Ars Technica (Sam Machkovech, 18 Apr 2022). "one of the most delightful arcade score-chasers I've ever played… a unique mash-up of '80s classics Elevator Action and Mappy."
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/04/all-24-of-playdates-included-games-reviewed/Games / Season One / Flipper Lifter
OverviewSeason One
Flipper Lifter
ActionCrank: yesSeason One (included)
1 · official Catalog screenshot
2 · official Catalog screenshot1 · official Catalog screenshot2 · official Catalog screenshotOverview. Not yet reviewed. No score. Checked 12 Oct 2026. Built from official and press sources.
What it is
Flipper Lifter puts you in charge of a single elevator and a queue of impatient penguins. You turn the crank to raise and lower the car, line it up exactly with each floor, and deliver every penguin to the floor it wants before its patience runs out, all while avoiding "those pesky eagles who are always looking for their next meal". There are five endless levels (hotel, mines, mountain, construction site and space), each with its own twists, plus local high scores. The crank is the main control.
It's by Serenity Forge (code by Erik Coburn, art by Samuel Herb, music by David Forman), and it unlocked in Week 5 of Season One alongside Echoic Memory, free with the console.
Who made it
What others are saying
Gabriel Toschi (blog, undated). "feels like a Game & Watch Gallery minigame… in later stages, the Playdate small screen makes it hard to understand what's really happening."
https://www.gabtoschi.com/blog/playdate-full-review/Playdate: The Unofficial Website (Nick Simberg). "a straight-up arcade action game controlled entirely with the crank."
https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/flipper-lifterCallout (?): No review yet. We haven't reviewed Flipper Lifter 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/flipper-lifter/
- Season One page. https://play.date/games/season-one/
- Ars Technica, Sam Machkovech, 18 Apr 2022. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/04/all-24-of-playdates-included-games-reviewed/
- Gabriel Toschi (undated). https://www.gabtoschi.com/blog/playdate-full-review/
- Playdate: The Unofficial Website. https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/flipper-lifter
- Playdate Podcast transcript: research/gamepages/sources/flipper-lifter/podcast.txt.
OverviewNo score
Overview
Not yet reviewed.
No score. This page is built from official and press sources.
On the card
Run the only elevator in the building and crank impatient penguins to their floors, through hotels, mines and outer space, while dodging hungry eagles.
From the sources
