The best playdate games for 2025
has received a lot of praise from Playdate owners, and it’s easy to see why. The art is beautiful, the story feels personal, and the soundtrack is just the thing to lull you into a relaxed state. But Bloom is also strange in that it doesn’t feel like it quite It’s reminiscent of a game in its narrative presentation, but it doesn’t exactly feel like a visual novel either.
Bloom usually takes place via text messages and corresponds to real time. You play from the perspective of Midori, who decided not to go to college (without her parents knowing) and instead opens a flower shop. As she chats with her family, girlfriend, friends, and other characters, read along and choose her answers. There’s also a simple gardening element – where you buy and plant seeds, water them and harvest them to earn some money – and an arcade-style mini-game.
Bloom is the kind of thing that you check a few times a day until you get to the end, which can take several weeks. There’s not much to it in terms of gameplay, but there’s something very satisfying about the way you use the crank to change floors and move from Midori’s apartment to the roof of her garden. It probably won’t be for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you like social sims.
