the future of Playdate is bright.

Reviewed by Mike Towndrow