Penny's Big Breakaway - Switch Review

It has been some time since Christian Whitehead and the team over at Headcannon made the highly beloved Sonic Mania and at that time, players assumed their next project was going to be more Sonic, but instead we saw them form Evening Star and create their own unique IP in Penny’s Big Breakaway.

After an audition goes horribly wrong, Penny and her new sentient yoyo friend are on the run from Emperor Eddie and his endless horde of penguin guards. Making her way across the lands of Macaroon, Penny will use her yoyo tricks to evade capture, meet new friends and discover the secrets behind her new yoyo friend.

The Good

Penny’s Big Breakaway has some truly excellent controls. With Penny’s yoyo, you have access to a double jump, an air dash, a mid air swing and the ability to ride the yoyo like a giant wheel. All of these abilities are implemented very intuitively and feel natural within seconds of gameplay. I found it to be very easy to get into a sort of zen state where I zone out and just let the natural flow of the game’s momentum carry me through levels.

The level design complements the momentum based platforming excellently, featuring a lot of slopes, bounce pads, zip lines and much more to keep up your speed and momentum. My favourite part of the level design is that it can also be played at the player's own pace if they prefer slower platformers. Each level has three collectable bolts and three side quests that the player can perform, which show some more intricate and hidden details of each level. While each level also has Emperor Eddie's guards trying to capture you, nothing is preventing you from taking them on in combat and taking your time. Penny’s Big Breakaway really feels like a platformer for everyone.

Complementing Penny’s yoyo skills, a majority of the boss fights are themed around street performances. Diavolos, juggling, puppetry, sumo? Does sumo count? And each one is very cleverly thought out using some different aspect of Penny’s moveset, making each encounter unique and interesting.

TL;DR

• Well thought out momentum-based platforming
• Excellent level design that compliments its playstyle
• Fun and interesting boss battles

The Bad

My only real complaint with Penny's Big Breakaway is that at times you can go a bit too fast and clip through the environment, which gets very annoying during time trial challenges and it happens a lot more often than you think it would.

TL;DR

• Occasional clipping issues

Final Score: 9/10

It’s no surprise that Penny’s Big Breakaway is a modern-day masterpiece in the platforming genre, you can really tell that the development team has a true passion for momentum-style platformers. In short, Penny’s Big Breakaway sticks the landing and finishes with a flourish.

Thank you for checking out our Penny’s Big Breakaway Switch review, thank you to Private Division (via Double Jump) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

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