Playdate Is Proving to Be a Home for Adventure Games

I love Playdate games that don’t use the crank. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate titles that do use it in inventive ways. But I also like when developers experiment with the limited palette, screen dimensions, and size of the system to approach other genres in unusual ways. Most notably, I’ve really appreciated the range of adventure games showing up on the Playdate over the last year, as the range of options gets diverse, engaging, and inclusive.

I first realized how much I enjoyed the various adventures that did show up on Playdate once I played the game Echoes of Emergent. It’s a gorgeous visual novel from RNG Party Games that essentially accomplishes miracles with the limited color palette of the handheld. The post-apocalyptic story follows a woman named Ayumi as she comes to with what happened and what’s next. I was stunned by how gorgeous and the realism the developer accomplished with it, as well as the touching story. It’s so engaging, and the minimalism helps make the tale stand out even more.

This feeling of the handheld working well with the genre ended up solidified with Terratopia: March of the Demon King. Kodiak Games’ adventure feels like a hybrid of the old school, first-person RPGs and point-and-click adventure games, given its perspective and approach. You assist a princess in preparing to defend a kingdom. This means investigation, interacting with people around you, learning more about the world, and training so you can fight back. It’s clever and I felt encouraged to explore, especially since it features such a fun script.

As I mentioned earlier, some of these Playdate adventure games seem to be getting extra inclusive too. One of the most obvious examples being Julie and Anders Bjørnskov’s Escape the Boardgame. It’s an escape room adventure that involves getting out of board games after being mysteriously shrunk down to the size of their pieces. It’s a follow-up to their previous title Escape the Arcade, and both tie together nostalgia, family-friendly situations, and puzzles that anyone of any age and skill level can enjoy. 

But all this is really exemplified by just how much is showing up to enhance the library of adventure games on the Playdate as of late. I picked up Wegiout of curiosity, even though I’m usually not as interested in horror adventures, and found Pixel Addict Games and Keith Baker, and found it even darkly funny sometimes! Hundred Rabbits’exploration and puzzle game Oquonie caught my eye because it is so detailed and features such unique characters and rooms, and I loved finding a way through a world where I didn’t know the language. Even though Hablet, from PiousPigeon, is more of a simulation, I also feel like the nature of visiting daily and interacting with The Concierge as I build up the town almost feels like I’m on my own adventure when I play. 

I feel like the adventure games on the Playdate really highlight other creative things developers can accomplish with the handheld. We know the crank is fun and can do neat things. But with various adventure games showing up on the handheld, we see how folks are taking advantage of its other unique features to tell stories in unusual ways.

Panic’s Playdate is available now, and Season 2 of games for it debuts on May 29, 2025.