taterchips Penny's Big Breakaway Review

It is definitely not going to be for everyone, and there's quite the learning curve to it. But if you have a soft spot for the Gamecube/PS2 era of platformers, I think you'll find a real gem here. If you are familiar with this game, it's probably because you played Sonic Mania, which was developed by many of the folks from this studio. And yes, the Sonic influence is readily apparent. Momentum is the focus here. You have to build up your speed so you can use it to make big jumps. You even have a facsimile of rolling, spindashing and even the dropdash. Remarkably, Evening Star has managed to do what Sonic Team never quite could; they've translated the momentum focused platforming of classic Sonic into 3D. But they haven't stopped there. The yoyo introduces a number of new mechanics, allowing Penny to break objects, grab hold of stage pieces, but most notably she can use it to air dash, as a sort of grapple hook, and even a mid-air swing you can pull out at any time. Combining all of this with largely great level design, and a wonderful visual style to boot, and you have an immensely replayable and rewarding platformer.