GamesPlatformerThe joyous momentum of 16-bit Sonic is finally recaptured in 3D thanks to Penny’s Big Breakaway, once you learn its fantastic and unique controlsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesPlatformerThe joyous momentum of 16-bit Sonic is finally recaptured in 3D thanks to Penny’s Big Breakaway, once you learn its fantastic and unique controlsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Evening Star)
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, butmomentum– which was just as vital a consideration, if not more so, in thoseSegaGenesis 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).
Takes ages
(Image credit: Evening Star)
DARK TIMES(Image credit: Sega)Recent Sonic games have been quite good as well. After all,Shadow Generations features some of the best levels in Sonic’s 3D history!
DARK TIMES
(Image credit: Sega)Recent Sonic games have been quite good as well. After all,Shadow Generations features some of the best levels in Sonic’s 3D history!
(Image credit: Sega)
Recent Sonic games have been quite good as well. After all,Shadow Generations features some of the best levels in Sonic’s 3D history!
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.
(Image credit: Evening Star)
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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.
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 ourIndie Spotlightseries. Or if you’re just looking for thebest platformer games, give that a read as well!
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CATEGORIES
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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