This ended up being easier than I expected, so I thought I'd share.
function playdate.gameWillPause()
local img = gfx.getDisplayImage()
gfx.lockFocus(img)
local bgRect = playdate.geometry.rect.new(20, 20, 160, 200)
local textRect = playdate.geometry.rect.new(30, 30, 140, 180)
gfx.setColor(gfx.kColorWhite)
gfx.fillRoundRect(bgRect, 10)
gfx.setColor(gfx.kColorBlack)
gfx.drawRoundRect(bgRect, 10)
-- this is the important bit here.
-- You can of course create this string however you like,
-- including adding a score or level or whathaveyou.
local text = "Text to show on the left side of the screen goes HERE."
-- this line actually draws the text. You only need the first two parameters.
-- See https://sdk.play.date/1.11.1/Inside%20Playdate.html#f-graphics.drawTextInRect for more details.
gfx.drawTextInRect(text, textRect, 0, "...", kTextAlignment.center)
gfx.unlockFocus()
playdate.setMenuImage(img, 0)
end
This code was adapted from the FlippyFish example project in the SDK.