Devlog #3: a toy with a game inside
Last time I said the next toy would have a tiny game inside it. Here it is: Brick Pocket, a chunky grey 90s handheld that Dev dug out of his parents' attic.
The repair is all hands-on. Unscrew the battery door, drag the leaked batteries into the scrap tin, swab the green crust off the contacts, then prise off the cracked screen cover and press in a new one. Fresh batteries go in, the switch clicks, and the little LCD flickers to life. To prove it works, you clear Dev's test rows.
Then it lives on your shelf as a real falling-blocks game. Every row you clear packs a pixel toy into the box, and Dev tips you the first time you pass each score milestone.
One thing I learned from playtesting: my first version had a battery door you could only open by clicking a small spot in the middle, and it took about ten clicks to work out. Now everything is grab and drag, and the hint always matches what will actually happen.
Play free in your browser or on Windows, Mac and Linux: https://n3at18.itch.io/toy-mender
Full 1.5.0 notes: https://n3at18.itch.io/toy-mender/devlog/1742125/toy-mender-150-brick-pocket-a-handheld-with-a-game-inside