Two Playdate video games about cheese, and spooky campfire tales with a twist

After taking a break from the Playdate following Season Two and the splendidly bizarre expertise that was Blippo+, I lastly dusted off my little yellow console this week and dove again in. And what higher place to start out than with a few video games about cheese? Cheese ‘n Crackers and Say When! each hit the Playdate Catalog not too long ago, however except for the thematic similarity, they’re two very completely different video games. As an additional deal with (unrelated to cheese), I additionally picked up Ware-wolf Campfire Stories, a free recreation on itch.io that is really over a dozen bite-sized video games in a single.

Cheese ‘n Crackers

In terms of snacking, everybody’s obtained their preferences. Some crave a savory blast of umami, whereas for others, a candy deal with could be what all the time hits the spot. Or perhaps you are like me, and if in case you have one, it must be adopted by the opposite. Creating snacks that hit good is what Cheese ‘n Crackers is all about.

On this Playdate recreation, you might have what is basically a neverending charcuterie board with all of the fixins you can think about. There are meats, cheeses, spreads, spices, greens, fruits and numerous sorts of crackers and breads to adorn with these toppings. It’s a must to mix components to make the right snacks for no matter group you are serving that spherical. Every group — just like the Pace Daters or Grandma’s Bridge Membership — has a selected set of tips that will embody favorites, dietary restrictions or aversions to sure tastes.

Whereas pairing components is fairly intuitive, there are particular mixtures that may earn you extra factors, so you will have to concentrate to descriptions of every meals merchandise. Or, you possibly can flip to the Cheese ‘n Crackers Compatibility Spreadsheet for all of that data in a single place. Sure, that exists, and it is an intimidating work of culinary group. Toppings will go unhealthy in the event that they sit out for too lengthy, so you will not need to waste an excessive amount of time scouring the spreadsheet, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a comparatively low-pressure recreation that you would be able to play at your personal tempo. For the extra aggressive amongst us, although, there are leaderboards so you possibly can problem your self with scores to beat.

Say When!

That is the extra intense of our cheese video games, with a Root Bear–like construction that sees you tending to a revolving door of restaurant patrons and making an attempt to grate the right quantity of cheese for his or her meals utilizing the crank. And regardless of being known as Say When!, your prospects (very unhelpfully) is not going to really say “when” to let you recognize you possibly can cease cranking; you must take note of their distinctive tells to know once they’re glad — the twitch of a mustache, a change in facial features, and so forth.

There is a buyer satisfaction meter on the prime of the display screen that may take hits any time you under- or over-serve cheese, or undergo in the event you’re transferring too slowly, and as soon as it is all the way down to the underside, you are fired. After every shift, you will be given the selection to make use of a modifier that may aid you out in areas like buyer satisfaction or getting the boss off your again. To combine issues up, there are additionally mini-games that pop up in the course of your shift. You could be furiously grating cheese after which have to modify gears and save the lifetime of a choking buyer, for instance.

It is fast-paced, it is foolish and it is fairly arduous to place down when you get going.

Ware-wolf Campfire Tales

Whereas the Playdate Catalog has a lot of nice titles to select from, there are many gems not on there which are price testing too. One such instance is Ware-wolf Campfire Stories, a singular package deal of 14 tiny video games that is free on itch.io. It is the results of a collaboration between 15 developer groups — together with the builders of Off-Planet Goals, the Life’s Too Brief sequence, Voidblazers and different common Playdate titles.

Per the outline:

In Ware-wolf Campfire Tales, 5 children are sitting round a fireplace with their counselor telling spoooooky tales! Every story launches a separate recreation that you could be win or lose…. with penalties.

It is a cool format, and there is some good selection among the many video games, which every solely take a couple of minutes to get via for essentially the most half. They’re all the spooky kind, so count on bats, ghosts and skeletons galore. It is a good method to get a style of among the many various recreation kinds you will encounter on the Playdate, and perhaps uncover some builders whose video games you have not but checked out.