If the popular discourse is to be believed, Sonic The Hedgehog – the 90s 16-bit icon himself – had a rough time transitioning from a 2D to 3D. It’s partially true. Concessions had to be made to take the speedy hero from the 2D plane of slopes and loops to run around 3D worlds. The main problem with that wasn’t actually to do with speed at all, but momentum – which was just as vital a consideration, if not more so, in those Sega Genesis classics. Leave it to the excellent retro throwback Sonic Mania developer Evening Star, for their first original project, to solve the design problem even without the blue blur around.
After all, take one look at Penny’s Big Breakaway and it’s immediately clear that this is a love letter to the 90s with its high contrast, clashing colors, vaporwave-like piping, and Y2K-core aesthetic. But it’s wholly modern in how it plays thanks to some incredibly slick running and jumping as you control Penny, a jester-like figure, as she attempts to save her kingdom while also evading capture from its penguin police force (there was an… incident… involving the King’s undies).
Well, that is to say slick… once you figure out how to play it. Stumbling upon a magical, sentient yo-yo, Penny’s movement is all about using it to propel her forward through stages. One thing’s for sure, while there are many 3D platformers that attempt to feel like genre classics of days gone by, Penny’s Big Breakaway is not among them. In the pursuit of its momentum-based mechanics, it feels like little else. Which does mean it can frustrate to no end while you learn to play. This is genuinely a brand new type of platformer that, while it tips its cap to plenty else in the genre, is really its own thing.
Takes ages
It’s not just the occasional onslaught of penguins who swarm to arrest Penny that spurs you on, but almost every surface. From curves steep and gentle to trampolines, there’s constantly something teasing you to keep the flow going. Able to chain moves together, Penny can ride her yo-yo like a big ball to pick up speed, and perform no less than three types of double jump in the air.
One pings the yo-yo straight ahead which Penny can then snap to, another holds the yo-yo in place mid-air for Penny to arc a swing from, and yet another is the more standard extra flip in the air. Combining them all together, mixing in additional power-ups, is where things get really fun – zipping up half-pipes to get air, twisting and turning as you skip a whole chunk of the stage, or even skipping across bodies of water.
Extra gimmicks for each area, from water spouts that shoot you forward to poles to swing from give new ways to build this momentum. Each new region is brimming with personality thanks to their unique color palettes, toe-tapping soundtracks (from veterans in the retro-styled space like Tee Lops, Sean Bialo, and Christian Whitehead), and low-poly citizens who add fun, tongue-in-cheek color to the off-kilter and gamey world, somehow making the absurd kingdom feel lived in.
Some of these citizens need help from Penny, but smartly they’re also all based around speed and momentum, often revolving around little collectibles on the path ahead that it challenges you to nab as you blaze on by. Everything in concert tells you to: go, go, go.
The only grumbles I have with it are the bosses, which do force you to slow down a little and can feel a bit annoying in the process – but these only form a small part of the six hours or so of playtime for a first run through. This might seem breezy to some, but it’s formidable for this kind of speedy platformer, and with a hefty amount of stages on offer, it’s hard to resist returning to beat your times and scores – or just bask in the incredible crisp 90s vibes of it all.
“When you’re able to combo a whole line of moves just by flicking the stick, it feels incredibly satisfying.”
To add to that, Penny’s Big Breakaway even boasts a “pro” control scheme that further leans into its unique mechanics. Here, rather than just pressing the face buttons to throw the yo-yo straight ahead, you use the right analogue stick to do so instead in any direction, and can use the triggers to do your jumps and yo-yo rides. Both are active at once, which yes, does mean it uses a fixed camera (but it’s really well done), but being able to switch on the fly has its uses. And when you’re able to combo a whole line of moves just by flicking the stick, it feels incredibly satisfying.
Penny’s Big Breakaway manages to land its trick well, and feel incredibly unique. While that can be off-putting at first, it’s worth sticking with as, thanks to its canny design that ensures you Gotta Go Fast, it recaptures an old school magic in an entirely new school way. Who can forget the feeling in Sonic The Hedgehog of running down a hill and pressing down on the d-pad to tuck into a ball and ride the waves of a stage? Penny’s Big Breakaway captures that feeling again and again in 3D, and makes it look effortless – and that’s worth a whole crowd’s applause.
Penny’s Big Breakaway is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch. For more recommendations, head on over to our Indie Spotlight series. Or if you’re just looking for the best platformer games, give that a read as well!