GAME CLEAR No. 302 -- Pick Pack Pup

Pick Pack Pup (2022, Playdate)

Developer: Nic Magnier, Arthur Hamer, and Logan Gabriel
Publisher: Panic
Clear Version: Playdate
Clear Platform: Playdate
Clear Date: 6/30/26

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Why should I care?
Pick Pack Pup is a great puzzler and a cute little satire.

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I been workin’ like a dog

The Playdate is truly the gift that keeps on giving in the sense that I received it as a gift and its games included games unlock in pairs every seven days after activating the device. My latest favorite is Pick Pack Pup, which seems just perfect for this type of device. It’s a game about a dog who works at a fulfillment center for a major online retailer. He packs objects by matching groups of three or more like objects Candy Crush style. The game also tells an amusing tale about the ever more egregious demands of the Pup’s corporate overlords. Fun puzzles and a funny story combine for a solid way to burn a couple hours.

From a gameplay standpoint, Pup’s primary differentiating gimmick is that matched tiles get packed into tiles but remain on screen. They have a dollar/score value based on the objects packed there in. You can ship your boxes off at any time by tapping on any one of them, but the more you can manage to make at once, the higher your multiplier will be. The only confounding factor is that tiles cannot be slid through boxes like they can through other tiles.

Early on, the challenge is basically to get high scores. Later, things get a bit more complex. Can you send a single shipment worth a certain value? Can you create boxes all around the perimeter of the screen? Can you keep boxes moving out while the bottom row of items gets eliminated every few seconds? The mixups keep things fresh.

They also mesh well with the pro-labor story being told throughout the game. The challenges of each stage are presented as memos from your bosses. Their contempt for their workers is clear. The stages are split into story chapters, which are told by the way of comics (scrolling through the panels is done with the crank — the only use thereof in this game). These amusing interludes give an otherwise perfectly competent puzzle game into something with a bit more character. In one chapter, a grizzled veteran warns the protagonist of the perils of taking a break. In another, the Pup finally gets a vacation, only to be called upon to do work from the beach. It’s a silly send-up of Amazon and the like, who cannot receive enough flak for the way they treat the folks that make their business possible.

When you finish the story, you’re left with a variety of score-attack modes with different gimmicks. In one you’ve got to deal with bombs to keep your job site from exploding. On the other end is the Chill Mode, wherein you pack to your heart’s content. Great stuff for burning a few minutes when you need to. Don’t forget your headphones in those fleeting moments to enjoy Logan Gabriel’s swell tunes.

Another hit for the Playdate here. I can’t wait to see what is left to unwrap.