Crank & Catch running on a Playdate
Crank & Catch running on a Playdate

Crank & Catch: bounce to safety

People are jumping from a burning building. Turn the crank to slide the net under them, and bounce them across the street to the ambulance.

Download for Playdate How to install

Free · Version 0.6 · For Playdate

Aim with the net

Every catch bounces your jumper back into the air, and where they land on the net decides where they go next.

Left side

Back toward the fire. The building bounces them back, so it’s not over yet.

Center

Nearly straight up. Safe and slow, and handy for holding one jumper while you deal with another.

Right side

A long throw toward the ambulance. Fewer bounces, more risk.

Get someone to the ambulance in two bounces or fewer for an Express bonus.

It gets harder. Fairly.

The net starts wide and forgiving, then narrows as your score climbs. A second jumper joins at 500 points, a third at 2,000, and everything speeds up as you go.

Extra jumpers only leap when you could actually reach them. If two land at once, it’s because of where you aimed.

Rescue
100 points, worth more as the game speeds up (up to 160)
Express
+50 for a rescue in two bounces or fewer
Extra life
Every 5,000 points, up to five
Net
72 px wide at the start, down to 44 px

Screenshots

The Crank & Catch title screen, with the attract-mode demo playing behind the menu
The menu plays itself while you decide.
A jumper lands at the ambulance and “EXPRESS +150” appears above it
Two bounces or fewer: Express.
Score popups stacked above the net as it narrows for the first time
Every 500 points, the net gets a little narrower.
Late in a game, past 1,000 points, with a narrower net
Later on, the sky gets busy.

Get it on your Playdate

Crank & Catch installs over Wi‑Fi from your Playdate account. It takes about a minute.

A Playdate with its cover closed, crank folded in

  1. Download the game.

    Get CrankAndCatch.pdx.zip. Don’t unzip it.

    Download for Playdate

  2. Make sure your Playdate is registered

    It needs to be registered to your account at play.date. Wireless installs only work with a registered device.

  3. Upload it.

    Sign in at play.date, open Account → Sideload, and drop in the zip.

  4. Open Game Library on your Playdate.

    The game downloads automatically; refresh the list if it doesn’t show up right away. On older system software, look under Settings → Games.

Prefer a cable? Panic’s guide covers installing over USB too: help.play.date. Sideloaded games stay in your account, so you can reinstall any time.

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. It’s open source under the MIT license.

Is this made by Panic?

No. It’s an independent game by Todd Greco, made for Playdate.

What does it need?

A Playdate on current system software, connected to Wi‑Fi.

Where’s the source?

On GitHub.