Fulcrum Defender, Dig! Dig! Dino! and Blippo+

[ad_1] Playdate Season Two is right here, bringing with it two new video games for the quirky yellow handheld each week till July 3. And if the primary two titles are any indication of what this season shall be like, it is certain to be an excellent one. Season Two kicked off on Could 29 with the arcade motion sport Fulcrum Defender — from the studio behind FTL: Quicker Than Gentle and Into the Breach — and the delightfully chill Dig! Dig! Dino!. The 2 video games could not be extra completely different from one another, however they're each bangers in their very own proper.

Panic additionally launched Blippo+, which may solely be described as a fever dream of cable TV, with the primary drop of Season Two, and it's amazingly weird.

Fulcrum Defender <img class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width" alt="A still from the Playdate game Fulcrum Defender showing a white circular arena at the center of a black screen, with several small enemy circles closing in on a turret in the middle" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kBTVtosoLGQFAIYs8RrJ.g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3NQ--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/ab9c3aa0-3e25-11f0-b9df-f9b125cf8573" height="575" width="960"/><img alt="A still from the Playdate game Fulcrum Defender showing a white circular arena at the center of a black screen, with several small enemy circles closing in on a turret in the middle" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kBTVtosoLGQFAIYs8RrJ.g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3NQ--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/ab9c3aa0-3e25-11f0-b9df-f9b125cf8573" height="575" width="960" class="caas-img has-width"/> Subset Video games

"Survive for 10min!" sounded nearly like a risk once I first began studying by means of Fulcrum Defender's How To Play information. Between all of the on-screen info you have to take note of, the various various kinds of enemies that'll be attacking and the varied weapon upgrades you may earn over the course of a run, there's lots to soak up, and I braced myself for a tense and complex enjoying expertise. However, whereas which may be nearer to the case on Laborious Mode, I discovered that Fulcrum Defender wasn't all that punishing of a shooter on Regular Mode. It is a problem, for certain, however one with a surprisingly achievable purpose that I used to be in a position to take pleasure in with out dropping my thoughts. No less than, not till crossing the 10-minute mark. After that, all hell breaks unfastened.

In Fulcrum Defender, you are positioned on the heart of a round area and need to fend off a steady swarm of enemies. Your defend will take harm any time an enemy collides with it, and as soon as sufficient have breached that zone, it is sport over. To keep away from that, you have to shoot them down one after the other, utilizing the crank to purpose your weapon and the D-pad to shoot. Some enemies may be taken out in a single shot, however others — distinguished by their filled-in look — require a number of photographs. Over time, you may earn weapon upgrades to construct out a extra highly effective protection system, with choices like massive, guided projectiles and a flail that may knock out a number of enemies in a single sweep.

It is unexpectedly addicting. The music is gorgeous and calming, giving the entire thing a nice ambiance even though you are surrounded by enemies at any given second and attempting to not die. As soon as I spotted it was completely doable to outlive 10 minutes and even transcend that, I bought sucked into the loop of attempting again and again to beat my excessive scores. I would like to see a worldwide leaderboard for this sport in some unspecified time in the future, as a result of I simply know I would be floored by how lengthy some gamers will be capable of final.

If you happen to appreciated this one and need to know slightly extra in regards to the making of it, make sure you try our interview with Jay Ma, the co-founder of Fulcrum Defender developer Subset Video games.

Dig! Dig! Dino! <img class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width" alt="A still from the Playdate game Dig! Dig! Dino! showing a dig site with grids where a skull and other artifacts have been unearthed. A smiling fox is pictured at the bottom right of the screen" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tnWeT02XT....Yz6PZLAHg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Mw--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/db049cb0-3e25-11f0-badd-e4a988ee3e5a" height="573" width="960"/><img alt="A still from the Playdate game Dig! Dig! Dino! showing a dig site with grids where a skull and other artifacts have been unearthed. A smiling fox is pictured at the bottom right of the screen" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tnWeT02XT....Yz6PZLAHg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Mw--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/db049cb0-3e25-11f0-badd-e4a988ee3e5a" height="573" width="960" class="caas-img has-width"/> Dom2D & Fáyer

I can not consider something I would quite be doing proper now than pretending to be a paleontologist and casually digging for bones. No ideas, simply dig. That is precisely what Dig! Dig! Dino! has occurring, and it is superior.

You are working as a part of a crew (made up fully of anthropomorphic animals) on the web site of some actually uncommon dinosaur fossils, and it is your job to dig up new bones and artifacts. As soon as you have bought the complete skeleton of a specific dinosaur, you may scan it within the lab to disclose what it was like when it was alive. That info, coupled with the peculiar artifacts scattered across the web site, paints an image of some fairly unusual actions that went on there way back. For instance, a few of these dinosaurs appear to have had crystals rising out of their our bodies, and it appears like they have been warned in regards to the asteroid extinction occasion. Fishy!

The gameplay is extraordinarily low stakes — that is one for whenever you simply need to zone out enjoying one thing that'll maintain your fingers busy. You are geared up with a shovel, a drill and a radar gadget for detecting gadgets beneath the floor, and haven't any time-sensitive targets to hit. You solely have a lot vitality, although, which shall be consumed with every use of your instruments. If you run out, the spherical is over. However you may go to every web site as many occasions as you have to with a purpose to discover all the dinosaur items hidden there, so it may be a very informal enterprise in order for you it to be.

It is a very nice time, with a enjoyable story to tie all of it collectively. You will get a stable few hours of playtime out of this, too, and the simplicity of all of it means you may put it down and are available again to it later with out having to rack your reminiscence to determine the place you left off. I cherished this one.

Blippo+ <img class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width" alt="A still from Blippo+ which mimicks a TV guide screen, showing a scrolling list of channels and their current programs, with a smiling woman who has a retro hairstyle at the top" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/whNAh_JIletqOmgtZDclqQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/0acafd40-3e26-11f0-bf56-6df19dbb5296" height="576" width="960"/><img alt="A still from Blippo+ which mimicks a TV guide screen, showing a scrolling list of channels and their current programs, with a smiling woman who has a retro hairstyle at the top" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/whNAh_JIletqOmgtZDclqQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/0acafd40-3e26-11f0-bf56-6df19dbb5296" height="576" width="960" class="caas-img has-width"/> Panic

What can one even say about Blippo+? This weird "1-bit tv" expertise got here as a bonus with the primary Season Two video games, and it's one thing. Panic first teased it again in December 2024 as a Steam title, however right here it's for the Playdate now, full with a roster of channels enjoying hallucinatory packages and Femtofax, an interactive message board of types the place you'll find affirmations, neighborhood drama, chatter amongst newbie astronomers and extra. Panic describes it as being "similar to an previous episode of The Twilight Zone," however it's extra like an previous episode of The Twilight Zone if it have been made by Tim & Eric and aired after midnight on Grownup Swim. I believe I'm obsessive about it?

I am actually to see the place this goes. It will maintain getting new content material alongside the remainder of the Season Two releases, with new episodes each week for 12 weeks. I might completely park my Playdate in a dock (however not the Stereo Dock 3) on my desk and go away Blippo+ operating within the background all day if it has sufficient recent materials to maintain it. The track enjoying alongside the endlessly scrolling Blippo+ TV information display screen is already caught in my head, and I do not hate it. This system information with this week's schedule is on-line, should you're inquisitive about what is going on on proper now.