Indie duo Smash Toad Studios is proud to announce the release of their latest title, Say When!, a fast-paced, cheese-grating minigame experience for the Playdate handheld console.
Built around the crank, the game invites players to serve the perfect amount of cheese to a lineup of quirky customers, some of whom you'd never expect to see at a restaurant.
Smash Toad Studios
Originally inspired by the Playdate’s signature crank, Say When! blends rapid-fire WarioWare-style minigames with a restaurant twist. What started as a gag concept—“what if the crank was a cheese grater?”—has evolved into a modular, ever-expanding universe of animated absurdity.
“While the main mechanic is cheese grating, our goal is to add in all kinds of vaguely restaurant themed minigames and add a lot of variety to the game.”
This helps to highlight how the crank mechanic of the Playdate console can really open up new possibilities when it comes to game concept and design.
Smash Toad Studios
The game has been in development since early 2024, crafted during evenings and weekends by studio founders Jeremy and Levi, friends turned co-developers. Levi handles most of the art and animation, while Jeremy spearheads sound design. Together, they’ve created a bite-sized, crank-powered world that embraces the charm of the Playdate's 1-bit aesthetic.
Smash Toad Studios
After debuting their first game Rooftop Ramble on mobile in 2022, the pair decided to go all-in on hardware that inspires creativity, and fewer hoops to jump through.
“We also really appreciate how easy it is to get our game up and running and distribute it. There are a lot less hoops to jump through than when we put a game out on mobile.”
And this is a common sentiment shared by many developers working within the Playdate ecosystem. The limitations of the hardware only work to fuel the creativity of the game developers.
One of the standout features of Say When! is how modular the game is under the hood. New characters and minigames can be dropped in with ease, and the team is already iterating based on player suggestions. It’s the kind of living game that grows alongside its audience.
As a massive WarioWare fan, Say When! is right up my alley. The quirky character designs and jittery animations instantly transported me back to the WarioWare: Twisted! days on the GBA. It’s got that same “what am I even doing right now?” magic, and I mean that in the best way.
I for one am definitely looking forward to seeing how the game evolves!
Say When! is currently available on itch.io, with plans to launch on the official Playdate Catalog soon.
Check out the full interview down below 👇
How long has the studio been around?
We started working on projects back while we were still in college together, but we made our indie studio official when we wanted to release our first game, Rooftop Ramble, on iOS and Android, back in June of 2022.
How many members are on the team?
There are just two members right now: Jeremy and Levi. We both do programming and game design, Levi does most of the art and animation, and Jeremy does most of the sound design.
What inspired this game? Was there a moment or idea that sparked it?
As soon as we saw the physical crank on the side of the Playdate, one of the first ideas we had was to use it as a cheese grater. From there, it was a matter of figuring out how to take that simple core idea and turn it into a fun game!
We’ve taken inspiration from several games, one of the main ones is WarioWare. While the main mechanic is cheese grating, our goal is to add in all kinds of vaguely restaurant themed minigames and add a lot of variety to the game.
How long has the game been in development?
We had actually initially started on a Unity version before we decided we really wanted to build it for the Playdate, which had originally inspired the idea. We first started on the Playdate version in February 2024, so it took almost a year and a half from that point.
We both work on this in our free time, so unfortunately development can take us a bit longer than we’d like. Sometimes life is busy and it’s hard to find the time. Our dream, like so many other indie teams, is to be able to do this full time some day, allowing us to put out even better games much faster.
Are there any unique mechanics or features you're particularly proud of?
One of the things we’re most excited about is that we’ve built the game to be very modular, so it will be easy for us to expand it and add in more characters and minigames in the future. We’re excited to have more people playing the game and hope people know that if they give us a good suggestion there is a very real possibility we will add it in!
How has player feedback shaped the game during development?
We love getting feedback from players and honestly wish we’d started getting it even sooner. Since releasing on itch.io we’ve made several improvements to the game based on suggestions from players.
Earlier on before people were able to get their hands on it, we were already putting ideas in from people’s suggestions on our reddit posts. We definitely want to allow players to help shape this game into what they want it to be.
How do you like developing for the Playdate?
Developing for the Playdate is a lot of fun. The system’s limitations both make things more manageable and also force you to be creative and manage resources efficiently. We also just love the physical crank, the 1-bit screen, and the whole vibe of the console.
We also really appreciate how easy it is to get our game up and running and distribute it. There are a lot less hoops to jump through than when we put a game out on mobile. For such a small studio like us, it’s nice to be able to spend more time building our game and being creative and less time on some of those less fun admin tasks.
It’s also just cool to be a part of the Playdate community. There are so many people putting out fun, unique games, and we are proud to be just one drop in that bucket. The community response has also been great and kept us motivated. Seeing people excited to play our game, and then enjoying it once they do is just an incredible feeling!
Where can folks get the game?
It is currently available on itch.io here: https://smashtoadstudios.itch.io/say-when. We have also submitted it to the official Playdate Catalog, so it should hopefully be available there soon as well!