Right we are, here’s Mega Dystopia Micro Architect (MDMA) by indie dev Gytis Žaltauskas. It’s a chillout, pocket-sized city-builder puzzler type thing.

It’s kind of along the lines of the chillout sim builder ISLANDERS (2019), with a big emphasis on casual fun. Yet MDMA does also demand strategic thought! It gets addictive fast and it’s one of the best Playdate games.

Mega Dystopia Micro Architect is Casual City Building Addictive Type Stuff

As with any good city-builder, you get addicted to this one fast. With MDMA’s minimalistic layout, you get instant accessibility and must learn the ropes.

The player becomes an architect. One tasked with building a dystopian city and it’s your task to design the metropolis. What follows from there is the need to place buildings strategically, with a points scoring mechanic helping you to upgrade your operation.

You get random perks when you score enough points, which lets you extend the screen size, score more points, and other groovy stuff.

High scores and management skills are the driving force behind the game.

You push for greater management knowledge, refine your skillset, and keep on improving. Its accessibility and pick-up-and-play qualities are perfect for this, what with its easy user interfaces.

The fact it’s all presented on the small Playdate screen in such striking, clear fashion is another triumph of this one. MDMA is most excellent and we’ll be thumping many hours into it for a long time to come.

The Music Behind MDMA

Many Playdate users have commented on the chillout soundtrack complementing the strategy city-building action.

The work is by composer Edgaras Žaltauskas, with a handful of tracks peppering the in-game action with relaxed vibes.

It’s an excellent, final accompaniment to the rest of the game. As a groovy soundtrack always helps out and this one manages to remain catchy, yet not invasive. Very well judged.