Ware-wolf Campfire Stories

It’s possible that Ware-wolf Campfire Stories is the biggest Playdate community collaboration of all time (the annual Community Awards and Advent Calendars are probably the only things that come close). Backstory: Pine is a multi-act mystery game that came out on Itch, but there wasn’t a way to get it on Catalog as one .pdx file because it was basically three separate games. So Shaun Inman of Panic added a Switcher to Pulp, allowing it to act as a sort of “change disc” option like how it worked on the PS1 and Sega Saturn. What this means is that multiple people can now make Pulp games that are all merged into one launcher, and that inspired Ledbetter Games to make a sort of game jam just in time for Halloween 2025.

Over the course of about 10 days in October, 15 teams of developers came together and each made a game that would be a spooky story told around a campfire. Ledbetter combined these all into one big game, and Ware-wolf Campfire Stories was born. Released just in time for Halloween 2025, there are a lot of very different experiences here, from an all-star list of Playdate developers! Here’s a complete list of the credits, and – if you don’t mind being spoiled a little bit – I’ll put a few words about each of the games below.

You can earn candy in many of the games that acts as a sort of overall high score, and each game has a “win” or “loss” state that affects what happens to the campers around the campfire. Since it’s all made in Pulp, the full file size is only about 2.2 MB, so there should be plenty of room on even the most packed Playdate’s hard drive. Each of the games has something new to offer, and the overall quality and Halloween vibes are immaculate. There are even secrets to discover that will be revealed in the coming days. It’s just a really cool project, released into the world for free, by a group of devs that care more about what they do than maybe any community I’ve ever been a part of.

Thanks, Ledbetter, and everyone else that made this happen!

Now, if you don’t mind getting spoiled, let’s look into each of the games a little bit! If you want to go in fresh, now’s a good time to duck out to play it for yourself, but maybe I’ll help you find a favorite that you can search for first (even though the order that the campers will tell their stories is random, you can re-play them as much as you want after the first time!).

Here we go!

The Devil’s Preference - It’s a game of choices. Make the brave choice to succeed, but make the cowardly choice and the Devil will punish you. You have ten seconds to decide your own destiny.

Candy Catch - Catch the candy that falls from the top of the screen, but avoid the evil things (skulls, poop, etc.). Catch 10 candies before losing all your hearts to win. Can be controlled with the crank or the D-pad.

Love and Hate - Reminds me of old DOS shareware game God of Thunder, except you play as a priest that’s using love to get rid of ghosts. I died quickly and needed another chance! Tough one, but good action.

A Night to Behold - Undertale-inspired RPG with involved, first-person combat. Like Undertale, can die very quickly in even simple battles if you don’t pay attention! Have to dodge spike attacks and hit your attacks with precise timing. Luckily, there is enough MP and potions available to get you to the end, even if you don’t perform flawlessly.

Spirit Game - Kind of a game of Tag. You’re a small fairy dodging ghosts that freeze when you look directly at them a la Pac-Man, so you have to lock your gaze in a certain direction to scoot around them. Collect candy while avoiding ghosts and exploring the forest. Interesting control scheme I haven’t seen used before! Allows you to strafe with a very limited number of buttons.

All Is Whale - Swallowed by a whale, you have less than 200 seconds to escape! It’s a sort of Monkey Island-type of puzzle game, where you’ll need to find, use, and combine objects scattered around the environment to find a way out. Really liked the condensed storytelling and puzzle mechanics of this one.

Spirit of the Law - Haunted house adventure mystery. Great ambiance and vibes but I could NOT figure out how to get the item needed to get past the first real obstacle. Hint: sometimes you have to push “down” to interact with things and not just “up!” Eventually got through it and was treated to a great ending that went nowhere I expected. Then realized there was a little randomness and I had to pay attention! You’ll see what I mean. You might like this one if you liked Season One’s Saturday Edition.

Antigonish - Almost a visual poem, you’re wandering a house that is deteriorating before your eyes, finding/using items to proceed while being pursued by… something. Possibly inspired by Sophocles’ play Antigone, which is about the rule of man vs. the rule of the gods, and to which do we owe our allegiance? Is this what happens when you’re not given a proper burial? Perhaps. Great art, lighting, and wiggly text to add suspense to every moment.

Otherworldly Effigy - This is a full-on turn-based RPG set in a spooky house. Kind of felt like Earthbound? Random battles, leveling up, equipment, secrets, the whole shebang. Reminded me of when you get to the Dragon Warrior game in Retro Game Challenge - it just completely takes over the whole show for a while. Could easily be expanded into a full Playdate Catalog release! Over 30 minutes long, much more expansive than most of the other games on here. Reminiscent of Pulpergeist or The Keyper.

Witch Ware - It’s a side-scrolling shooter where you play as a witch, similar to Keio Flying Squadron or Cotton. Fun, but one hit and it’s over! Tells bits of story in between each wave of enemies, and each random wave has slightly different goals/mechanics.

The Exhumer - Dig up graves to solve the mystery of an old curse! Lots of items to find that interact with the world in interesting ways, and will challenge your mind a little, too. Did I stumble on the correct answer accidentally? … maybe. Still had a good time, great vibes.

A Bump in the Night - You play as Bat Boy and try to find haunted candy in the dark. You can see the room before the lights go out and use your echolocation to help locate it before you yourself are caught. A bit like Goodnight Universe, Orange Thief’s audio-only satellite-locating game? You can try to find more candy at once but with greater risks; balance it wisely!

Panic! at the Patch - Straightforward and simple arcade play on this one, you’re a small pumpkin dodging around the pumpkin patch, grabbing candy while ghosts fly toward you from each side. Grab ten randomly appearing candies before a ghost gets you! Would be a great Mario Party minigame, especially if you could add a few friends into the pumpkin patch.

As Dead as a Doris - It’s a murder mystery set in a nursing home during Halloween! What happened to Doris? You have ten minutes (the clock stops when you’re reading, thankfully) to solve the mystery of who did it, with what murder weapon, and why. This entails you traveling between a handful of screens, giving the residents what they need to open up to you, and putting some pieces together. Adorable and fun, like all Pixel Ghost games.

And that’s the lot! Which was your favorite? I think everyone that made something for the collaboration has their own games available or soon-to-be available, so find one (or more) developers that you vibe with and check out their other games! (Credits and links are listed on the game page.) One more huge thanks to Ledbetter for putting this all together, and for sending me a copy a day early so I could get this story written and up by the spookiest day of the year.

Happy Halloween, Playdate lovers!

(Released October 30, 2025, for free on Itch.)