Dig Dig Dino (Playdate)

I recently heard about the Playdate after hearing that the developer of FTL and Into the Breach would be making a title exclusive to the system. Being a lover of games, technology, and whimsy, I had my soon-to-be wife order one for my birthday (along with the amazing pizza dust cover). The timing worked out great, as the Playdate's "Season 2" was set to begin the day after my birthday this year. This game, Dig Dig Dino was in the first set of games for Season 2 - which release in pairs on a weekly basis. While it wasn't the first game I played upon receiving my Playdate, it certainly hooked me more than others. Simply put, Dig Dig Dino tasks you with unearthing dino bones and artifacts across three stages with several different tools at your disposal. If you remember the fossil minigame from the DS Pokemon entries, then you have a basic idea of the gameplay. While simple, the gameplay loop and sounds are addicting, and had me fiending to unlock all the upgrades and dinosaur bones. It only took a few hours to complete the main objective, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. While I can't recommend buying the Playdate device for this game alone, it is certainly a feather in the cap of what feels like a modern Gameboy.

Play it for the:

Addicting digging gameplay
Addicting sound design
Cute and quirky story with a twist ending

Reviewed on 2025-6-2