HomeFeaturesPenny’s Big Breakaway
Penny’s Big Breakaway and its unruly yo-yo platforming feels like a hyper Sonic The HedgehogMy head is spinning after a few hours with the new game from former Sonic Mania devs
My head is spinning after a few hours with the new game from former Sonic Mania devs
Image credit:Private Division
Image credit:Private Division
A great 3Dplatformerseems to be a rare and special thing these days. I thinkPsychonauts 2was the last one that really took my breath away, but outside of that (as well as obviously every 3D Nintendo platformer), I often struggle to think of many games that could be considered its equal. There’s always something holding them back, isn’t there? Whether it’s a wonky camera, slightly unwieldly controls, or the platforming itself is just a little too pedestrian to ignite the imagination.
Image credit:Private Division
Then again, I’ve always never been much of a Sonic head myself. Mario was my platformer of choice growing up, and Sonic’s dizzying speeds and homing dashes have never been quite my cup of tea. Penny clearly shares a lot of Sonic’s underlying DNA, too. She’s takes a second to really get going from a standstill, for example, but once she gets going, she can feel quite slippery under the thumbs - and as someone who prefers their platforming mascots to be able to turn on a dime, this made even basic navigation around Macaroon’s various themed levels more challenging than I was expecting.
Image credit:Private Division
Why penguins? Well, after humiliating the (human) emperor Eddie during a performance with your Yo-Yo bud, he sets his fleet of penguin guards on you to bring you to justice. That’s the real reason why you’re bounding across these colourful biomes. You’re making your making your escape and trying to stay out of trouble. A very twee, cheerful and upbeat kind of escape, admittedly, but an escape nonetheless - even if half the time the penguins come across as more of a low-level nuisance than a truly serious threat.
Image credit:Private Division
So yes, a bit of a wobbly start for me and Penny’s Big Breakaway, but maybe I’m just being a big old sausage fingers and need to spend more time with it. My lack of Sonic prowess is almost certainly a factor here, and I suspect that true blue blurrers will find more to like. It’s coming toSteamin full in early 2024, so hopefully we’ll be able to take it for a longer spin very soon.
