Retro Gadgets Reviews

so cool

I remember playing this a while ago using a friends shared library and enjoying it. This was to a small degree as I hadn't really dabbled in Lua scripting that much. After a short while I forgot about the game. Eventually I remembered the fun I had whilst messing around. I bought the game for myself and I don't regret in any way at all. Despite Lua's limited capabilities outside of certain uses, I believe that Lua was the best choice for this game. I don't even consider this a game at all; it's a development platform for people to express themselves with nostalgia and programming. Some of the projects I've seen made on this game are incredible, a level I hope to reach one day. Overall, this game is a 100% recommendation for anyone even slightly considering getting into programming. A solid 9.5/10.

So... This product can already stand on its own as a competent toy to tinker around with if you're willing to learn some LUA and dive into the game's API. BUT they haven't delivered on their roadmap and updates seem to have stagnated (if they aren't dead entirely.) At the time of this review, Steam is also now warning it's possibly abandoned. I've played it enough and owned it long enough I dont qualify for a refund. I'm so sick of these really cool games I support that get ditched in Early Access. Hence: not recommended. If I'm proven incorrect in the future, I'll definitely come back and change this review.

according to steam the last update was 15 months ago i bought it probably 15 months ago so dont buy it now not worth 20 dollars if no updates i might have used a gift card idk honestly its fun though

I wanted to love Retro Gadgets. The concept is brilliant—build your own desktop gadgets with Lua in a cute, modular, retro-inspired environment. On paper, it’s exactly the kind of sandbox I live for. But after almost three years on Steam, it’s clear the project isn’t evolving the way it probably should. The API has barely changed. Core features still feel unfinished or stagnant. I mean, thank you for the clear cases—but there's no real growth in usability, scripting capability, or functional depth. It’s like the devs keep adding frosting to a half-baked cake. The sound system, especially, is a missed opportunity. Retro Gadgets has all the ingredients to be a modular DSP playground—perfect for building sequencers, synths, procedural sound toys. But the sound buffer is laggy, and there’s a frustrating lack of low-level control to build anything truly responsive. There’s been talk of improvements, but if it hasn’t happened yet, it’s hard to stay optimistic. As an experienced developer, I’ve come to realize I could probably build something almost identical in Godot. With just a little primer on transparent window support, I’d have far more power and flexibility—and if I really wanted Lua scripting, I could integrate it myself. That realization soured my hype. What should be a sleek toolset for creative tinkering now feels like something that’s struggling to define itself. The story mode idea sounds cute in theory, but it honestly feels like a distraction. The editor and scripting environment aren't done yet—why divert attention to bolting on a narrative? If they really want to tell a story, it would be far more compelling as a separate experience where gadgets made in RG are used within a game world. As it stands, it risks wasting the one thing that's actually working: the community of passionate creators. Retro Gadgets feels less like a project growing legs, and more like one sprouting a new weird tail every so often—just wiggling awkwardly on the workbench, unsure of what it wants to be. Charming, yes. But directionless. At its best, Retro Gadgets could’ve been the Game Boy of DIY desktop utilities—simple, elegant, and endlessly extensible. But instead, it’s stuck in Tamagotchi mode: cute, limited, and desperately in need of attention it isn’t getting.