Playdate Season 2: Game Reviews of ‘The Whiteout’ and ‘Wheelsprung’

Panic is not holding back with Playdate’s second season. After starting off Season Two kicked off on a strong note with Dig! Dig! Dino!, Fulcrum Defender, and the surprise rollout of Blippo+, the team has continued to deliver with another compelling pair of games for week two. The Whiteout  and Wheelsprung are, much like the week one games, polar opposites: a somber, narrative-driven post-apocalyptic adventure and a whimsical dirtbike game featuring realistic (ish) physics.

If you are searching for any common thread between them, I have one for you: squirrels. You will see. (Alright, I may be reaching, but as both a journalist and a wildlife rehabilitator currently raising orphaned squirrels, just let me have this one).

This week also brought an update for the “intergalactic TV service,” Blippo+, and it appears we will be receiving new content for some time to come. The Season Two team noted in an email accompanying the latest drop that “Blippo+ itself is going to update every week for eleven (!) weeks, every Thursday at 10 AM PT [1 PM ET].” Once the updates conclude, there will be reruns, with a countdown for that on week 12, according to the team. Now, let’s delve into the new games.

The Whiteout

Minutes into playing Scenic Route Software’s The Whiteout, I was convinced that this would be another game that would evoke tears. The narrative tone is heavy, the atmosphere is bleak, and nothing about it suggests that circumstances will improve… ever. It feels hopeless from the outset, yet you must keep trudging along. (If you have ever read The Road, the sentiment should resonate). However, when I finally reached the end, I was not in tears — I was utterly speechless, in a “mouth hanging open, empty inside” kind of way. It is stunning.

The Whiteout is narrative-driven, set in a desolate post-apocalyptic version of the United States where a snowstorm began one spring and never ceased. The events unfold in current times — the onset of the snow occurred in spring 2025 — lending it an eerie, close-to-home quality. Everything about it feels like something that could happen. As you navigate through its five chapters, the story unfolds through the playable character’s reflections on the past and present. It is beautifully written, featuring numerous poignant moments that felt genuinely heartbreaking.

Despite its heavy themes, the game managed to elicit a few smiles; the character delivers cynical quips, and a nefarious group known as The Woodpeckers is humorously referred to as “the ‘peckers,” which amused me every time. Additionally, the appearance of a squirrel casually hanging out in the background served as a refreshing sign of life amid the desolation. (I wondered while playing if the squirrel was a checkpoint, but I would have to replay to find out for sure.)

The gameplay primarily involves linear exploration, resource gathering, puzzle-solving, and making choices about your next moves. There is minimal action, and you spend most of the game walking at a pace that can be maddening at times. While I would have appreciated the option to speed up even slightly (perhaps a gentle jog?), the slow pace effectively illustrates the difficulty of persevering in such conditions. Backtracking multiple times to gather all necessary resources can be tedious, making the relief upon completing tasks feel genuine. Patience is essential in this game.

I fear some players may abandon this title early due to its pace, and I implore you not to do that. It is worth every minute. It is also advisable to play with headphones, as recommended, to fully immerse yourself in the setting. I stayed up half the night playing and woke early the next morning to finish it, and I am still contemplating the ending I experienced. There are multiple endings according to the creators, so I will likely return for another playthrough once I have had more time to reflect. The Whiteout is undoubtedly the most memorable game of both Playdate seasons to date.

Wheelsprung

So, you played The Whiteout and now you are feeling down. The Playdate team seems to have anticipated this, as the other game released this week with the second installment of Season Two serves as the perfect antidote. Wheelsprung is cute, charming, and delightfully silly. It is also a challenging (and at times frustrating) physics game, but I appreciate a game that can evoke a little frustration.

The art style of Wheelsprung is instantly recognizable as that of Julie Bjørnskov, one of the creators of Escape the Boardgame and Escape the Arcade, which means it is brimming with whimsy. Bjørnskov collaborated with programmer Nino van Hooff on this project. The premise is straightforward: a family with a child who loves nuts — to the extent of scattering them everywhere in joy — has briefly left their home unattended, and you play as a squirrel equipped with an absurdly flexible dirtbike on a mission to collect as many nuts as possible in their absence. There are nearly three dozen levels to complete, each serving as an obstacle course that you must navigate on the two-wheeler. Additionally, there is a level editor feature that allows you to create your own tracks.

The squirrel’s dirtbike resembles a Dr. Seuss contraption, capable of impressive maneuvers. You can lean in either direction using the D-pad to perform a wheelie. Pressing the down arrow instantly turns you to face the opposite direction. However, you must always be mindful of your balance. Even a slight tap of the squirrel’s helmet against an obstacle will result in a run-ending wipeout, as will a full crash. This game challenges you to be extremely creative in traversing complex tracks. There is a leaderboard, and ideally, you want to finish with the fastest time possible, but for several levels, my initial goal was simply to figure out how to reach the end.

I do not want to reveal too many hints about excelling in this game, but I have spent a surprising amount of time driving my bike upside down, dangling from one wheel, or rocking the bike back and forth to inch forward like an inchworm. It is absolutely absurd and a lot of (somewhat rage-inducing) fun.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-2-review-the-whiteout-and-wheelsprung-130014285.html?src=rss