Just what is says on the tin, Root Bear is a score-chaser game where you have a minute to fill as many glasses for thirsty bears as possible before times runs out. Unlike Whitewater Wipeout, there’s some extra elements here that add to it beyond simply cranking for your life. Which I’m especially thankful for, as I’m in no rush for my poor crank to wear out.

For one thing, trying to balance speed and precision is not only rewarding, but requires a fair bit of practice. While it’s true you can fill the cups quicker by pouring at a higher volume, using the predictive pour shadow isn’t so simple. It has this hard to describe pour stop delay/exponential pour speed growth that you have to try for yourself to really know what I’m talking about. Regardless of the technical explanation, it’s an addictive loop. Plus I can’t resist trying to get better when that sweet little harp twang and bear doing the bon appetit symbol is my reward for a perfect pour.

I believe Root Bear was briefly viral a few months back, when the aforementioned reward screen, failed pour screen (which is equally funny), and punny premise grabbed the indie corner of the internet by the joystick. And if for no other reason than it putting the game on my radar, I’m grateful for that. With a reasonably capped high score on account of a one minute round timer, it doesn’t feel unattainable to try for a new record, even if just by one point. Root Bear is a terminally easy to pick up and put down game. It may not be an all-time lister as far as the Playdate catalogue goes, but it’s genuinely one of my favorite entries in the score-chaser genre and a fantastic example of what the Playdate should strive to host.