It’s very easy to dismiss Playdate as an irrelevant gadget, another so-called “walled garden” whose marketing base is deliberately anachronistic and whose games are selling out faster than you can say “trendy.” Panic’s unique Game Boy-style handheld console may ultimately prove to be a failure, but so far the signs are pointing in a different direction, as Panic is selling faster than they can manage, and they’ve even managed to attract some pretty big developers . joint.
One of these is Lucas Pope, who you may know as the man behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obrah Dinn – yes, but high profile games that have certainly dominated mainstream media and headlines, reviews and promotions for the gaming public wider. His latest game is a direct Playdate exclusive. It’s called Mars After Midnight, and while it’s deliberately simple, like all Playdate games, it’s definitely worth your attention.
It’s worth reading our Playdate review to better understand the limitations of the module itself. These are simple games, but Pope still finds a way to introduce something strange, innovative and fascinating. His strengths and weaknesses are: You are the convener and caretaker of a number of support groups on Mars. There are luxurious colonies where the rich live, and then there are the slums, where you will illustrate the Martians coming together and finding common ground by organizing various meetings for the residents. One-eyed Martians may want to talk and share experiences: well, you will arrange a meeting, prepare refreshments and, finally, make sure that only one-eyed ones can walk through the door. As the evenings progress, it’s simply a matter of opening the little peephole on the door, identifying suitable guests and storing the refreshments provided. You’ll earn money that you can use to host new conferences, advertise them in the right communities, and purchase new gadgets to illustrate your distinction to real guests.
It’s a strange but mechanically simple premise, and aside from a few updates here and there, the game doesn’t change much in the time you spend with it. It’s always easy to figure out, just like Snake was on Nokia phones years ago, and it’s hard to put down.
Here is an announcement:
Playdate has no colors, but Pope makes each environment exude personality through quirky character models and gorgeous choreography and design. Just as Pixar often manages to bring a location to life with relatively few shots, you soon find yourself playing the role of… well, the convener of those support group meetings on a Martian colony.
However, it’s a simple gameplay loop, there’s no doubt about it. You plan the meeting for the following evening, choose the areas you want to promote to ensure the right guests are present, choose the refreshments and then it’s about getting the right people involved, Papers, Please style. But if Playdate proves anything, it’s that you can come up with exciting game structures that are surprisingly simple, especially when they’re easy to learn and put down. Pope does it smartly here, so while the game doesn’t reveal much more than what you’re shown in the first five minutes, it’s not really necessary.
Then he said it again. I would have liked an additional level of interaction. Maybe it can be exciting to have to arrange a room a certain way based on who’s coming that night, or maybe it can be part of the normal purchase and maintenance cycle. I’m not necessarily asking for more content for content’s sake, but that’s a bit of a stretch.
Here is an announcement:
I’ll be playing more on my Playdate, and after sinking my teeth into Mars After Midnight, I can’t wait. More importantly, it’s a testament to Pope’s skills, because while Playdate’s development was all about creativity within a limited framework, his talent is easily seen here.
#Mars #Midnight #Review #Gamereactor
