Orbeats

Orbeats is a crank-based rhythm game made for the PlayDate with a light space theme!

This game is currently in beta. The main engine of the game is mostly finished, but all the current maps are either unfinished or missing. Content updates are on the way!

How to play!

To play, download the game and sideload it onto your PlayDate device (instructions here). If you don't have a device or would like to play it in the PlayDate simulator, download the PlayDate SDK and place the .pdx file into PlaydateSDK/Disk/Games/. I recommend using a controller if you're playing on the simulator.

Orbeats has a simple control scheme, using two buttons and the crank of the PlayDate. The crank controls the position of your cursor, A/UP hits flip notes and flips your cursor across the orbit, and B/DOWN is used to hit notes. Hold notes can be hit by holding down A/B/UP/DOWN. And that's all you need to know!

There's an in-game tutorial, and a little pop-up that should direct you there. To get rid of the pop-up, open the tutorial.

Creating your own levels!

Orbeats was made with custom maps in mind, and you can create and add your own maps to the game! Currently there isn't an editor, but there is one in the works with hopes it'll be usable soon. For now, you can create the files by hand. You can find documentation about how to create each part of your map as well as how to add it to the game here!

If you do create a custom map, I recommend sharing it on the PlayDate Squad Discord in the Orbeats Beta Playtesting thread!

Credits

The game as it is now is almost entirely written by me, with generous help from those on the PlayDate Squad Discord. All sprite art and design is by me as well.

open game art credits:
"interface beeps" by bart licensed CC0: https://opengameart.org/content/interface-beeps
"51 UI sounds Effects" by Kenney licensed CC0: https://opengameart.org/content/51-ui-sound-effects-buttons-switches-and-clicks
"Miscellaneous Jingle" by mieki256 licensed CC0: https://opengameart.org/content/miscellaneous-jingle
"Aurora" by Kim Lightyear licensed CC BY 3: https://opengameart.org/content/aurora
"Shortcuts" by Zane Little Music licensed CC0: https://opengameart.org/content/shortcuts

libraries:
"pdParticle" by PossiblyAxolotl: https://github.com/PossiblyAxolotl/pdParticles

music:
"Cosmos" by Dark Fantasy Studio
"Seashell Serenade" by Rupert Cole
"Shake Your Tail!" by Uhrwerk Klockwerx ft. Modem & Lolwe