As a 90s kid, I distinctly remember the joy of physical ‘gadgets’. Handheld toys, trinkets and tools – both digital and analogue seemed so common back then. The feeling of the material in my hands; the creak of its frame, the resistance of its buttons, the weight of its corners or curves. Metronome, Tamagotchi, Battleship, Digivice, pagers. Within each was a whole world. It seemed they could show anything, be anything, do anything.
So it’s with great excitement to see one game picking up the mantle from these lost treasures. In Retro Gadgets from Studio Evil and Evil Licorice, players can create their own gadgets from scratch – creating their own circuitboards, layouts, logic – even applying the little touches such as stickers that make these devices feel so personal. The game is in Early Access, and is now joined by its own spinoff that brings gadgets to the hands of all, for free.
Acorn Games is pleased to present the Retro Gadgets Playground, a free game accessible via Steam or simply a web browser. In the Playground, anyone can access the whole library of user-created gadgets within the full game and use them just like any other application on your computer.
- Discover a world of desktop companions, creative tools and mini games.
- Run any gadget just like a real application.
- Pin, resize or set gadgets to load at startup.
This exciting innovation comes together with the news that the Retro Gadgets Story Mode, which acts as an introduction for first-time gadgeteers, will be coming to the Early Access in the near future, with more details to follow. Story Mode teaches the basics of gadget crafting, against the backdrop of a novel short story.
Retro Gadgets Playground will come to Steam on September 18th