Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo lived up to all my expectations, and is one of the very best Metroidvanias I've ever played.

Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo is not only a loving tribute to classic GBA games, but a serious elevation of the style.

Taking the game as a whole, it’s hard not to be massively impressed by what Pipistrello manages to do with the toolkit it gives itself. Every piece works together to make for a distinctive adventure game that will grab you from the very first minute and refuse to let go. While I might take some convincing on the “Yoyovania” as a genre, it’s clear that there’s an unparalleled creative vision here that should be admired.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a 2D adventure game that should be on everyone's wishlist. Who doesn’t want to play a retro-inspired yoyovania?

Pipistrello’s creative mechanics, charming world, and gorgeous Game Boy Advance stylings make it one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Packing tricks and treats in equal measure, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo will no doubt be the talk around New Jolt City with its new school old school cool.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a masterclass in retro Zelda-like game design, expertly fusing classic mechanics with creative new ideas to make for a thoroughly memorable and worthwhile experience. Occasional difficulty spikes aside, we’d highly recommend you pick up Pipistrello at the next available opportunity, especially if you're a Zelda fan who prefers the top-down design of games such as The Minish Cap. Much like its title character, this one has a lot of cool tricks up its sleeve.

You likely won't have played anything like Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo before. Combining puzzles, combat and adventuring, this game is an utter joy — and using a yoyo as both a weapon and a tool never gets old. Well written and incredibly accessible thanks to its difficulty options, this is a true indie gem.

More than a "yoyovania," Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a great tribute to all great Game Boy Advance games, understanding the appeal of both their minimalism and their maximalism.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo makes an absurdly powerful first impression. As the game loads, a 3D-modeled, handheld gaming console descends from the heavens, artificial light reflecting from the smudged plastic coating on its screen. The console twirls as a cartridge falls into the slot, then spins back to face the audience as the game boots. Pipistrello doesn’t just transition to a normal, fullscreen video game at this point, like you may expect. It just runs in this fictional handheld, taking up more than half the display. The game hasn’t even started, and we’ve dived headfirst into the p...

Pocket Trap positively charmed and won me over last summer when I laid hands and eyes on Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. The game, which is so heavily GBA-inspired in design and execution, had the perfect little demo of dungeon-adjacent exploration, puzzle solving and some witty dialogue to make the twenty minutes just fly by in terms of play. The reps from PM Studio talked animatedly about Pipistrello, citing the influences and flushing out the fullness of the world within. Now, nearly a ye...

They’re calling it the world’s first Yoyovania, and it’s here on the completely non-copyright infringing Pocket Trap Game System ™. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a top-down 2D adventure game, but also a love letter to the era of Game Boy Advance portable gaming. It’s got gorgeous design and a whole lot of charm, but does it have enough tricks to make it to the big time?