The Playdate is a handheld haven of low-spec creativity, but one dev is going the extra mile by making a 3D "Metroidbrainia" for Panic's portable. Not only does the outing use its own "tiny" 3D renderer that even gets DOOM running on the monochrome indie game machine, but it also allows for outdoor cityscape platforming inspired by Mirror's Edge.
In a Bluesky clip, developer Cristina Ramos shows off her first-person exploration game Katavatis running on Panic's gaming handheld using the aforementioned 3D renderer. "I was told you couldn't do 3D on the Playdate, so I did it," proclaims Ramos before adding, "Then I was told there was no way I could create exterior levels like those in Mirror's Edge, so I proved them wrong again."
The developer's clips provide receipts for that claim, as she clearly demonstrates what appears to be a 1-bit Mirror's Edge running on the Playdate. The defiance accompanying the clip does appear to be slightly tongue-in-cheek, referencing the "back of the box" synopsis for Katravatis that reads "they told us climate change is a hoax," but honestly? I also figured 3D rendering would be a stretch for Panic's plucky portable.
I was told you couldn't do 3D on the Playdate, so I did it. Then I was told there was no way I could create exterior levels like those in Mirror's Edge, so I proved them wrong again.
— @saffroncr.bsky.social (@saffroncr.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-22T12:13:47.276Z
Naturally, I'm more than hyped to try this climate-apocalyptic, Metroidvania romp on an actual Playdate, but Katavatis is also coming to Steam and Itchio. The indie dev has actually documented their journey making a 3D renderer for the handheld on her latter page, and while the deep dive admits that the portable lacks the power to draw 3D scenes like a '90s 3DFX Voodoo PC card or the OG PS1, the results are closer to the likes of the 3DO or Sega Saturn.
The full devblog for the Playdate 3D renderer is a fascinating read, and does a fantastic job explaining what three-dimensional graphics actually are and how they're even possible on something like the Playdate. Keep in mind the portable is powered by a very low-key ARM Cortex-M7 chipset and just 16 MB of RAM, so seeing a perceivable 3D adventure platformer running on the hardware is wild.
Ramos says now that the 3D renderer is in a "good enough" state, it's paving the way for gameplay prototypes. The dev has already uploaded snippets of these to YouTube, and she's already answered the age-old question of whether it can run DOOM (it can). Again, if you've not got the indie retro handheld, Katavatis will be hitting Steam and Itchio, and I can't wait to explore the Metroidvania's abandoned deep-sea facility in all its 1-bit 3D glory.
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