Playdate Podcast

What makes a great rhythm game? The creators of Otto’s Galactic Groove join us to talk about combining classic rhythm elements, a fun narrative, and great art—plus getting the feel and timing just right on Playdate. Get ready to crank your way through the cosmos, meeting funky characters, and playing even funkier tunes! Show Notes Otto’s Galactic Groove Elliot (Pawprints) Edie Woolf Rupert Cole Skwish Trombone Champ Level Editor Pulp Guitar Hero Gitaroo Man Dance Dance Revolution Resonant Tale Arthole in Cardiff Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Paradise Patapon Taiko no Tatsujin PaRappa the Rapper Katamari Damacy Otoboke Beaver Le Tigre Pixaki Skydancer/Tube Man Episode page Episode transcript

You’ll flip for Wheelsprung, a platformer with nutty physics! Award-winning Playdate developers Nino van Hooff and Julie Bjørnskov have teamed up to create 34 levels of spring-loaded fun, where you play as a squirrel on a dirt bike. The duo discuss their collaboration on a game full of fun mechanics and detailed, hand-drawn art—and how they approached development challenges like difficulty balancing and sound design. Show Notes Wheelsprung Julie Bjørnskov Nino van Hooff on Itch Gravity Express Escape the Arcade Escape the Boardgame Dance Break Dance Elastomania Lunar Lander game genre Teenage Engineering Trackmania Panels by Cadin Batrack Wheelsprung Level Editor Playdate SDK Playdate Squad Discord Episode page Episode transcript

Steve Chipman, whose Playdate games have been featured on Engadget’s “Best Of” lists and nominated for Playdate Community Awards, talks about his love of adventure games, their unique design challenges, and how he wanted to create something unlike anything he’d done before with his dark and brooding narrative adventure, The Whiteout. Show Notes The Whiteout Scenic Route Software Steve Chipman’s Art Generations for iOS Generations for Playdate Post Hero Shift Shift II Lillybug Four Corners Greed You’re Gonna Miss The Bus! Garbage Scow Captain Sierra On-Line/Sierra Entertainment Boing Boing Playdate mention Engadget’s Best Playdate Games for 2025 Playdate Squad YouTube Playdate Squad Discord Mark Crowe Audacity Zapsplat Chiaroscuro EGA The Long Dark The Road Episode page Episode transcript

How long will you last in Fulcrum Defender? Find your optimal build and perfect your aiming skills to survive in this crank-powered, arcade action game! Jay Ma of Subset Games talks about what makes a great action game, getting back into game development after years of struggling with Long Covid, and how her game became part of Playdate Season Two! Show Notes Fulcrum Defender Subset Games Jay Ma on Bluesky Aaron Cheroff Vampire Survivors Bit Summit Rogue-lite vs. Rogue-like Rez Raiden II Cobalt Core Sunshine Heavy Industries Episode page Episode transcript

Join a crew of paleontologists and dig up some mysteries in action-puzzle game Dig! Dig! Dino!, part of Playdate Season Two! Creators Antonio Uribe (aka Fáyer) and Dominique Ferland (aka Dom2D) talk about creating a gameplay loop that feels good, weighting and balancing to make sessions feel light and finish-able, and adding poop to the game! Show Notes Dig! Dig! Dino! Antonio “Fáyer” Uribe Dominique “Dom2D” Ferland Arco Pico-8 Game Boy Majo Félix Rich Cervantes Episode page Episode transcript

‘Oom’ and ‘Pullfrog’ launched simultaneously on Playdate’s Catalog last year,offering different—yet surprisingly complementary—gaming experiences. This special-format episode of the Playdate Podcast features a fun conversation between the creators of these two standout games, Gregory Kogos (creator of Oom), and JP Riebling and Mario Carballo (creators of Pullfrog), where they discuss their games’ journeys, and the development magic that happens once a game’s systems are in place. Show Notes Oom Pullfrog Omaze Amano Games Gregory Kogos on Twitter Tetris Famicom/NES Super Nintendo Game Boy PICO-8 Hyper Meteor Star Sled Celeste Score VG Podcast Skeeper Teaser Video Doom Eternal Playdate Squad Discord Amano Games Devlog SEQ Tool by Gregory Kogos Dirtywave M8 Mars After Midnight Playdate Podcast Episode Demon Quest '85 Episode page Episode transcript

Earlier this year, our Financial Controller, Jen, realized our Playdate inventory was 2,000 units short. How did that eventually lead us to a Circle K in North Las Vegas, and just how much should you tip for a roofing consultation, anyway? Buckle up, because we are going for a ride—in Magnum P.I.'s cool car. Show Notes Cabel’s GDC Talk Magnum, P.I. Circle K Froster Episode page with photos Episode transcript

Faraway Fairway is a procedurally-generated mental health golf game–but what does that mean? Hedgehog Dreams Studio Head Rokashi talks about their journey to create a relaxing golf adventure that’s all about persistence and taking care of yourself. Show Notes Faraway Fairway on Catalog Hedgehog Dreams on Twitter Rokashi on Twitter Taylor Anderson’s website Sam Webster on Twitter Faraway Fairway Original Soundtrack Grindstone Sweet Baby Inc. Lost Your Marbles Game Page Reel Steal Game Page Recommendation Dog!! Game Page Episode Transcript

Lucas Pope on how he builds games, what inspired him to create one for a younger audience, and what drew him to design that game especially for Playdate! Show Notes Mars After Midnight Mars After Midnight Devlog on Itch Independent Games Festival Papers, Please Papers, Please Devlog Return of the Obra Dinn Return of the Obra Dinn Devlog Bitwig M8 Portable Tracker Playdate SDK Recreating a mummy’s voice Episode Transcript

For this final episode of the first season of the Playdate Podcast, Christa wanted to do something a little different. So she asked the Playdate team and the Season One developers one question: “What do you love about video games?” Show Notes Whitewater Wipeout Casual Birder Crannkin’s Time Travel Adventure Boogie Loops Lost Your Marbles Pick Pack Pup Flipper Lifter Echoic Memory Omaze Demon Quest '85 Vertex Pop Zipper Questy Chess Executive Golf DX Saturday Edition Star Sled Spellcorked Inventory Hero Snak Sasquatchers Forrest Byrnes: Up in Smoke Battleship Godios b360 Ratcheteer Reel Steal Recommendation Dog!! Arcane Kids Manifesto Metroidvania Picross S Tetris Shadow of the Colossus Spelunky The Legend of Zelda Super Mario Bros. Borderlands Myst The Last of Us Animal Crossing Dark Souls Earthbound/Mother Katamari Damacy Memento Valheim Ori and the Blind Forest Untitled Goose Game Firewatch Episode Transcript