A downloadable game

Buy Now$5.00 USD or more

Meet quirky characters and explore a pocket size puzzle box world in this no filler low combat classic handheld adventure, only on Playdate!

  • Discover a lovingly handcrafted world densely packed with puzzles and secrets
  • Delve into four trap laden levels, from escaping the depths of a castle dungeon to exploring an abandoned mountaintop temple
  • Meet and greet with a cast of recurring characters whose lives progress throughout the game
  • Bust up with off-beat bosses in a variety of memorable encounters
  • Find and collect hidden treasure to earn piratey prizes

Features

  • 2-3 hours of estimated gameplay
  • 30+ original music tracks from Rupert Cole
  • Autosave
  • Assistance options
  • Unlockable "hardcore" mode for a bonus challenge
  • Lots of secrets!


Accessibility

We think this game is appropriate for everyone.

This game uses the D-pad and the A and B buttons, with occasional infrequent use of the crank. Crank usage, puzzles requiring precise timing, boss battles and player damage can all be disabled from the title screen.

Credits

  • Scott Hall (design, programming, art, writing)
  • Rupert Cole (music, sound)
  • Izzy Robinson (logo illustration, playtesting)
  • JezoShow (trailer, playtesting)
  • Phill Platt, Toad Lee, Donald Fraser, Nick Carson (playtesting)
  • Lily Hoang-Zhu (cover art)
  • Made with Pulp

Install Instructions

Follow the official guide to sideloading Playdate games.

StatusReleased
Release date Sep 12, 2023
Rating
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
(11 total ratings)
AuthorOrange Thief
GenreAdventure, Action
Tags1-bit, 2D, Exploration, Playdate, pulp, Top-Down
Average sessionAbout a half-hour
LanguagesEnglish

Purchase

Buy Now$5.00 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Resonant-Tale.pdx.zip 669 kB

Development log

Comments

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Such a beautiful and amazing game. Worth every penny.

Thanks for the walk through video. It helped me a lot.

Fantastic game! Really inventive secrets and good humor!

Great game that I just finished (I appreciated the challenge of the last boss... not easy but not unfair). You succeeded to exploit the full potential of Pulp engine. With 32/42 opened chests, I'm happy to revisit some sectors of the map. Hope to be able to 100% complete it. Good work again!

(+1)

Just finished playing — such a fun, engaging game! Captured all the feels of a Zelda with some refreshing takes. The puzzles were just right — challenging, but doable. Great charming vibe with the writing. The one time I got stuck, I was able to find a hint you left on this board. So cool having developers close by — one of the really cool things about Play Date games and the community. Thanks for a great time!

(+1)

Wonderful game! Is there a full guide anywhere? I sometimes like idly following a guide to explore all the secrets I missed. 

Thank you so much! This video is the closest thing to a full walkthrough right now, check the comments for timestamps. I'm planning on putting together a full written guide, so look out for that sometime soon!

(+1)

that’s great, thank you! 

(+1)

This was properly charming and packs a lot of neat puzzles and genuine surprises into its (appreciated) concise runtime. Recommended!

(+1)

nice Zelda flashback right there! Perfect experience on the PlayDate

(+2)

Finished this game over the holiday break and absolutely loved it. Spent about 6 hours completing dungeons and finding a good mount of the games secrets. Really like how there's an online hint guide and treasure map that guides, but doesn't outright tell you, in the right direction if you get stuck.

It was just such a joy to play, and as a long time Link's Awakening fan it really invoked a lot of feelings I had when playing it on an original Gameboy so many years ago.

(+1)

One of the best games on playdate.

loving this game, but man I feel like I’m missing something I read the secret messages but not sure how to light torches to get into the 3rd Shrine on the mountain  Other than that, brilliant game. 

Thank you! It's a bit of a tricky puzzle, but you're on the right track with the secret messages. Here's a hint - have you found your way underneath the torches?

If you need any more help, check out this video (from about 2h48m) to see the solution. Thanks for playing and enjoy the rest of the game!

(+1)

🤦🏻‍♂️ ughh lol thank you. Love this game. 

(+2)

This game is so much fun! I loved all the little puzzles and jokes. Few games are able to pack so much into such small package, but it's clear how much love and joy went in during the making of this game. Highly recommended for anyone looking for some simple classic Zelda-like puzzle fun.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the whack-a-mole guy to stop looking at me.

Try walking over to the left of the cave and you might notice there's a little bit of a delay before they turn to face you...

Whatever you're thinking of doing while their back is turned, you'll have to be quick!

(+3)

Fantastic game with so many hidden things and surprises. Great graphics, totally recommended. 

(+4)

I started playing this at launch, and was SUPER impressed by it in many ways. Every single tile on every single screen feels deliberately placed, and has a purpose for being where it is. It's a game full of maze & puzzle screens, and the solution is very rarely the most obvious one. Every single solution in the game was satisfying to reach!!

Of the many Zelda-likes (or "Puzzlebox games") coming out in recent years, I think this is one of my favourites.  It's a neat & tidy 3-5hrs, and full of discoveries & secrets. This is easily the best Pulp-based game I've played so far, and by extension, one of the best games on the Playdate. Highly recommend!!

(+4)

Resonant Tale is incredible! It hasn't even been out for a week, and I think it's my most replayed non-arcade game on the Playdate.

So so so much care and detail went into it. Everything was so thoughtfully crafted, and the game feels so smooth to go through. I'm still learning new things about it.

So many tiny details that you'd miss on your first run, and so many secret shortcuts to find, that replaying the game feels really rewarding.

I also really love how combat isn't a priority in the gameplay. In these types of games, I much prefer exploring the world and solving puzzles, than having to fight monsters in my path. And the times there is combat, it's always an encounter that feels memorable.

S-tier game! Thank you Orkn, this game is amazing!


(If you're on the fence - buy it! You won't regret it)
(+4)

A very solid adventure game that really resonates with the Link’s Awakening fan that I am. Great dialogues, puzzles and graphics. I can’t believe it’s a Pulp game.

Just curious, how much will the game cost on launch?

(+1)

It'll be $5 plus tax, both here and on Catalog :)

(+2)

Nice! Can't wait to buy it once it releases and play it!

Thank you!