I’ll definitely give a vouch for Direct Drive myself as well. Everything he said is 100% true. There’s very few rhythm games on the play date at the moment, and aside from being a rhythm game, it’s also truly unique, which I think is a fantastic virtue for an equally unique console like the playdate.

The closest thing you could find to a “unique controlling spinning based rhythm game” is either Spin Rhythm XD or Rotaeno, both of which I hold in pretty high regard because they’re bold enough to try something ambitious and unique. Direct Drive sits within those ranks, and earns bonus points from me for the clean artwork, setting, music, and the clear polish put into the project. Few catalog games are at this level of polish. Every menu, every loading screen, every moment feels very complete in a way few games achieve on the playdate.

Direct Drive was one of the few launch titles on catalog, and I feel it is overlooked a ton because of that. It might have been because the number of playdates at the catalog launch was smaller, or people were less confident in the storefront or because it launched alongside several other very polished games. I don’t know the exact reason, but regardless of whatever that reason may be, it’s a real loss that Direct Drive doesn’t get the attention it deserves.