Engadget (Cheyenne MacDonald, 21 Jun 2025). "I really, really like this game. I found it hard to put down once I got going… It's just kicking my ass. A lot."
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-2-review-shadowgate-pd-and-catchadiablos-130020943.htmlGames / Season Two / CatchaDiablos
OverviewSeason Two
CatchaDiablos
ActionCrank: yes$10
1 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-1-still.webp)
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5 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-5-still.webp)1 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-1-still.webp)2 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-2-still.webp)3 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-3-still.webp)4 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-4-still.webp)5 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-5-still.webp)Overview. Not yet reviewed. No score. Checked 12 Oct 2026. Built from official and press sources.
What it is
CatchaDiablos is a small roguelike about rounding up "Diablos" stranded on a distant moon. You aim with the crank and hold a button to draw a chalk circle around yourself. Close the circle around a monster, or a crowd of them, and you catch it. Drawing is also how you move: you travel only as far as the chalk line goes, so dodging the swarm means running in arcs. Every catch fills a meter that drops power-ups such as more health, a wider circle or faster movement. After a while a boss turns up. If you die, the run starts over, but the "Diablory" bestiary keeps every creature you've caught.
It comes from Amano (AFK Mario and Joven Paul), the team behind Pullfrog Deluxe and later Devils on the Moon Pinball. Its content note reads, in full: "This game is hella occult."
CatchaDiablos arrived in Week 4 of Playdate Season Two (19 June 2025) alongside Shadowgate PD and is now sold on its own in the Catalog. It won Best Action Game at the 2025 Playdate Community Awards.
Who made it
What others are saying
Playdate: The Unofficial Website (Nick Simberg, Jun 2025). "It's kind of… Vampire Survivors-esque? But it's got a unique control scheme that feels like it was MADE for the Playdate."
https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/catchadiablosCallout (?): No review yet. We haven't reviewed CatchaDiablos yet. This page is an overview built from official and press sources.
Sources
Checked 12 Oct 2026.
- Official Catalog page (description, credits, size, dates, content/AI/accessibility notes). https://play.date/games/catchadiablos/
- Season Two page. https://play.date/games/seasons/two/
- 2025 Playdate Community Awards results (Playdate Squad). https://playdate-wiki.com/wiki/The_2025_Playdate_Community_Awards
- Engadget, Cheyenne MacDonald, "Playdate Season 2 review: Shadowgate PD and CatchaDiablos", 21 Jun 2025. https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-2-review-shadowgate-pd-and-catchadiablos-130020943.html
- Playdate: The Unofficial Website, Nick Simberg. https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/catchadiablos
- Playdate Podcast transcript (linked from store page): research/gamepages/sources/catchadiablos/podcast.txt.
OverviewNo score
Overview
Not yet reviewed.
No score. This page is built from official and press sources.
On the card
Catch demons by drawing chalk circles around them with the crank. The catch: drawing the circle is also the only way you can move.
From the sources
