After a successful reception at Nintendo Direct, gamers have finally been treated to initial gameplay for the upcoming platformer Penny’s Big Breakaway.
This game comes courtesy of Evening Star, better known as the team behind Sonic Mania, and it’s their first full 3D platformer, with the first live gameplay showcase (and the first showcase in general for a while) having happened just yesterday.
This happened due to IndieLand 2023, an event hosted by Jirard Khalil, better known as The Completionist, who sat down with Evening Star as they showcased their game on a live stream.
This gameplay showcase did go on for quite a while, though, so if you want the rundown and idea of how this game will play, I’ll give you a quick roll through it.
How Does Penny’s Big Breakaway Play?
Firstly, you start by picking your levels in a space station, warping you down to wacky, fantastic locations. You play as Penny, the wonderfully dubbed “yo-tagonist,” teaming up with Yo, who is, well, a Yo-Yo.
This Yo-Yo will be the central mechanism backing every movement, attack, and cool trick you do in Penny’s Big Breakaway.
You can throw it to attack, which also works while moving, but if you hold it out instead of just throwing it, you can walk around it and make it constantly damage enemies or bounce on top of it to bounce, similar to Mario Odyssey.
And, if you jump, then throw it on the ground, you can ride it around to go quickly, like drop-dashing in Sonic Frontiers.
You can also quickly dash forward, suspend the yo-yo midair to swing from it, make a big spin attack, and combo every single one of these moves into each other.
Like Devil May Cry, this combo meter will go up the more unique, stylish moves you pull off, so if you get good at comboing Penny’s moveset into itself, you’ll be rewarded with extra points.
The entire point of this moveset was designed explicitly with redirecting your moment in mind, like being able to do a 180 without losing any speed, so the Yo-Yo moves frequently let you change direction, move that way immediately, and then shift back in no time at all, making for an incredibly fluid and fast movement system.
Of course, none of this would matter if the levels weren’t good, but they’re all designed wonderfully. They look more akin to Mario level design, as in 3D World or Galaxy, with a unique, colorful flair.
You’ll either be set in tight platforming sections where your grasp on Penny’s moveset is tested or bigger, more open areas where you explore and find collectibles.
Suppose you collect Challenge Coins placed throughout the levels. In that case, these act similarly to Super Mario Galaxy 2’s Comet Medals, unlocking a challenging, alternate version of the level for you to run through.
You’ll also be grabbing coins to get collectibles later and do some quests for NPC’s that need your help, like grabbing their sandwich off a crane.
All of this is on top of really incredible character designs, some fun collectibles scattered about the level, silly enemies to take on, and a great soundtrack from Sonic Mania and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge composer Tee Lopes.
It’s got the Sonic, Sega-ish vibes but with a cute character being tracked down by the Penguin Mafia.
Further Reading
If you want some coverage on Penny’s Big Breakaway when it releases or just some content on the most excellent 3D platformers indies offer, stick around for more.
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