Not many games start with defenestration. Tactical Breach Wizards does, but throwing people out of windows is a core mechanic of the fantasy XCOM-like. You’re on the other end of a defenestrative (that’s a real world, promise) attack in Scrabdackle, which is an explosive start to a game that quickly shows its true colors as a quirky, hand-drawn RPG that reminds me of old school 2D Zelda games that I used to play by streetlight on long car journeys as a kid. Playing on my Steam Deck only serves to double down on that fuzzy nostalgia, and I couldn’t be happier I found this before the Christmas period.
You see, I’ve been looking for the best Steam Deck game to play on a journey down to London later this week for a Christmas party. I couldn’t get the Pragmata demo to run properly, and I don’t think my planned Divinity Original Sin 2 replay will be the same on the small screen. I was all set on Skate Story-ing my way to the capital, when Scrabdackle reared its beautiful head.
Scrabdackle plays like an old-school Legend of Zelda title, from the screen-by-screen exploration to the environmental puzzles and items that you find. The gameplay takes me back to the RPGs of my youth, but there’s something else about Scrabdackle that really sells me on its magical premise.
Not only is everything in the game hand-drawn, you can tell Scrabdackle was made with luck. Sole developer jakefriend clearly knows this genre like the back of their hand, and uses that to their – and the game’s – advantage. Whether it’s apeing classic mechanics or eschewing your expectations, there’s a wealth of fun hiding in every area.
Scrabdackle has some Undertale in it, too, mostly in its DIY art direction and the sense that it’s one person’s passion project. I’m not sure it will have the same staying power or cultural explosiveness as Toby Fox’s RPG, but it deserves a slice of recognition for trying new things and succeeding in most of them. With as much heart as mechanical depth, I can’t wait to dive into Chapters two and three when they release in the next few years.
The first Chapter is a full game in itself, blending narrative and exploration perfectly for an old-school vibe with perfectly modernized mechanics. I’d recommend Scrabdackle to anyone who needs a dose of heartwarming nostalgia, but if you own a Steam Deck, it’s an even better throwback to the RPGs of yesteryear.