HILDEGARD GOES 1-BIT
Based on the Spire’s End: Hildegard card game, this narrative adventure brings the same story and spirit to Playdate, a compact handheld with a 1-bit black-and-white screen. The gameplay has been rebuilt for its unique hardware, accompanied by 15 original tracks created for Hildegard’s first adventure off the tabletop.
Don’t own a Playdate? I’d love for anyone who wants to play Hildegard to be able to, and I’m exploring a few ways to bring it to more players down the road. For now, my focus is on the Playdate version. Nothing is set yet, but if that changes, subscribers will hear about it first.
Dev Journal, Oct 19, 2026
It’s been a while since my last update, so here’s where things stand. Hildegard: 1-Bit Edition is in its final build. Right now, Rémi and I are focused on polish: smoothing out the pacing, fixing bugs, and making sure everything feels right on the hardware.
Chapter One Grows - I’ve gone back into Chapter One and added more than 35 new story entries, each one the equivalent of a full story card in the Spire’s End card game. That means new characters to meet, items to find, and events along the way, including a stop at the Farmer’s Market.
One Chapter at a Time - The current plan is to release Hildegard one chapter at a time, starting with Chapter One. This is tentative.
What’s Inside Chapter One - Chapter One includes more than a dozen enemies to face and 15+ achievements to earn.
Gameplay and Combat Mechanics
Bullseyes are still central to how actions resolve, but on Playdate you earn them by shooting and hitting moving marks, not by rolling dice. Each action gives you a limited number of shots as a marker bounces between walls, accelerating with every hit. You must fire and land your shot before it becomes too fast to control, locking in Bullseye parts built from the same half circles, pings, and rings used in the card game. Miss your mark and the marker speeds up, burning through your remaining shots and increasing the chance of a weaker result.
It is the same Bullseye system you know, delivered with a fast, hands-on twist designed specifically for Playdate.
New Frontiers
This project is an experiment, and a personal milestone. It is my first time building a game specifically for a handheld system, and the design is intentionally exploratory. Much of the inspiration comes from the era of the Neo Geo Pocket, especially its sharp, high-contrast aesthetics and confident simplicity. That influence shows up in the visuals, the pacing, and the focus on clear mechanics over excess presentation.
1-Bit Team
Along for the ride with Gregory Favro are two new talented creators.
Rémi Ginzburg
"I am a game designer and developer from France. I worked on several projects including Ravenswatch and Last Epoch. I'm passionate about small and indie games, that's what brought me to Playdate development. I love the simplicity of the device, and the originality of the crank input. I always wanted to develop games for Game Boy, and this feels like I'm finally living up to my objectives."
Winie Columna
Also known as Pixo Win is a pixel art illustrator and animator based in the Philippines. Her work explores nostalgia through restrained color palettes and retro-inspired visual language. With nearly six years of experience, she works across indie games, music albums, animations, logos, and character design.
Release Plans
I’m tentatively planning to submit Hildegard: 1-Bit Edition to the Playdate Catalog on November 30, 2026. If it isn’t accepted, I’ll most likely release it on itch.io instead.
Playdate’s mix of nostalgia, simplicity, and modern design won me over immediately. It feels like a natural home for Spire’s End and Hildegard.
Hildegard: 1-Bit Edition is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Panic Inc. or the Playdate® platform. This project is currently in active development. Gameplay, visuals, features, and release plans are subject to change.