Despite my general praise for the recently released Sonic Superstars game, there was a part of me that felt a little disappointed at what could have been a true follow-up to Sonic Mania with Christian Whitehead at the helm — that is, until I remembered Penny’s Big Breakaway was on the horizon.
As much as I love Whitehead’s work on Sonic the Hedgehog, the prospect of seeing what Evening Star could produce when allowed to work on their very own property was exciting, not to mention the awesome reveal trailer for the game. Having spent a decent amount of time with an early access build of the game, I can happily report that Penny’s Big Breakaway is on track to be a runaway success.
For the uninitiated, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a 3D platformer where players assume the role of the titular character with the aid of her trusty and very sentient cosmic yo-yo. As Penny, players must evade capture after an embarrassing royal disrobing of the King during a talent show, which sets things in motion while adhering to the nonsensical but charming atmosphere of the game.
Outside of a truly unique and fun gameplay mechanic with the yo-yo, which I’ll touch on in a moment, Penny’s Big Breakaway’s aesthetics were what impressed me from the moment I saw the game in its initial reveal trailer to actually getting to play it.
“Penny’s Big Breakaway’s aesthetics were what impressed me from the moment I saw the game in its initial reveal trailer to actually getting to play it.”
In essence, Penny’s Big Breakaway looks akin to the art prevalent in official Sonic the Hedgehog and other SEGA properties come to life, specifically the work of Naoto Ohshima and Osamu Muto. From its bright and colourful palette to its subtle use of specular lights that make reflective materials pop, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a love letter to the 90s.
The gameplay in Penny’s Big Breakaway emphasizes Penny’s yo-yo, which in-game has come to life after coming in contact with something referred to as Cosmic String, which turns her innocuous yo-yo into a Chain Chomp from the Mushroom Kingdom.
Penny’s yo-yo can do everything from dashing over gaps, riding segway-style, and grabbing items to spinning in place and straight-up bonking enemies that come too close. If you’re of a certain age, you may remember that one episode of The Simpsons with the Twirl King Yo-Yo company, which I think best sums up my feelings towards what it feels like to play Penny’s Big Breakaway.
In addition to the yo-yo itself, Penny can transform her alien friend via power-ups, which, from my time with the game, include hammers and pieces of cake that send Penny flying into the air to burgers that turn her into a wrecking ball.
There are a few options as far as controls go, but by default, having the face buttons for jumping and dashing, while the bumpers control your segway and the right stick gives you free rein in directing your yo-yo, all feeling natural and well-implemented.
During my time with Penny’s Big Breakaway, I was given access to the first five worlds of the game, with each biome consisting of 3-6 stages, with some occasionally featuring a boss thrown in for good measure. Level variety in Penny’s Big Breakaway is solid, featuring everything from a spicy food-inspired hotpot world to the inside of a microcontroller circuit board, reminiscent of the Studioopolis zone featured in Sonic Mania.
Outside of just getting to the end of each stage, levels in Penny’s Big Breakaway consist of multiple objectives, including hidden coins (bolts?) and tasks for Penny to complete via NPCs that populate the rather expansive stages throughout each stage. These tasks generally boil down to helping an NPC deliver something within a short time window, collect enough of something, or break objects in the environment that go off the beaten path, among other unique stage-specific requests.
Some of the later requests can be rather challenging, requiring the player to master Penny’s yo-yo artistry. Thankfully, this is more rewarding than frustrating and ultimately transforms the game from feeling like a bog-standard platformer to something truly special.
Getting to the end of the stage results in a podium finish, and similar to games like Kirby, Penny’s Big Breakaway allows the player to earn some bonus points by showing off their yo-yo busking skills via QTE sequences that add a little bit of extra flair to each level while lending itself to the performative theme of the game.
Despite not having seen everything Penny’s Big Breakaway has on show, I can safely say that the 3D platformer fans are in for a treat when the game comes out later this year.
