Platformers have come a long way since Mario first leapt his way across the Mushroom Kingdom. But in recent years, the genre has struggled to keep momentum outside of Nintendo’s usual lineup. Most indie attempts fail to reach the high bar set by the classics. Enter Penny’s Big Breakaway—a vibrant return to form that shakes things up with a magical yo-yo and thrilling sense of speed.
Reviving the frenetic energy and bold style of ‘90s mascot platformers like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro, Penny’s adventure features imaginatively designed levels, dynamic acrobatics, and a motley crew of eccentric characters throughout its storybook world. It may seem an unlikely formula, but trust me—one dizzying string of yo-yo stunts is enough to get you hooked on this satisfying spin through familiar yet fresh territory.
While ups and downs come with any revival attempt, Penny ultimately sticks the landing, whipping up an experience that should resonate with platforming fans young and old. So whether you grew up pulling off killer combos in Tony Hawk or perfecting triple jumps in Super Mario Sunshine, it’s time to loosen up those fingers and take this awesome throwback gem out for a spin. Just be sure to stretch first!
A Vibrant and Wacky World
Don’t go into Penny’s Big Breakaway expecting some epic, high-stakes adventure. The story here is delightfully simple: our hero Penny gets in hot water after her mischievous yo-yo causes some royal wardrobe malfunctions, forcing her on the lam across a variety of vibrant and bizarre locales.
Sure, the narrative may be paper thin, but the vibrant worldbuilding and expressive characters pick up the slack. Each level introduces kooky creatures like tall-stack citizens of Pancake Peaks or the endless legions of tubby penguin guards. The environments match that energy, taking Penny everywhere from construction sites to active volcanoes.
Visually, the game embraces a cheerful Y2K aesthetic straight out of classics like Banjo-Kazooie or Spyro. The geometric landscapes and bobble-headed character models probably won’t win any awards for realism. But there’s something nostalgic about the bold colors, chunky figures, and simplified shapes that fits the madcap atmosphere perfectly.
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While the story plays second fiddle to the platforming thrills, the setting consistently delights with its positivity and personality. Penny’s stretchy, squishy world bounces along with an infectious exuberance that’s impossible to resist. Coupled with the dynamic acrobatics, it makes for a non-stop dopamine rush fans of mascot classics or wacky adventures will easily embrace.
Yo-Yo Mastery Takes Practice
Penny’s main claim to fame is her dexterous yo-yo skills, used for everything from attacking foes to pulling off radical tricks. It essentially serves as an extending grappling hook, allowing momentum-driven antics like mid-air dashes, zipline grinding, wheeling, and more. Chaining moves together lets you tear through levels with breakneck flair once you get in a flow state.
At first, maneuvering the dual control sticks to aim and manipulate the yo-yo takes some real getting used to. Be prepared to careen off cliffs constantly while finding your footing in the first few zones. But stick with it, and the intuitive possibilities become apparent as Penny’s toolset clicks.
Before long, you’ll swing over gaps, boot up inclines, and shred around corners with ollie-ing finesse comparable to a master skater. Levels grow increasingly demanding over time, but that sense of skill progression is supremely rewarding. Soon enough, you’ll be manually controlling the yo-yo with one hand while platforming with the other almost automatically in a harmonious rhythm.
And Penny’s Big Breakaway offers plenty of incentives to keep honing those talents. Nabbing collectibles and completing NPC side quests pushes you to explore what’s possible movement-wise. The scoring combo system rewards chaining stunts with steadily racking multipliers. And with online leaderboards tracking level clear times, speedrunner veterans will find plenty of replay value optimizing runs.
Between the charming atmosphere and refined platforming calibration, Penny’s premiere voyage makes for one breezy, smile-inducing romp. It does hit a few snags early on as you acquaint with the controls. But give it time, and you’ll be yo-yoing with the best of ‘em across Evening Star’s charismatic new IP.
Obstacle Courses Made for Speed
It’s one thing to nail responsive controls—it’s another to give players engaging spaces to test them out. Thankfully, Penny’s breakneck escape puts her yo-yo skills through a gauntlet of diverse and lively gauntlets. The platforming premise lends itself nicely to the linear obstacle course approach taken here.
Levels run the gamut from urban cityscapes to fiery volcanoes, but they all emphasize forward momentum in intuitive ways. Gaps get progressively wider, routes more complex, and enemies denser to keep that difficulty curve climbing. Luckily, the environments also become more open-ended in the process. Hidden collectibles encourage detours down branching alternate paths.
Developers clearly focused on crafting routes built for speedrunning mastery. Chaining together jumps, grinds, ziplines, and more without breaking stride through the expert layouts makes you feel like a total pro. Some stages do drag at points when centered on environmental puzzles over platforming. But the pure, propulsive sequences capture that sensation of flow so integral to the best 3D platformers.
It may seem restrictive compared to expansive open worlds in modern titles. But by concentrating on honing single sequences, Penny’s Big Breakaway delivers some of the most gratifying platforming challenges around. Evening Star nails it on their first try thanks to environments tailored perfectly to host Penny’s high-flying hijinks.
Built for Repeated Playthroughs
Sure, blasting through the story mode won’t take more than a few hours your first run. But Penny’s Big Breakaway packs in plenty to keep perfectionist players hooked for the long haul.
The combo-driven scoring invites replay just to push for a new personal record. And that’s before considering the wealth of optional objectives littered throughout levels. Speedrunning against others’ best times tests mastery of route optimization. Collecting hidden doodads unlocks new costumes and backstory lore. And silly side quests for wacky NPCs add a welcome dose of humor while forcing you to traverse levels creatively.
Some may grumble that the relatively short campaign length leaves you wanting more. But when the platforming action stays this focused and refined, it also gives developers a chance to squeeze every last drop of engagement value from the creation. Restarting stages to ace objectives, fill out the gallery, or climb the time trial ranks makes the compact size a feature rather than a flaw.
By the time the credits roll, you’ll still be discovering new shortcuts and honing trick combos. And with so many goals left unfinished, jumping back in with Penny for round two feels fresh rather than repetitive. The concentrated level designs reveal surprising depth upon revisitation. For devotees seeking a cute platforming fix with legs, Penny’s premiere delivers endless upside in a petite yet jam-packed package.
Bosses Miss the Mark
For the most part, Penny’s freshman escapade sticks the landing, delivering a platforming masterclass destined for cult classic status. But a few unfortunate blemishes hold it back from hall of fame contention.
The chief culprits are the boss encounters bookending each area. After running literal circles around environs tailored to your moveset, suddenly getting locked in a box with some gimmicky baddie feels like hitting a brick wall. Duels play out more like prolonged quick time events than organic culminations testing your skills. And slack checkpoint implementation exacerbates the frustration when you inevitably miss some unclear telegraph.
It’s a real pace-killer after the fluidity of standard stages. And while Penny controls like a dream normally, finicky instances do crop up. Hitboxes can be unreliable around moving hazards, leading to some unfair-feeling deaths over time. The odd visual hitch mires frame rates in busy sections as well on occasion.
Thankfully, these performance dips prove rare, as do any show-stopping bugs. And again, they mostly distract from the good vibes rather than ruin the experience. But after such creative level concepts and tight controls otherwise, it’s hard not to dwell on the scattered shakiness seeping in.
Hopefully, Evening Star irons out the kinks in future sequels, because the foundations laid here brim with promise. For now, occasional wonkiness accompanies the wins. But smooth sailing mostly carries this charismatic debut to safe harbors for eager platforming fans.
A Welcome Revival of Bygone Bliss
Sometimes a little nostalgia goes a long way. And Penny’s Big Breakaway oozes retro charm in all the right ways for a delightful, if imperfect, throwback jaunt. Between responsive controls, dazzling spectacle, and whimsical personality, Evening Star’s debut evokes the atmosphere of an long-lost golden age while demonstrating plenty of smart new ideas all their own.
Sure, a few nagging camera quibbles, formulaic bosses, and stability sputters reflect the title’s modest scale and budget. But they rarely distract from the kinetic, carefree fun on display. Once Penny’s versatile slinging skills click, blissful platforming catharsis kicks in to whisk you through an increasingly challenging circuit of thrills and laughs across imaginatively themed worlds filled with secrets aplenty.
Refining level segments for blistering race times reveals remarkable depth given the compact scope. And charm radiates nonstop from the vibrant aesthetic and goofy townsfolk keeps bringing you back just to spend more time inhabiting the cheery dreamscape they’ve built. For a debut, Penny’s crew knocked it out of the park, updating mascot greats of old for a new generation while leaving you eager to see their next leap forward after honing in on the few fumbles found here.
Veterans burnt out on collect-a-thons may overlook this exuberant gem at their loss. But newcomers or anyone pining for the long-absent blithe joy of yesteryear’s icons should find plenty to adore in Penny’s uplifting escapade.
