Hall of the Dwarf King
Some early Playdate marketing contained a screenshot of a mysterious dungeon crawler made in Pulp. It wasn’t a real game; it was just something that Panic’s Neven Mrgan put together to show off the Playdate’s potential. It led to literal years of people asking, “What is this game?” So Neven eventually hosted a game jam where anyone could make an answer to that question: using only the one screenshot, could you create the game that everyone was wondering about? Three games were submitted, and the one from Ledbetter was expanded upon, turned into a mixed media experience, and is coming to Catalog as a full game. It’s Hall of the Dwarf King.
Described as “a game I would have bugged my parents to play with me” by the creator, HotDK can be played either fully on the Playdate or in collaboration with physical board game pieces that you print and cut out yourself. It’s a D&D-lite type of game, complete with some role-playing, and you’ll continue to unlock more bits in the game as you replay rounds. Playing it on your own with just the Playdate vs. playing it in person with 1-3 other people (ideally with the Playdate’s screen blown up with Mirror) is a totally different adventure. I’ve never had any experience DM-ing a real life D&D campaign, but I can see the appeal! You get to be responsible for these other people having a fun time in a world they might’ve never even known existed. And in this case, you get to show off the Playdate a little bit, too.
In the game, you wake up in the dungeon as one of four classes, and there are two other members in your party fighting alongside you. You fight seven monsters in a row before finally meeting the Dwarf King, and if your bravery is high enough, or you have enough treasure, or you can defeat him in battle, you’ll unlock something to help you on your next run through. There’s no actual dungeon crawling like Under The Tree – instead, it’s more a game meant to be played over and over, gradually meeting all the creatures (not all of which are aggressive towards you) and learning what they need, what their stats are, and how best to get past them to meet the King again. The creator has described it as a dungeon puzzler.
You have spells, and potions, and you aren’t limited to just attacking the creatures, either. Each of the party members has their own special ability that can reduce an enemy’s armor, or make them more amenable to your charms and banter, and you can “cower” from them, too, even if this does reduce your Bravery stat and makes it harder to impress the King at the end. The different creatures react to these actions in different ways, and getting to know them is part of the fun of the game (especially if you’ll be DM-ing for friends!).
The paper version has a free PDF that you can print out and cut into pieces. A big paper cutter is recommended, as is some fancy cardstock paper. It took me about half an hour to use regular old scissors to cut everything out, but it added a lot of silly fun to the game, even when playing it solo. Basically, you randomize the monster, spell, and item cards, then tell the Playdate which one you’ve drawn from the deck. You can use a D6 (six-sided die) to roll for the random numbers, or you can have the Playdate roll for you. You’ll occasionally find new items, spells, or treasure chests just by going through the dungeon, but be careful – it might be a trap! Is it worth the risk?
It was inspired by those old VHS board games from the 90s, and there’s really nothing like it on the Playdate. It reminds me of The Quest for the Rings on the Magnavox Odyssey 2, but if it was MUCH more easily explained and understood. And that one didn’t have Pizza Rat, so Hall of the Dwarf King gets some obvious bonus points for including that superstar.
The free Jam version is still available if you want to try a less fully featured game that still has a lot to love, but the updates and secrets and unlockables and overall better feel of the full version will be worth your time, especially if you are looking for a reason to pull out your Playdate at your next social gathering. Which, come on, who doesn’t want to see a weird little console with a crank on the side?
(Jam version and free PDF released February 24, 2025, on Itch. Full version – reviewed – releasing August 5, 2025, on Catalog. Copy provided by developer. Learn how to host your own game here. Read some more backstory from Ledbetter here.)