Ratcheteer DX review: a bite-sized Zelda-style adventure

There are many games that attempt to imitate The Legend of Zeldabut few manage to capture this spirit in a package as small and concise as DX ratchet. The post-apocalyptic game only takes a few hours to complete, but during that time it stays true to the classic. Zelda almost perfect ambiance, offering a real sense of adventure as well as the satisfaction of discovering things for yourself.

The game is set in a dark future where most of humanity is hibernating beneath the Earth’s surface waiting for an ice age to end. To keep things going, the mechanics are woken up from time to time to perform maintenance on all the machines that keep everyone alive. But when your character wakes up, everything is bad: facilities like the power plant and the water treatment plant are broken and your mentor is missing. Solving all of this requires navigating numerous obstacles both below and above the surface.

When I say DX ratchet it’s like ZeldaI mean old school, NES or Game Boy Zelda. It’s a top-down game made up of large pixels, and you’re given very little information about what to do or how to do it. Things have been streamlined a bit, but the focus is really on how to solve problems and navigate your way through the world.

To do this, you will gradually get your hands on new items, which can drastically change the way the game plays. You start with a simple lantern, which lights up the darkness and can be used to power certain machines (and annoy certain enemies), but you’ll eventually obtain a key that serves as a weapon, the ability to jump, and more. Each unassuming item opens up the game in new ways, either making you more powerful, opening paths, or in some cases both.

I never felt too lost or frustrated, but DX ratchet is also challenging enough that I’m always satisfied when I’m making my way through a dungeon or cave maze to find my next destination. I also found myself surprisingly invested in the story: it’s told minimally through brief bits of dialogue, but you can delve into some optional text that fleshes out the world, and there’s even some cryptic language you can decipher to find out more. The world building adds another layer that made me even more interested in exploring more.

Kind of like the weird channel surfing simulator Blippo Plus, DX ratchet is actually an improved version of a game initially launched during the Playdate. On Panic’s handheld, DX ratchet It was a dark and cramped experience, which fit the mood of the world. The color upgrade makes this a more enjoyable game; it’s easier to explore on a larger screen and you don’t need to swap as many items DXwhich is a nice change. If you’re still looking for a more lo-fi experience, the game offers three other visual options: black and white, Playdate-style grayscale, and “pea soup,” which looks a lot like the original Game Boy screen.

However you play it, DX ratchet offers a deliciously simplified version of Zelda which skillfully balances challenge and accessibility. And like the real Zelda the series continues to grow and expand, games like DX ratchet are a welcome return to simpler times.

_{DX ratchet is available now on Switch, PC and Mac.}