Penny's Big Breakaway Reviews
Check out Penny's Big Breakaway Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 14 reviews on CriticDB, Penny's Big Breakaway has a score of:
Penny’s Big Breakaway, is developed by Evening Star and published by Private Division. Evening Star was formed by fellow Melbournian Christian Whitehead, perhaps best known for his mobile ports of classic Sonic The Hedgehog titles, or his contribution and the use of his ‘Retro Engine’ for Sonic Mania. In fact, at one point his studio was being considered for the development of SEGA’s Sonic Superstars.
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Coming off the success of Sonic Mania, the development team behind one of the best games in Sega’s storied series is back with an all-new franchise. Much like how the studio now known as Evening Star’s previous effort was a love letter to a bygone era of platforming, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a fond tribute to the 3D platformers of the late ‘90s. Evening Star clearly knows how to design a fantastic new entry in this well-worn genre, but some important issues drag down an otherwise strong game.
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However, the bigger stinger here is one jumping mechanic that’ll break all your momentum: the swinging bar. These horizontal bars ignore all momentum you’ve built up, instead forcing you to angle a landing awkwardly with your left stick. Rather than being able to jump freely at the highest point of your swing, you’re forced to slow down to make jumps (and sometimes, the angle measurement gets confused!). Even by the end of my first run, I still wasn’t used to this and I feel like it slows down Penny’s level progression unnecessarily. No other latch mechanic forces you to angle...
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It has some issues that can frustrate, mechanically it can take some getting used to, and it could do with a patch or two to clear up some unfortunate bugs, but Penny’s Big Breakaway has a lot of charm which sees it pull through the other side. If you’re a fan of 3D platformers, especially those with unique quirks and gimmicks, chances are you’ll absolutely love what Penny’s Big Breakaway has to offer. It’s certainly a solid debut from Evening Star, and we can’t wait to see what the studio does next.
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Penny’s Big Breakaway is a delightful breath of fresh air for the 3D platforming genre. It doesn’t just feel like a love letter to Sonic, but rather a number of mascot platformers from back in the day that captured our hearts. There are a few issues here and there, but for a first official release in 3D platforming from Evening Star, it’s a great start, featuring a massive collection of beautiful levels, solid mechanics and gimmicks, and a soundtrack that keeps the vibes charming throughout. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and I hope it’s just the start of things...
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Penny’s Big Breakaway is a flashy platformer debut that shines brightest for the encore.
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An unbelievably satisfying platformer that demands a certain pedigree of player, and if you aren’t able to perform, you may find yourself alienated by what it demands.
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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.
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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...
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After developing the highly acclaimed Sonic Mania, can the folks at Evening Star repeat that success with their very own 3D platformer? Let's join our yo-tagonist Penny on her colourful adventure and find out.
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The moment I found out that Christian Whitehead, the developer behind the magnificent Sonic Mania, was creating a brand new studio in order to create brand new IPs outside of Sega’s realm, I was really excited to find out what kind of game he would eventually come up with. Was it going to be yet another high-quality Saturn-era 2D platformer? He did eventually assist in the development of Freedom Planet 2, so that wouldn’t have been completely shocking. Nope, it was something else. The stu...
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At the end of the first world in Penny’s Big Breakaway, the titular character and her sentient, aggressive yo-yo are presented with their first boss-like encounter: a giant rolling ball of penguins. I had to run for my life, swinging with and riding on my yo-yo at pivotal movements so I wasn’t smushed by the ball of a boss, proving to myself that I understood and had started to master its dual-stick control scheme.
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Penny's Big Breakaway is a loving homage that accurately captures what was both fun and awkward about the early days of 3D platformers.
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