Generations for Playdate

Generations for Playdate

Generations is a challenging puzzle game that has you organizing Portraits on the wall of a living room, a task requiring a surprising amount of strategy, planning, and thinking ahead.

Each time you hang three (or more) Portraits of any family members of the same age group next to each other, the Portraits will combine into a new Portrait of an older family member.

The current Portrait is on the table to the left of the couch, and the Next Portrait rests on the middle of the couch. Bonus Portraits will appear on the table to the right of the couch. More on those in a bit.

The beginning of a new game.

The game begins with Storks. Three Storks combine into an Infant. Three Infants turn into a Child, and so on until you combine three Portraits of the matriarchs and patriarchs of the family. When this happens, you've created a Generation, and all Portraits you've hung on the wall will automatically age up and the spaces occupied by the elderly will open back up, ready for a new generation of descendants.

Three storks combine to make an infant.

Portraits can only be hung next to other Portraits, and you'll need to think ahead to optimize their placement in order to chain matches and not strand any. Once you've run out of space the game will end.

Chaining an infant to a child to a teenager. Controls Press the A Button to place a Portrait on the wall. Long Press the A Button to store a Portrait for later on the table to the right of the couch if it is not already occupied. The B Button will Undo your most recent move. You may not Undo a move if that move resulted in a Match. You can also Long Press the B Button to Pet The Cat if he's on the couch or sitting on the window sill. Undoing a move. The D-Pad is used to navigate spots on the wall. Open spots have a single, light outline around them. The currently selected spot will animate up and down, and if it's open, will display four markers on the inside. Squares that are a solid gray cannot be played - to open these spots, there must be a Portrait hung next to them. Navigating to an open spot on the wall. The Crank is used to switch between the current Portrait and the Bonus Portrait. Whenever you chain a match, you'll earn a Bonus Portrait that will appear on the right side of the couch if that table is not already occupied. This will either be a Portrait of the same value of the Chain, or could be a Special. More on those later. A diagram of what everything in the game is. Making a Match

To make a match, select an open spot that has at least two other Portraits of the same age group adjacent to each other. Portraits touching on any side are considered adjacent. Gender does not matter.

Combinations Three or more Storks combine into an Infant. Three or more Infants combine into a Child. Three or more Children combine into a Teen. Three or more Teens combine into an Adult. Three or more Adults combine into a Senior. Three or more Seniors create a Generation. Chaining a Match

To Chain a Match, you must be strategic about your Portrait placement. You'll need to complete a match that results in a Portrait that matches two or more existing Portraits on the wall. Each time you succeed in chaining a match, you'll gain a Bonus Portrait so long as the table to the right of the couch isn't already occupied.

Chaining a match. Creating a Generation

To create a Generation, you must combine three or more Seniors. When this happens, all Seniors on the board are removed from play and every Portrait currently on the wall ages up a level.

Creating a Generation. Specials

Whenever you Chain a Match and are awarded a Bonus there is a small chance that you'll get a Special. There are two different types of specials, and they are played on existing Portraits.

A Plus Heart will age up any Portrait it is played on. They cannot be played on Seniors. Using a Plus Heart. A Minus Heart will remove any Portrait it is played on from the board. Using a Minus Heart. Game Over

The game ends when there are no more available spots on the wall to hang a Portrait.

Game over. System Menu

While in-game, there are two options in the System Menu

• Restart Game will - you guessed it - restart your current game.
• Main Menu will save your game and return you to to the front door. Your progress is also saved when you exit the game and will be ready for you the next time you play.

The Main Menu

From here you can Start a New Game or Continue a Game that's already in progress, see the Top Five Local High Scores, access Game Options, and view your Lifetime Stats.

The main menu. How to Install the Game

Not sure how to sideload games onto your Playdate? Panic has you covered with easy to follow instructions. Or check out this great how-to video that @Ledbetter created.

Questions? Comments?

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