Penny’s Huge Breakaway comes from a few of Sonic Mania’s key contributors, and you’ll definitely see and really feel the influences. This 3D platformer encourages velocity, utilizing momentum to your benefit, and exploring vibrant, open ranges, very similar to SEGA’s mascot collection. Regardless of the through-line, nonetheless, this sport’s core mechanics set it aside from its style friends — even when it takes some getting used to first.
Penny’s residing, cosmic yo-yo is each companion and enabler for some tremendous enjoyable manoeuvrability. After initially scuffling with the controls — which encourage sending out the yo-yo with the appropriate stick and leaping with R1, though face buttons can be utilized — we ultimately settled into them and found the sport’s rhythm. As soon as it clicks, chaining collectively Penny’s mid-air swing, air sprint, and driving the yo-yo alongside the bottom feels nice. A lot of the extent design encourages maximising momentum to flee these pesky pursuing penguins and discover collectibles, mid-level targets, and alternate paths. There is a good quantity right here to encourage replaying levels, to not point out aiming to enhance your instances and scores.
Mixed with the enticing visible type and a few correct ear-worm music, there’s so much to love about this title. Nevertheless, it is not with out its points. There are a number of examples of collision merely not working the way it ought to; we have needed to comply with the licence settlement each new day we boot it up; and the end-of-level minigame will not register sure inputs. Moreover, a number of the boss fights are enjoyable however others are onerous to learn and troublesome to fight with Penny’s talents.
So, Penny’s Huge Breakaway is a flawed gem in the long run. When you’re comfy with the controls, the elemental gameplay works very properly certainly, and there are some improbable ranges (particularly within the latter half) which actually intensify this sport’s distinctive concepts. It is a disgrace it is launched with some uncommon bugs, as they take the shine off of an imaginative 3D platformer with a lot of potential. Hopefully, after a number of updates, this promising debut from Night Star will please the crowds with a tighter efficiency.
