Casual Birder felt very much like a bite-sized version of the classic 2D Zeldas. With its top-down view, absurdist town plagued by a gang of bad apples who take birding way too seriously, slapstick humor, and meta references, the game truly is a love letter to OG adventure games as much as it is a love letter to birds. The picture-taking mechanic is definitely one of the most fleshed out features I’ve seen thus far for the console. And one that I actually enjoyed engaging in. I’m excited to think how they can add to it in a potential sequel, which I hope we’ll see someday.

Of course, some obnoxious design choices like the dark cave section keep me from declaring the game as flawless in its execution, and a couple of the birds are way too hard to photograph. For good and for bad (but mostly good), Casual Birder is quite the dead ringer to games like Link to the Past and Earthbound. Suffice it to say I can see why it is one of the most beloved of all the seasonal releases. And ironically enough, it needing to be short and succinct on account of being a Playdate entry actually allows it to reach it’s highest highs much quicker than most games, without overstaying its welcome a second too long.

The second of the Playdate's first week of games, Casual Birder is a more traditional adventure game, set in a small town entirely comprised of incredibly passionate bird watchers. You travel around town with your camera phone, attempting to take pictures of all the available birds while going up against the local gang. The humor of this game is its high point, as it embraces slightly absurd situations in mundane environments, giving it strong EarthBound vibes. The writing is pretty witty, and there are a few legitimate laugh out loud moments. It did take a little bit before it gained my attention though, and I think the biggest fault with the game is the photography aspect itself. You use the D-pad to move the viewfinder across the screen and the crank to focus, but it always felt a bit clunky to me, and there are a number of birds that move quickly across the screen, which makes capturing their image an exercise in frustration. Unlike Whitewater Wipeout, there's an hour or two of content here, as well as an actual ending, although it's definitely a lot less exciting from moment to moment. Together though, these two pair well as the first two giveaway games, and I'm eager to try out more.