Summit is an incredible precision platformer for Playdate that’ll hit you right in the feels
Another Playdate game that made me cry.
I was not expecting to cry while playing Summit, a $6 mountain climbing platformer for Playdate that’s impossible not to compare to Celeste. Scream in frustration? Yes. Storm away from the game only to come crawling back minutes later? Definitely. Get all up in my feels, though? Not so much. Yet an hour and 34 minutes — and 432 deaths — later, here we are. This is now the second Playdate game that's made me cry.
In Summit, you’re a cloaked climber trying to reach the top of a mountain under the guidance of an unseen narrator who refers to you as “little brother.” You have ice axes to help you scale the vertical surfaces, and other equipment will show up later to assist you in trickier situations. Completing the 70-ish levels requires absolute precision, and it is at times very, very frustrating. There are rows of sharp spikes sticking out everywhere, and some falling from higher perches. The icy ground in spots is slick enough to send you flying. Strong winds will make it seem as though it’s impossible to push forward.
But it’s not impossible, of course, and in some cases you can even use the environmental conditions to your advantage. When you do finally make it through a particularly tough level, it’s all the more gratifying. There’s more to Summit than well-timed jumps — it uses the d-pad, buttons and the crank, and will have you coordinating different actions to cross huge gaps and avoid obstacles. At one point, you even get to ride a crow.
The music throughout is beautiful and has a reflective mood to it, which sets you up perfectly for when the game takes an unexpected emotional turn at the end. As you approach the summit, the backstory that’s been hinted at in bits and pieces finally reveals itself, and it’s a tear-jerker. I got misty-eyed, and not because I was so relieved to have finally made it to the top. (I’m not the only one, either, as I found while searching Reddit to see how other people fared.)
Summit will test your determination as you die over and over again trying to progress, but it’s never a slog. If you liked the extreme platforming and sentimental tone of Celeste, this is definitely one to check out.