Penny's Big Breakaway Reviews
Someone will look at a screenshot of Penny's Big Breakaway and know it was a game made for them. It's colourful, has some head-bopping tunes and features a simple yet playful main mechanic in the yo-yo. There's plenty of fun to be had here, even if it's a real yo-yo of a package.
Penny's Big Breakaway is big on ambition, for a studio the size of Evening Star they have turned in a title that is a cut above the 3D action adventure norm, most of the time. At its best, Penny's is vibrant, colourful and packed with imaginative ideas and mechanics. The use of momentum feels natural and the level design feels intuitive. The overall presentation is excellent and is backed by a banging soundtrack that brings the game to life. That said, there are moments where Penny's Big Breakway crosses the threshold from difficult/tricky and into frustrating territory. Whilst not bad enough or frequent enough to ruin the experience, it did create moments where I felt I needed to put the controller down and take a break. Overall though, in a genre flooded with competitors, if you are looking for something different, Penny's Big Breakaway could be just the ticket.
Penny’s Big Breakaway achieves what it sets out to do in many areas, creating a stylish game with a fun, rich moveset that incentivizes and rewards masterful play, but is hampered by a few design flaws and a steep difficulty spike early on.
Though Penny’s Big Breakaway wears a bit thin by its end, the 3D platformer is a lot of fun in bursts and features lots of fun ideas that I hope to see refined in future titles. The colorful style and plethora of play styles make it worth the time of platformer fans, and I look forward to the next game from Evening Star.
How high is your tolerance for bugs, jank, and glitches? How much do you pine for early days of Sonic’s foray into 3D gaming? Your answer to those two questions will probably determine how much you enjoy Penny’s Big Breakaway.
3D platformers with this much quality are rare nowadays. A mix of Mario Odyssey and Sonic is sure to appeal to a wide array of players. Odyssey players especially will have a great time finding out the full array of abilities the yo-yo offers. There’s enough replayability and interest on offer to make this worth the purchase.
Wielding enough creativity and originality in its approach, Penny's Big Breakaway is a classic case of the good of its premise outmatching the occasional bad of its execution. As annoying the technical state in parts is, let alone some of the misjudged application of additional, incentivizing challenge runs a greater risk of putting players off entirely. Even so, flawed and lacking a touch of polish it may be, Evening Star have done well establishing a new IP that is not only reminiscent of past years, but eagerly wants to build something new out of it. What it ends up creating may not be the most fluid or immediately-enticing take on traversal, but Penny's Big Breakaway is a small, but promising start crammed full of fresh ideas and endearing style alike.
Penny's Big Breakaway isn't one of the genre's greats, but it's a very unique and fun 3D platformer.
So, Penny's Big Breakaway is a flawed gem in the end. Once you're comfortable with the controls, the fundamental gameplay works very nicely indeed, and there are some fantastic levels (especially in the latter half) which really accentuate this game's unique ideas. It's a shame it's launched with some unusual bugs, as they take the shine off of an imaginative 3D platformer with lots of potential. Hopefully, after a few updates, this promising debut from Evening Star will please the crowds with a tighter performance.
Penny's Big Breakaway is a fun 3D platformer with great locomotion, but a whole host of bugs and checkpoint issues spoil the good time.
Penny's Big Breakaway is a loving homage that accurately captures what was both fun and awkward about the early days of 3D platformers.
It’s a shame so many problems weigh on this otherwise enjoyable adventure. Even with the screen-crowding, bugs, and depth-perception troubles, I still look back fondly on the superb level design and movement mechanics. But because of those important detractors, Penny’s Big Breakaway lands as a solid 3D platformer unable to swing to the great heights it felt destined for.
A charming indie platformer with a fun central gimmick and excellent movement options, let down by garish visuals and some deliberate retro foibles.
Penny’s Big Breakaway is a game in which the idiomatic expression “first you find it strange, then you understand it” is perfectly applied. The first impact causes some strangeness and confusion to more modern gaming sensibilities, but as we progress and master the mechanics better, we find a real pearl in this experience. It will not yet be a milestone within the 3D platform genre, mainly due to some inconsistencies and some technical problems that disturb the experience, but it is a game that leaves us with our mouths watering, and praying that Penny ends up leaving in more adventures in the future.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Penny’s Big Breakaway is a good game but its show isn't surprising and the commands don't always flow like I'd prefer. There aren't big issues nor big qualities to highlight, making it recommended especially for people who love 3D platformers and colorful games with a cartoon feeling.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Penny’s Big Breakaway is an interesting game and its trailer draws attention but the actual presentation isn't as good as expected. The issues obfuscate the qualities and, for that reason, the game may not please most players, especially if you aren't used to 3D platformers. I'd wager that alternative modes with limited, decreasing time, that is, where we already know the limit from the start, would be a good alternative to intertwine with the limitless stages.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Penny's Big Breakaway is an enjoyable audition, clogged by the usual 3D platform trappings but fun and colourful enough to get away with it. Hopefully this is the first of many adventures to come.
I had a great time with Penny’s Big Breakaway, despite some glaring gameplay issues. It features a confusing control scheme, and the lack of camera control is something I don’t exactly miss from the late 90s. Still, it managed to win me over with its infectious charm, innovative ideas (even if some of them didn’t exactly pay off), and exciting set pieces. It’s hard not to smile while playing it, it’s just that upbeat, it’s just that fun.
Penny's Big Breakaway is a melting pot of fresh ideas and slow-cooked nostalgia that'll caress the palate of the speedrunners and score-chasers out there, while potentially cooling a little thanks to some technical flubs and awkward controls. If you've got a hunger for Saturn and Dreamcast-era 3D platformers you'll be more than satiated here.
A compelling game lies at the heart of Penny's Big Breakaway. If you're willing to give it the proper staging and some time to practice, it will put on a great show as a speedy platformer with a fun learning curve. However, getting to that point requires seeing past its many distracting elements. I enjoyed my time with Penny, but if we're being honest, I think she needs to polish her act.