Playdate Advent Calendar 2024

I missed writing about the first annual Playdate Advent Calendar in 2023 because, well… this site didn’t exist yet. But as one of the world’s foremost Playdate chroniclers/historians, I’m not missing it this year! (And luckily they archived the 2023 calendar here so I can memorialize that in words later, too!)

Created, curated, and presented by top Playdate People Dominik Haas, Uncrank’d Magazine’s Xania Lasagna, and Pizza Fuel Dev, the 2024 Playdate Advent Calendar is a 25-day long celebration of the Playdate, its developers, and its games. Each day brings a new Playdate present, whether it’s a surprise game release, or a sale on a game that will always be worth the price.

The site itself is fun, too, with an on-screen Playdate that you can navigate around with the buttons. Each day has a secret word hint, so you can try to guess what the sale or surprise will be as you watch the clock count down. And there are physical versions of the Advent calendar going out, too, also made by Xania (mine is in the mail and should be here any second!). I’ll update this page throughout the month with links and descriptions of each game, so keep checking back, or just use this a historical record of the only Advent calendar that’s ever truly excited the masses.

Note that each day of the calendar starts in Pacific Time, and the sales will only last for a limited time, which varies from game to game. Panic also has a rule that games can’t go on sale on Catalog more often than once every 30 days, so some games that were in the big Catalog sale in November aren’t able to go on sale again at the beginning of the Advent. I don’t think Itch has any such rules, but Itch has also been having a really hard time even loading for the first few days of the sale… hopefully it gets fixed up as we get closer to Christmas!

Now, let’s see how happy our holiday season will be this year!

Day 1: secret word - “Treatos”

It’s Pup Cup, a brand new Root Bear-like from Ledbetter Games of ART and Off-Planet Dreams fame. Fill cups with whipped cream for dogs, but don’t fill them too full or it’ll blast everywhere! The dogs don’t mind the mess, but the only way you’ll get a high score is to fill the cup to juuuuust the right height. Takes a lot of crank precision, but getting the pup the cup they deserve earns you plenty of tail wags. This early version is pay-what-you-want on Itch, but a more fully featured final release is coming to Catalog on February 4, 2025. (Itch link).

Day 2: secret word - “Casino”

Day 2 is Crank Casino — the first Catalog release from IrishJiminy. Initially released just a few days before the Advent Calendar went live, this sale brings the game from $6 down to $5 (well, $4.98 on Itch if you want to save an extra two cents). Jiminy kindly provided me a review copy so you’ll get a full Playdate Unofficial post on this soon! It seems at first like a straightforward casino game set in space, but with a sweet story and a lot of heart. There are aliens, and Elvis, and it was very impressively made in Pulp. There are lots of unlockables to keep you playing for hours, and it’s great when you have just a few minutes to spare, too! (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 3: “Judo”

It’s Kuroobi from Raphaël Calabro, who also made the terrific-but-challenging Poker Poker Magic! A side-scrolling shmup set in a future Japan that makes very innovative use of the crank, this whole game is just one three-minute level that you will play over and over again until you can memorize every single enemy location and maintain a combo long enough to top the leaderboards. The Catalog version (which includes online leaderboards that really let you get the most out of the game) is 50% off, from $6 down to $3, while the Itch version is now FREE. Try it on Itch to practice the martial arts shmup mechanics, then get the Catalog version on sale and try to climb those leaderboards! (Catalog link. Itch link. As of this writing, Poker Poker Magic is also 50% off on Itch!)

Day 4: “HYPER”

Be Kind To Yourself is not only good advice - it’s also one of the best TATE mode games on the Playdate. A shmup where you hold the console sideways and control the ship with the crank, it just WORKS, and for day 4 of the Playdate Advent, it’s 50% off on Catalog ($8 down to $4) and 42% off on Itch ($7 down to $4). Like others, the only way to get onto the global leaderboards is with the Catalog version, so that’s the one to grab! (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 5: “train”

The Heist of the Argonaut Limited is basically a text-based, single-player TTRPG set during a train heist. There’s a lot more going on than a simple Choose Your Own Adventure game, and it rewards multiple playthroughs and attempting different ways of playing! It does get a little… bloody… so if you’re averse to that and have a strong imagination, be warned. It’s all words, though, and there’s no violent imagery. It’s not a long adventure, which makes retrying new things and trying to save everyone on the train fun, or you can be a bad guy, too! It’s 60% off on Itch, bringing it down to just $2 from the normal $5 asking price. (Catalog link, but not on sale there currently. Itch link.)

Day 6: “Orbit”

The recently released Spaceshipment is the day 6 game, and it's 25% off on Itch, bringing it from $6 down to $4.50. It’s a physics-based puzzle game where you launch a probe and try to hit the target on the other side of the screen. However, you’re in space, where every celestial body creates its own gravitational field, and each of those fields will have an effect on your probe. It has almost a Worms quality to it, where you pick the angle of your shot, the velocity, and hope you hit what you’re aiming for. You won’t hit it — a lot — but you can always try again! There are over 50 levels, a free demo, and even a level editor where you can make your own levels. It’s also been accepted for a Catalog release soon! (Itch link.)

Day 7: “Investigating…”

Advent day 7 is Hammet P.I., a game that makes you feel like a real detective! It has driving, and investigating, and covert surveillance, and a time limit! Feels like the Playdate’s version of Rise of the Dragon or L.A. Noir. There’s nothing else quite like it on Playdate, and it’s 50% off for a limited time, dropping from $6 to just $3. (Itch link.)

Day 8: “Bees”

Date Nite made me cry happy tears. It’s a short Pulp game about making a surprise dinner for the person you love, and it’s got more soul in it than probably every AAA game I’ve ever played. It’s normally name-your-price on Itch, but as day 8 of the Playdate Advent Calendar, all proceeds made during the week of December 8-15, 2024, are being donated to the Alameda County Food Bank for the holidays. Play a nice game and contribute to a good cause! (Itch link.)

Day 9: “Reflexes”

Crank It! is the Playdate version of Bop It! It’s got local multiplayer where you pass the Playdate around, seeing who can obey the commands for the longest combo without messing up. Crank the crank, push the buttons, or shake the system with the under-utilized Playdate Shake™ function. It’s still the normal asking price of $3 on Catalog, but on Itch (which is back online after an AI-fueled cyber attack from Funko Pops???), it’s 70% off, down to just 90 cents. You can also get this game bundled with another 70% off Thumb Grooves game, Kitty Pig, in a set for just $1.50. Crank it! (Catalog link. Itch link. Bundle link.)

Day 10: “Deliver”

Not content to merely appear on Engadget over the weekend, Bumbleborn’s terrific combat-less Metroidvania Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll is the day 10 game on the Playdate Advent Calendar. It’s 12% cheaper (about a dollar off) on Itch, bringing the already-fair-for-a-polished-3-to-5-hour-game price of $8 down to the unhinged price of $7.04. (Update as of 12/15/24: now $1 off on Catalog, also.) I really liked this one — it’d be a great Christmas present for yourself! Unless you hate jumping, in which case there are still lots of games to go before the 25th. (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 11: “Invader”

Day 11 is something kind of wacky: it’s Bullet Shoot Chronicle: Crazy Mobs Mania by Samplay. The best way to describe it is kind of an upside-down Space Invaders, but made in Pulp? There are a few Pulp games that attempt action of the dodging enemies variety, but fewer take it to this extreme with a full-on old-school action game. Normally $3, it’s down to just $1.50 as part of the Advent. If you like this style, I can also recommend Samplay’s Dreamer Adventure, which will definitely appear on this site in full write-up form someday. Pulp is Samplay’s canvas, and they are a master of the form. (Itch link.)

Day 12: “Hollow”

fatnose games’ Along Came a Spider: Valley of The Hollow is the long-awaited sequel to the original Along Came a Spider, one of the earliest Pulp hits on the Playdate. Set a year after the original game, follow “plucky spider hero” Eric Nid on a new adventure where you’ll be sure to use the crank in unique ways to succeed. Get this new one for 25% off on Itch or Catalog ($3), down from the normal $4! And don’t forget: you can also get caught up on all the fatnose games with the bundle: four games for only $6, including both Along Came a Spider games and the nothing-quite-like-it Pulp music album NOW That’s What I Call Pulp! (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 13: “Candies”

For Friday the 13th, it’s Luna Pork, a pig-based action game set at a carnival where you crank the crank to feed those little piggies as much candy as you can. Watch out for CandyBombs! It’s 50% off its normal $3 price, just $1.50 on Itch. How high can you score? (Itch link.)

Day 14: “Knight”

The Pulp-built exploration game Fortress is on sale for ONE DAY ONLY: 50% off on Itch, making it just $1. The money from the sale is going to new puppy supplies! This is a game full of traps and surprises, and it’ll take multiple tries to figure out how to survive with the top score. Each run is about 30 minutes long, which is just about right! The developers, Alan and Beth Cooke, also made the snow globe app that has been used by Uncrank’d on social media to show off the new Advent game each day. They might make that available for download someday, too — I hope so! (Catalog link, but full price. Itch link.)

Day 15: “Hatch”

Remember when we did Powerdive Games week, and I played all the Catalog-released games from Powerdive in a row? That’s Hand of the Divine, Rendsword, STARHACK, Soliterra, and Taxi Trouble, plus they’ve also released Pahtkest! since then. Well, Day 15 of the 2024 Playdate Advent Calendar brings a brand new Powerdive game to Itch: it’s Rock Egg, and it’s name-your-price. Not a lot of details on the Itch page, but it’s listed as a visual novel narrative experience about perseverance. Give it a few cranks and it’ll crack … but then what? It’s a mystery, and isn’t that the true reason for the season? (Itch link. And all the other Powerdive games are also on sale on Catalog and Itch!)

Day 16: “Mycology”

Day 16’s secret word was “mycology” so you just KNOW it had to be Spilled Mushrooms, which is this terrific… basically solo board game? Where you try to get mushrooms? It’s hard to explain in just a few words, but I wrote a big thing about it over here, and there are those who have played this game every day for months. It’s huge! And as part of the Advent sale, it’s one-third off, down from $6 to $4 on Catalog. There’s also a quite extensive demo on Itch if you want to try before you buy, but let’s be serious: you’ll probably want to buy this one. (Catalog link. Itch demo link.)

Day 17: “Debris”

Scenic Route Software’s Garbage Scow Captain is the “debris” game of the day, and it’s 50% off on Catalog, down to just $3. I played this as part of Scenic Route Week here on the site, and we also played it as part of our New & Upcoming Playdate Games video. (I forgot to turn on Mirror Mode and I pronounced the title incorrectly; I’m sorry! The real game is a bit faster and lots of fun.) Scenic Route has maybe made more Playdate games than anyone, ever? And they’re all great. Collect ‘em all! (Catalog link. Itch link to other Scenic Route games, not on sale but all good!)

Day 18: “Ursine”

Terratopia: March of the Demon King is Name Your Price on Itch as part of the 2024 Playdate Advent Calendar, but I recommend paying as much money for it as you can afford (also on Catalog for $6), because it’s just like nothing else on Playdate. Despite being a Pulp game, it’s more akin to Outer Wilds, which is one of those games that, if you haven’t played it, you should really go in blind. This one, too! I wrote about it and left out spoilers so you can see if it sounds like a game you’d like to feel, because that’s what it’ll make you do! Choose your own adventure, and do it today. (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 19: “Helix”

For day 19, we get a brand new game from Damos Games called Mutant Splize. It’s just in alpha right now, but you can tell the bones are strong! It’s a side-scrolling platformer where you have special mutant powers to fight enemies. Sounds like there will be a ton of powers to unlock as you go through the game, but a high point of this very early build is the banger soundtrack. Worth a download for that alone! Will be exciting seeing this game grow throughout the next year. Damos Games’ other big game, Top Binz, should also be arriving soon! I played the beta demo for that one here. Mutant Splize’s alpha build is pay-what-you-want on Itch. (Itch link.)

Day 20: “Deep”

Dolphin Splash is half off for day 20, down to just $2. It looks very Ecco the Dolphin-inspired, and it… kind of is? It’s a side-scrolling, dolphin-based action game like Ecco, but it’s got a lot more score-chasing elements, with checkpoint races and other more exploration-based levels. The crank controls for turning are unique but feel great once you get the hang of them. The Catalog version has online leaderboards, so that’s the one to get! (Catalog link. Itch link.)

Day 21: “Quest”

Day 22: “Wake up”

Day 23: “Starship”

Day 24: “Turkey”

Day 25: “Varmint”