Ratcheteer is an accomplished action-adventure game that takes a lot of cues from Link's Awakening. It has really cool and interesting set of abilities to unlock throughout the adventure, with some great dungeon designs.

Though I enjoyed it a lot, I have a couple of nitpicks with the game: Firstly, I feel like it is not the best fit for a Playdate. Some of the stiffer challenges require a lot of dexterity and fast item switching. Even as the game wound to a close I never really felt comfortable with the controls and was making annoying mistakes, as well as developing hand cramps in longer play sessions! I couldn't shake the feeling I'd enjoy this game much more if I just had a controller with a few more buttons on it, and though the crank use was cool it was not essential by any means.

My only other minor gripe is too much of the game is spent exploring dark underground spaces, where you can't see much of the screen and have to rely on a lantern to light a small area around you. This mechanic isn't inherently bad, but the novelty wore off long before the sections of the game where it was used less.

Still, I must stress these issues are very minor overall. I liked a lot about this game. The background and sprite work is phenomenal for a 1-bit display, and the soundtrack is super catchy and perfectly captures the vibe of the games it takes its inspiration from. I felt that the overall pacing within and between dungeons was excellent, and the upgrades all unlock distinct, interesting new game mechanics. The backstory and premise serve their purpose well enough - the overall concept is a fascinating one but story of course takes a backseat in these kinds of games and I think that's a good thing!

Certainly a great game for the Playdate, but I think it would be great fit as just a PC or Switch title too! I'd pick it up for sure if it landed on one of those platforms.

Ratcheteer is an accomplished action-adventure game that takes a lot of cues from Link's Awakening. It has really cool and interesting set of abilities to unlock throughout the adventure, with some great dungeon designs.

Though I enjoyed it a lot, I have a couple of nitpicks with the game: Firstly, I feel like it is not the best fit for a Playdate. Some of the stiffer challenges require a lot of dexterity and fast item switching. Even as the game wound to a close I never really felt comfortable with the controls and was making annoying mistakes, as well as developing hand cramps in longer play sessions! I couldn't shake the feeling I'd enjoy this game much more if I just had a controller with a few more buttons on it, and though the crank use was cool it was not essential by any means.

My only other minor gripe is too much of the game is spent exploring dark underground spaces, where you can't see much of the screen and have to rely on a lantern to light a small area around you. This mechanic isn't inherently bad, but the novelty wore off long before the sections of the game where it was used less.

Still, I must stress these issues are very minor overall. I liked a lot about this game. The background and sprite work is phenomenal for a 1-bit display, and the soundtrack is super catchy and perfectly captures the vibe of the games it takes its inspiration from. I felt that the overall pacing within and between dungeons was excellent, and the upgrades all unlock distinct, interesting new game mechanics. The backstory and premise serve their purpose well enough - the overall concept is a fascinating one but story of course takes a backseat in these kinds of games and I think that's a good thing!

Certainly a great game for the Playdate, but I think it would be great fit as just a PC or Switch title too! I'd pick it up for sure if it landed on one of those platforms.