Ratcheteer DX Review – Review

I don’t own a Playdate, the charming, pocket-fitting handheld with a crank on the side, but every year it’s been at PAX West, I’ve taken a good long look at it; there’s a definite yearning. Season 1 of Playdate saw 24 handcrafted titles come to the miniature platform, and among them was Ratcheteer, a pint-sized Zelda-like. The DX version marks the game’s move to Switch and Steam, and while it’s not the first Playdate title to make that leap, it is one that’s a solid action-adventure in its own right.

The hero awakes in Mechanic Town to find the power shut off, which sets up one the game’s primary challenges: leaving you literally in the dark, with only a lantern to light your way. Shortly after you find a wrench that plays the role of sword surrogate and you’re off on a mission to rescue the town’s Master Mechanic. A central feature of the town is an engineer working on restoring a mech suit, and so another primary goal involves recovering spare parts and an ever-increasing amount of ore to fulfill that endeavor. There’s also an underlying story about aliens named Astrals and an entire language of theirs that you gradually piece together in the same way that you learn Al Bhed in Final Fantasy X.

The gameplay loop involves moving to different areas–many of which are underground like the starting town–and exploring those spaces to find any regional inhabitants and the requisite dungeon. The dungeons are fairly well designed aside from a frustrating one involving ghosts that move with every step you take. Chests are noted on the map and generally contain pieces of ore or heart fragments: collecting two of these increases your life meter. One element you struggle against is the darkness of these subterranean spaces as subtle visual clues can indicate a secret that needs to be uncovered for you to progress; another troublesome element is the need for backtracking, especially later in the game, but that’s a minor complaint considering the size of Ratcheteer’s world.

The unique boss encounters and the interesting abilities that you acquire on the journey were a pleasant surprise. Certain bosses require that you make deliberate use of your lantern’s beam of light or the float and stomp moves that your jump boots unlock. That you frequently open a chest only to find 10, 25, or 50 pieces of ore was a bit disappointing given the lack of ways to spend it, essentially a choice between purchasing life-restoring rations or funding the mech suit repair. On the plus side, you’ll also collect Astral Runes along the way that allow those inclined towards lore to dig in a bit further, while also being used for some puzzles. On the whole, though, there are more positives than negatives, especially if you enjoy the minimalist aesthetic.

It only took a couple sittings to finish the 3 to 5-hour experience, but Ratcheteer DX makes for a good time nearly the whole way through. It’s well paced and introduces new tools regularly, all with two different functions or uses. There are some points of frustration, but none soured the adventure for more than a few minutes. If you enjoyed games like Minit or Master Key, you’ve got no reason not to dive into the underground and become a full-fledged ratcheteer yourself. Bonus points if you choose the pea soup color palette for maximum Game Boy nostalgia.