Agents of Groove

Details


Playtime	Not Played
Last Activity	Never
Added	7/31/2026 20:44:05
Modified	7/31/2026 20:45:53
Completion Status	Not Played
Library	Itch.io
Source	itch.io
Platform	PC (Windows)
Release Date	5/2/2024
Community Score
Critic Score
User Score
Genre	Arcade Indie Music
Developer	Synaptic Sugar
Publisher	Synaptic Sugar
Feature	Single Player
Links	Itch Official Website Bluesky
Tag	1-bit Family Friendly Indie No AI Pirates Pixel Art Playdate Rhythm Robots Singleplayer Story Rich

Description

Agents of Groove is a unique story-driven rhythm action game for the Playdate console with a dynamic original soundtrack and a lot of style.

Here's what they say about it:

"Dripping in style in a way that most Playdate games (hey, maybe most games) cannot manage. […] Agents of Groove is a charming story-based rhythm game with a strong sense of identity"
— Playdate Unofficial

"The story and characters are effortlessly charming and the main game mode is some of the most fun I've had in a rhythm game recently […] Easily worth the cost of entry, especially if you are a fan of lighthearted yet challenging rhythm games like PaRappa the Rapper and Rhythm Heaven […] Agents of Groove delivers one of the most polished efforts in the genre on the Playdate platform […] Talk about a homerun"
— Cranko!

"The music is SO good […] If you're into rhythm games, definitely worth considering Agents of Groove […] I had a lot of fun"
— Your Cool Uncle Marisa

Also available on Playdate Catalog with online leaderboards!

Premise

In a world where music and dancing have real power, a group of undercover dancers stumbles upon a sinister plot -- but will they be able to stop it?

Meet field agent Daley Bellbottoms, information expert Melody Handler, and other friends and enemies as the new recruit of secret agency G.R.O.O.V.E.. Learn the ways of the Rhythm, handle H.Y.P.E. equipment and help your fellow agents find their... well, groove, on a daring mission to stop rival organization E.R.I.S. and save the world.

The tools at their disposal? Dancing, of course! But also excellent taste, incredible style, and... okay, mostly dancing.

Gameplay

In Agents of Groove you'll play to the rhythm of eleven original and dynamic music tracks using the Playdate buttons and crank, often at the same time, with some surprises along the way.

Do well and the music tracks will get richer with more layers, allowing Daley to attune to the Rhythm, build up hype, and influence the world around him. Make mistakes and the two of you may not reach enough attunement in time or, worse, you may get caught by your adversaries – and the world will be doomed! But no pressure, really.

Game level taking place in a dance club. The main character is in the center, surrounded by other dancers, while the game UI shows button inputs scrolling by at the bottom, highlighted in different ways depending on player timing — Dancing is G.R.O.O.V.E.'s most useful tool in the field

Agents of Groove progresses through fifteen levels across four variations of gameplay, all riffing on the theme of moving along with the rhythm: Daley may be called upon to sway others with his dancing skills, rhythmically sneak into a mysterious facility, or slide out of the way of danger. Spin a disco ball with the Playdate crank, match button prompts, occasionally tilt the console, and face off against bosses: when all else fails, the only way to solve a dispute may be a good, old-fashioned dance-off.

Game level taking place on a pirate ship. The main character is on the left side, facing off against a large pirate, who is on the right, as if they're about to trade blows. They take turns doing dance moves instead, as a number of button prompts scroll from right to left at the bottom of the screen — Tempers flare as old rivalries surface

You and the Agents of Groove will have to draw upon your full network of connections and use all the resources at your disposal to reveal what nefarious plan E.R.I.S. has concocted this time. You will meet many characters, including pirates and robots, as the story unfolds via both gameplay and (fully localized) conversations, and you will need all the help you can get.

A conversation between a man with glasses, a mustache and a big head of hair and a smiling woman who are part of the team of agents. She wears big hoop earrings, glasses, and we can see the microphone from a headset. The lines from the man say 'The name is Bellbottoms. Daley, Bellbottoms. G.R.O.O.V.E. agent... extraordinaire' to which the woman responds 'Come on Daley, you are going to scare the new recruit *sighs* Nevermind all that, he does it all the time'. Name tag under the character images say 'Daley Bellbottoms' and 'Melody Handler' — Daley Bellbottoms and Melody Handler of G.R.O.O.V.E.

Between missions, take a break from the action and listen to the game's full soundtrack (a total of twenty-two tracks) in the Jukebox. Unlock tunes as you make progress in game.

Animation showing scrolling through song titles in the Jukebox, until some are shown as locked. One of the unlocked songs is selected and a simple progress bar with current and total time appears while the song plays — We all could use a break every now and then

Main characters

Curious about who you'll meet throughout the course of the game? Here are some of the characters:

Daley Bellbottoms
Legendary undercover dancer and Rhythm wrangler of G.R.O.O.V.E., known as much for his skill as for his tendency to improvise, Daley often finds himself in improbably tight spots but usually manages to make it out of trouble (even if with some help). A veteran of many years, he's truly seen it all -- or so he thinks!

Melody Handler
The information expert for the team, Melody operates behind the scenes, researching, processing data, accessing systems remotely, and maintaining constant radio contact with Daley and the others. She's often Daley's last line of defense against danger, and just as often has to save him from himself.

Paul Hanover
A younger agent of G.R.O.O.V.E., he often teases Daley for relying on more time-tested methods and technology. Admittedly perhaps not the sharpest tool in the shed, Paul is nevertheless an invaluable ally and a skilled tinkerer with H.Y.P.E. equipment in the field.

Robot Detective
What is this robot after, and how is it connected to the G.R.O.O.V.E. case? A case more unsettling at every step, like a tall tale told by an excitable sailor in exchange for the promise of more attention. Still, its deduction logic could be of help... if it turned out to be an ally at all.

Angus Weathervane
Little is known about Captain Weathervane, and what common folk dare to whisper under cover of darkness remains steeped in mystery and rumors. Surely tales of pirates controlling the seas with an army of birds at their command cannot be true?

Accessibility and difficulty

A game level taking place at the docks, with a guard suspiciously looking at an upside down cardboard box that might or might not be moving — Is that box moving? Am I just seeing things?

We believe in making our games as accessible as possible, and Agents of Groove is no exception. Plenty of accessibility and customization settings allow you to tailor the gameplay experience to your desires:

Play in English, Italian, French, Spanish, or Japanese with full localization of conversations and game UI elements.
Can't (or would rather not) use the crank? No problem: turn on Crank Assist Mode, and let G.R.O.O.V.E.B.O.T. handle it for you, while you only use the buttons.
Have trouble switching among the six Playdate buttons under pressure? Enable Single Button Mode without missing a beat, and use only your favorite button throughout.
Want to make the rhythm matching portions easier, and focus more on enjoying the story? Choose among three difficulty presets, change individual precision settings at any point, or simply turn on Relaxed Mode and remove penalties for making mistakes.
Prefer instead more of a challenge? Perfect Only Mode may be right up your alley.
Having a rough time due to screen shake, flashing, having to hold buttons or tilt the console? Turn any of them off without a second thought.
Have a better time with the A and B buttons rather than the D-pad? Try the Alternative Input setting (for most levels).
Wish the crank was on the left side of the console? Playdate's Upside Down Mode may be for you!

Videos

Here’s a collection of videos for Agents of Groove.

Agents of Groove Launch Trailer

When can I play it?

Agents of Groove is available NOW for the Playdate console here and on Catalog, and we'll have more to announce soon! You can follow us here, on Bluesky, Mastodon and on our homepage to stay up to date on further news and announcements!

Back Agents of Groove