Penny's Big Breakaway

Spin it to win it

Throwbacks to platformers of old are plentiful. Evening Star, the developer of this one, was responsible for Sonic Mania. But while Penny’s Big Breakaway, the  studio’s debut original 3D platformer, piles on the nostalgia, what’s unique is how fresh every leap and flick of the yo-yo feels. Derivative? Hardly; you haven’t seen tricks like these before.

Street performer Penny hopes to ace the audition to become the kingdom’s new palace entertainer. But as she swings her way through the tutorial, a chance meeting with a cosmic string not only enhances her yo-yo, it means the toy bites off more than it can chew. After it munches on the king’s clothing, reducing him to his underoos in front of the masses, Penny is hunted by the kingdom’s penguin security forces. Plenty of reason to run through levels at pace, as our heroine uses her yo-yo to escape and discover the truth behind her stellar upgrade.

TIME CAPSULE

Embracing a ’90s aesthetic, every area features clashing colours and vapourwave designs, mixed with a blippy, scratchy, and dreamy soundtrack (featuring retro-style OST veterans like Tee Lopes, Christian Whitehead, and Sean Bialo). These are pleasing worlds to get lost in, and the cartoon style also makes the obstacles ahead readable.