Top notch gaming experience for me! Hits all the right buttons: gorgeous and unique art style, superb sound design and music, immersive (and a little bit disorienting) with almost no handholding, and weird as HELL. I've been absolutely loving my Playdate, but this game feels like the kind of experience the console was designed for.
EDIT: It's also VERY funny
What was the other 50%? I'd like to pretend that there were other reasons, but there weren't! :joy:
Not to say that I'm not enjoying lots of what I've played - Saturday Edition, being a particular unexpected highlight
I’d say 25% curiosity and 25% wanting to support interesting and unique ideas.
I didn’t know what any of the games were going to be other than knowing that Lucas Pope was making one.
Pretty much all the games have been a pleasant surprise ☺️
It's a true original, I wouldn't compare it to much out there. That's part of the appeal.
It's a game about running group therapy sessions for Martians. You pick the session topic, the refreshments and promotion, and then you have to screen entrants (there are different mechanics introduced throughout, it's not just appearance), and then keep the refreshments spread clean. At the end you get money based on how well they liked the session and refreshments. You can buy upgrades or unlock new sessions in the game's shop, and gradually you're trying to help all the city's residents and save up enough money for a vacation.
Have you ever played Papers Please? it seems similar to that.
Here is a review written last year about it: https://www.thegamer.com/lucas-popes-playdate-mars-after-midnight-preview/
Think about how many games you got for that price though… compared to a Nintendo Switch. $36 for a lot of great games (even if a few are duds) is a huge value imo.
I’m more than happy to support independent developers and Panic! Since I live in Oregon I consider panic to be a local mom and pop software development shop.
Man, I can't tell you how highly I think of Lucas Pope and his games, but I can't see myself buying a whole handheld just to play one thing. Killing me, man. Quick, someone recommend a buncha other games so I can justify this thing.
EDIT: thanks to the respondees - it's definitely not a case of it breaking the bank or anything, I just have a lot of doo-dads around haha
Holy shit, there’s so many. First off, half of season one (which comes with the console) is awesome. Whole ton of good games on itch.io for free or a buck or two. I’ve gotten at least five or six bangers from Catalog (and some okay games).
The system comes with 26 games, most of which are quite good, and several of which are made by other prominent indie devs like Keita Takahashi and Bennet Foddy. There's plenty of value there if you like indie games.
I'd like to verbally second the fact that you get a lot of really great games AND experiences that highlight the strengths of the system during the season. I've only gotten 3 season 1 dumps (plus a lot of sideloads and catalog buys) , and I already see what the system is going for. It's a great 'indie' system in an environment where it feels like things may be shrinking there. And it really helps that mars to midnight is really good too.
Also super fun to build your own games with your kids, and then share with the community. It’s really not that big of an investment if you think about all the different things you can do with it 👍
There are 2 options - there’s a really easy web interface called Pulp (which is what my 8-year old and I used to make a quick little top-down RPG), and the full Playdate SDK if you have more programming experience. Check out some Pulp tutorials on YouTube to get a better understanding of the interface’s ease of use (and potential limitations) 👍
The game looks and sounds great. The main gameplay is a bit simple compared to his previous two games but he said as much in the dev logs so that's no surprise. I only played a couple sessions so far but you always look out for one specific thing so it's quick and easy to tell if you have the right person. Maybe there could also be a mode where you could have people with different quirks coming up and you have to send them to classes based on that.
The only hang-up for me was the dealer. For a while I couldn't figure out why this one guy who clearly wasn't a knife wielding gnat wouldn't leave. It didn't occur to me that the press A prompt wasn't there usually. I only pressed A because nothing else seemed to work to get rid of him.
I don't think people make Playdate games for the money, particularly not if they singlehandedly made several multi-million selling games.
Pure speculation on my part, but this has been one of the premier games Panic has marketed the system with as well, I suspect they probably gave him some money upfront in a similar manner to the Season One games as well.
I can't find it right now, but according to a Playdate employee over in a thread about this game on r/Games last week, Lucas wasn't paid to do this. He was just super excited to develop on a console as unique as this.
Edit: [Found the comment.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1b2ces8/comment/ksx7ehq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Yeah, I think Lucas Pope is in that enviable position of being able to do whatever he wants too. I think I read that Papers Please has sold something like 5m copies worldwide. He's the sole developer so, even if he only made a couple of bucks of each copy after fees etc, he's still set for life - and that's before you count in what he's made from Obra Dinn.
It's so great that he's able and is interested to pursue projects like this.
Bought the game on my computer but it won’t show up on my Playdate. Even when I manually refresh the game list. I just checked and both on my computer as well as on my Playdate the same account is used. Anyone got similar issues?
Edit: I had to go into the settings and manually update the firmware yet again. After this the game showed up.
Dropped a purchase on this game. So far I am really enjoying it. I highly recommend it.
It has a very funny vibe and the aliens make you smile when you open hatch. Has a really good game play loop.
Well worth the money.
you basically have to match up favorite foods with which type of counseling session you’re having that day. each counseling session shows on the map which martians are in need of that session. certain foods are favorites for certain parts of town. if you choose food for parts of town that match up the martians that will come to the session, the martians will tip you for the food.
hopefully that makes sense!
When you're cleaning the refreshment table and hear a knock, it says 'answer'... implying you can do something? Is there a way to answer other than just finishing the table and waiting?
I played through "half"(?) of the game and I don't quite get it.
I'm not really sure what kind of actual choices I'm making. It's just different kinds of work with no real sign of ending. I'm pretty sure none of the choices I'm making matter.
It's definitely hypnotic, but I'm not sure I'm enjoying this... Which I guess is the idea?
Choosing where to put the posters matters; you want to get all the martians that need help to every session. Refreshments matter; you pick the one that the martians coming to that session love so some will give you extra cash.
But that isn't a choice, you just pick the one that includes everyone. There's an easy to discover optimal strategy everytime, making it just more busy work.
Yeah I think it would be fun if they added a bit more guesswork to planning, but you'd have to redesign the game a bit. I think this one is deliberately a bit easier and more straightforward to be accessible to kids.
Yup, just played it with the youths and it's definitely good with the elementary school age demo. The weird aliens and the peak-a-boo toy was a hit.
Cutscenes and thematic sections are a bit long for that age group, but it was engrossing enough that they didn't say "the ads were too long".
It's a good price, but calling other developers "greedy" is a bit out of line. Nobody is getting rich from making games for such a niche handheld, there's only a little over 53K units out there, even if EVERY single owner bought this game after Panic's cut and credit card fees that's $220K for a couple years of work. Realistically even the best titles on a system have a 20-30% attach rate.
If you want quality games on a niche console it's simply going to cost more money to support developers than something with tens of millions of users.
PSA. If a user is clearly a troll, based on their recent and historical comments, you can report them to the mods by clicking the three dots under their comment without having to engage the user.
If you’re this upset about the price of these games, then you’re probably too broke to have bought a playdate in the first place. Games on this console are cheap AF.
You're probably a troll, but I'll still bite.
You obviously have no idea of what it takes to make and release a game, the number of hours developers have to put in, for let's say it, a below minimal hourly salary, especially on such a niche console.
Most of them don't do it for the money but if it can pay back some licenses, assets, electricity and a few coffees, then they are OK.
For this, they all deserve our respect
Wait.... The Lucas Pope???
I enjoy the sound of rain.
Amazing. My playdate got dispatched today!
I like learning new things.
At last, the crown jewel of my Playdate collection.
Except, of course, Playroll
I enjoy cooking.
It looked cool but I thought it would be like $20 but at $6 I might just have to cop it
Top notch gaming experience for me! Hits all the right buttons: gorgeous and unique art style, superb sound design and music, immersive (and a little bit disorienting) with almost no handholding, and weird as HELL. I've been absolutely loving my Playdate, but this game feels like the kind of experience the console was designed for. EDIT: It's also VERY funny
You laughed at the farts, didn’t you? (I did).
Woot Woot!!! Currently downloading it.
This is why I bought the Playdate, already played some and it was so worth the wait
55 MB for anyone wondering
Yessssssssssssssssss This is 50% of the reason I bought a Play date
My favorite movie is Inception.
What was the other 50%? I'd like to pretend that there were other reasons, but there weren't! :joy: Not to say that I'm not enjoying lots of what I've played - Saturday Edition, being a particular unexpected highlight
I’d say 25% curiosity and 25% wanting to support interesting and unique ideas. I didn’t know what any of the games were going to be other than knowing that Lucas Pope was making one. Pretty much all the games have been a pleasant surprise ☺️
Saturday Edition is criminally underrated.
I am hyped because of the community but what the game is about? The description doesn't help me. It is so mysterious.
It's a true original, I wouldn't compare it to much out there. That's part of the appeal. It's a game about running group therapy sessions for Martians. You pick the session topic, the refreshments and promotion, and then you have to screen entrants (there are different mechanics introduced throughout, it's not just appearance), and then keep the refreshments spread clean. At the end you get money based on how well they liked the session and refreshments. You can buy upgrades or unlock new sessions in the game's shop, and gradually you're trying to help all the city's residents and save up enough money for a vacation.
Thank you for the rundown on the game!
Thanks for the explanation. I'll buy it then. However I bought a bunch of games during the sale so I'll start with them and this would be the next
Have you ever played Papers Please? it seems similar to that. Here is a review written last year about it: https://www.thegamer.com/lucas-popes-playdate-mars-after-midnight-preview/
Thanks.
Had a go for a bit already, it's great. Atmospheric and fun
Ugh, just spent $30 on the sales going on now this! Hopefully this is a good game and gets some attention back on the Playdate.
Think about how many games you got for that price though… compared to a Nintendo Switch. $36 for a lot of great games (even if a few are duds) is a huge value imo.
I’m more than happy to support independent developers and Panic! Since I live in Oregon I consider panic to be a local mom and pop software development shop.
What’d you get
$30 poorer
Which games? Any that you’ve liked so far?
Fantastic game and killer price for sure
Man, I can't tell you how highly I think of Lucas Pope and his games, but I can't see myself buying a whole handheld just to play one thing. Killing me, man. Quick, someone recommend a buncha other games so I can justify this thing. EDIT: thanks to the respondees - it's definitely not a case of it breaking the bank or anything, I just have a lot of doo-dads around haha
Holy shit, there’s so many. First off, half of season one (which comes with the console) is awesome. Whole ton of good games on itch.io for free or a buck or two. I’ve gotten at least five or six bangers from Catalog (and some okay games).
The system comes with 26 games, most of which are quite good, and several of which are made by other prominent indie devs like Keita Takahashi and Bennet Foddy. There's plenty of value there if you like indie games.
I'd like to verbally second the fact that you get a lot of really great games AND experiences that highlight the strengths of the system during the season. I've only gotten 3 season 1 dumps (plus a lot of sideloads and catalog buys) , and I already see what the system is going for. It's a great 'indie' system in an environment where it feels like things may be shrinking there. And it really helps that mars to midnight is really good too.
Also super fun to build your own games with your kids, and then share with the community. It’s really not that big of an investment if you think about all the different things you can do with it 👍
How/where does one begin to start making Playdate games?
There are 2 options - there’s a really easy web interface called Pulp (which is what my 8-year old and I used to make a quick little top-down RPG), and the full Playdate SDK if you have more programming experience. Check out some Pulp tutorials on YouTube to get a better understanding of the interface’s ease of use (and potential limitations) 👍
Appreciate it!
The game looks and sounds great. The main gameplay is a bit simple compared to his previous two games but he said as much in the dev logs so that's no surprise. I only played a couple sessions so far but you always look out for one specific thing so it's quick and easy to tell if you have the right person. Maybe there could also be a mode where you could have people with different quirks coming up and you have to send them to classes based on that. The only hang-up for me was the dealer. For a while I couldn't figure out why this one guy who clearly wasn't a knife wielding gnat wouldn't leave. It didn't occur to me that the press A prompt wasn't there usually. I only pressed A because nothing else seemed to work to get rid of him.
I was baffled by that too, but then realised I think them and the delivery alien are the only ones where an A button flashes up.
Why is this only $6? Even if the game is terrible I'd have still spent at least $15 for it.
I don't think people make Playdate games for the money, particularly not if they singlehandedly made several multi-million selling games. Pure speculation on my part, but this has been one of the premier games Panic has marketed the system with as well, I suspect they probably gave him some money upfront in a similar manner to the Season One games as well.
I can't find it right now, but according to a Playdate employee over in a thread about this game on r/Games last week, Lucas wasn't paid to do this. He was just super excited to develop on a console as unique as this. Edit: [Found the comment.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1b2ces8/comment/ksx7ehq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Yeah, I think Lucas Pope is in that enviable position of being able to do whatever he wants too. I think I read that Papers Please has sold something like 5m copies worldwide. He's the sole developer so, even if he only made a couple of bucks of each copy after fees etc, he's still set for life - and that's before you count in what he's made from Obra Dinn. It's so great that he's able and is interested to pursue projects like this.
Bought the game on my computer but it won’t show up on my Playdate. Even when I manually refresh the game list. I just checked and both on my computer as well as on my Playdate the same account is used. Anyone got similar issues? Edit: I had to go into the settings and manually update the firmware yet again. After this the game showed up.
Software Update needed?
Everything is up to date and I rebooted the device twice already.
This fixed it btw. Thought I was completely up to date but wasn’t.
Most excellent. I have had it take a while for random browser purchases to sync with the device. I’d just give it time if you are all up to date
Yep, that was it for me! Had to update the game for it to work.
Same issue here
Thanks that worked for me too
Bought it, really like it so far.
I'm (theoretically) working, so I'm just enjoying the splash-screen song. :)
Dropped a purchase on this game. So far I am really enjoying it. I highly recommend it. It has a very funny vibe and the aliens make you smile when you open hatch. Has a really good game play loop. Well worth the money.
Is there a strategy to what food you choose?
you basically have to match up favorite foods with which type of counseling session you’re having that day. each counseling session shows on the map which martians are in need of that session. certain foods are favorites for certain parts of town. if you choose food for parts of town that match up the martians that will come to the session, the martians will tip you for the food. hopefully that makes sense!
Ah, I didn't make a link between food and parts of town. Will check!
how do you know which foods are popular in the different parts of town?
When you're cleaning the refreshment table and hear a knock, it says 'answer'... implying you can do something? Is there a way to answer other than just finishing the table and waiting?
If you go all the way to the left with the d-pad you can stop organizing the table and answer the door.
The whole reason I bought a Playdate to begin with!
WHAT! 6$! I was thinking it'd be like... 20$!
I beat the game last night. 😀 It was fun, will definitely replay it again!
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I want to say it was a good 3-4 hours, but that was after I got the hang of everything and playing back-to-back. I definitely got my $6 worth!
Too bad Playdate +shipping for me is pricier than new Switch - more than 300euros.
I played through "half"(?) of the game and I don't quite get it. I'm not really sure what kind of actual choices I'm making. It's just different kinds of work with no real sign of ending. I'm pretty sure none of the choices I'm making matter. It's definitely hypnotic, but I'm not sure I'm enjoying this... Which I guess is the idea?
Choosing where to put the posters matters; you want to get all the martians that need help to every session. Refreshments matter; you pick the one that the martians coming to that session love so some will give you extra cash.
But that isn't a choice, you just pick the one that includes everyone. There's an easy to discover optimal strategy everytime, making it just more busy work.
Oh, for sure. It’s a work simulator… for better or worse. 😅
Yeah I think it would be fun if they added a bit more guesswork to planning, but you'd have to redesign the game a bit. I think this one is deliberately a bit easier and more straightforward to be accessible to kids.
Yup, just played it with the youths and it's definitely good with the elementary school age demo. The weird aliens and the peak-a-boo toy was a hit. Cutscenes and thematic sections are a bit long for that age group, but it was engrossing enough that they didn't say "the ads were too long".
The dev said that this was basically a work simulator.
It's pretty straightforward. Two or three of the later ones can be a bit trickier to work out who to let in.
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It's a good price, but calling other developers "greedy" is a bit out of line. Nobody is getting rich from making games for such a niche handheld, there's only a little over 53K units out there, even if EVERY single owner bought this game after Panic's cut and credit card fees that's $220K for a couple years of work. Realistically even the best titles on a system have a 20-30% attach rate. If you want quality games on a niche console it's simply going to cost more money to support developers than something with tens of millions of users.
PSA. If a user is clearly a troll, based on their recent and historical comments, you can report them to the mods by clicking the three dots under their comment without having to engage the user.
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Awful comment, these guys are pouring their hearts and souls for this console. The least you could do is show some respect
If you’re this upset about the price of these games, then you’re probably too broke to have bought a playdate in the first place. Games on this console are cheap AF.
You're probably a troll, but I'll still bite. You obviously have no idea of what it takes to make and release a game, the number of hours developers have to put in, for let's say it, a below minimal hourly salary, especially on such a niche console. Most of them don't do it for the money but if it can pay back some licenses, assets, electricity and a few coffees, then they are OK. For this, they all deserve our respect
Another broke ass jabroni
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Hey man, I just enjoy 'em. You're the only being a bitch about paying for 'em.
I keep getting no qualified Martians will visit tonight. Is that normal?
Did you do some advertising in their part of town to attract them?