Penny’s Big Breakaway

About

In "Penny's Big Breakaway," players join Penny and her sentient yo-yo, Yo-Yo, in a vibrant 3D-platformer. After a cosmic string transforms Yo-Yo, Penny must clear her name and unravel the mystery of the string while outrunning the Emperor's penguin army. With easy-to-learn gameplay and challenging mechanics, players must navigate the fluorescent world of Macaroon and perform impressive yo-yo tricks to help Penny achieve her dreams.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,675 reviews

gameplay171 positive mentions

stability176 negative mentions

Delightful visuals and a whimsical soundtrack create a charming atmosphere.
Unique yo-yo mechanics provide a fresh take on platforming, allowing for creative mobility and combos.
Engaging level design encourages exploration and replayability, with a satisfying flow once the controls are mastered.

Controls can feel unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating moments and accidental deaths.
Numerous bugs and glitches, including clipping through walls and inconsistent collision detection, detract from the overall experience.
Boss fights are often lackluster and disrupt the fast-paced flow established in the main gameplay.

gameplay
497 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
64%
2%
The gameplay of "Penny's Big Breakaway" is characterized by its unique yo-yo mechanics and momentum-based platforming, which can be both rewarding and challenging as players master the controls. While the game features vibrant visuals and a whimsical soundtrack, it suffers from inconsistencies in mechanics, frustrating level design, and occasional glitches that can disrupt the flow of play. Overall, the core gameplay is engaging and offers depth, but it requires patience and practice to fully appreciate its potential.
- “Penny’s big breakaway is a love letter to retro 3D platformers, combining the charm of nostalgia with a modern twist in a vibrant world where classic elements intertwine with innovative gameplay.”
- “It is a welcome breath of fresh air to the 3D platforming genre, with unique gameplay centered around a yo-yo, which allows for fast and fluid gameplay with an emphasis on momentum and motion; it may initially feel cumbersome, but once mastered, the fluidity of movement becomes incredibly fun and rewarding.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly rewarding the longer you play it.”
- “The gameplay leaves a lot to desire.”
- “The real stand out is the gameplay and how it feels to control Penny, and I find her incredibly unfun to control.”
- “The gameplay is slow and boring, the level design is average at best, the soundtrack is ok.”
music
486 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The music in "Penny's Big Breakaway" has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its vibrant and catchy soundtrack composed by Tee Lopes and Sean Bialo, which enhances the game's whimsical atmosphere. Many players noted that while the music is generally fantastic and memorable, it can become repetitive due to limited variation across levels. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight of the game, contributing significantly to its charm and enjoyment.
- “The soundtrack by a selection of contemporary composers never gets old; it takes strong inspiration from a bygone time. I guarantee it's a joy to the ears while complementing the whimsical sound effects during gameplay.”
- “The music is flawless and is really the only perfect part of the game. Bless you, Tee Lopes.”
- “The soundtrack is full of catchy and upbeat tracks that complement the quirky and colorful qualities of the journey you go on, successfully fostering a lively and energetic atmosphere.”
- “The plot isn't bad but it doesn't really add anything to the game which can unfortunately be said about the music as well; nothing from the soundtrack really stands out and a lot of the songs blend together.”
- “Fun game but super buggy which ruins the experience, plus having the same music for each zone in an act kinda makes the music get repetitive.”
- “The music, while decent, is also kind of a massive letdown compared to Mania; there really aren't any 'holy **** this sounds amazing' tracks like Mania had.”
graphics
298 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and charming art style, which evokes nostalgia for classic 90s platformers while maintaining a modern flair. Players appreciate the colorful environments and character designs, although some note issues with depth perception and minor graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals, combined with an engaging soundtrack, significantly enhance the game's appeal and contribute to its whimsical atmosphere.
- “The visuals are simply stunning, capturing the essence of the heyday of 90s 3D platformers and brimming with nostalgia-inducing colors and charm.”
- “The presentation is great, with a unique and colorful art style, making every level feel very vibrant and alive.”
- “The visuals have a unique style to separate it from the crowd and the soundtrack is a bop!”
- “While the game looks highly polished, it is pretty clear that the vast majority of that polish is just the artwork.”
- “The art style being borderline bland and using Tumblr-esque illustrations doesn't help it at all.”
- “Major complaint out of the way, I'm really not a big fan of the visuals.”
story
260 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
79%
4%
The story of "Penny's Big Breakaway" is generally considered simplistic and lacking depth, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate its charming characters and whimsical cutscenes, many criticize the narrative for being disjointed, slow-paced, and filled with unmemorable dialogue. Overall, the story is seen as a minor aspect of the game, with most players emphasizing that the core enjoyment comes from the platforming mechanics and level design rather than the plot itself.
- “The undeniable charm of the story shines through in its adorable, animatic cutscenes and witty dialogue.”
- “The story is overly simple, which some may not like, but I found that in this context, it is perfectly fine because it does not pretend to be more than what it is; it serves as a zany setting that establishes the context for the gameplay rather than the central reason to play.”
- “Ultimately, I'd say that the story, art style, and ingenuity of this game make it worth playing.”
- “Most boss fights are baked into this game's story which takes up way too much of the run time. The story isn't entertaining and the characters aren't memorable or likable, but the game loves making you listen to them even though they speak so incredibly slowly.”
- “Every story beat is told in a weirdly animated cutscene that is excruciatingly slow, and the game never really explains anything to you. Stuff just kind of happens, and you meet weird characters who all act the same.”
- “The story in general is a mess that is so shallow and kind of just there that it ends up being kind of frustrating how poor it is at times.”
stability
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and control problems that can disrupt gameplay. While some reviewers find the core experience enjoyable enough to overlook these issues, many agree that the game feels unfinished and requires further polishing to enhance stability. Overall, the consensus is that while the game has potential, its current state is marred by a lack of polish and numerous technical problems.
- “Runs great as well, full 165 fps with no drops.”
- “I really wanted to like this game, but it's unplayably buggy.”
- “Even after the patches the game has received, I've still run into my fair share of glitches and frame drops, ending up trapped in walls and such.”
- “The game suffers from a severe lack of polish with constant visual glitches and clunky, stubborn controls that make it infuriating, especially with the lack of checkpoints in some areas filled with instant kills like pools of lava.”
optimization
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
54%
19%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance on various setups, including the Steam Deck, others experience frustrating stuttering and performance issues, particularly in later levels and during intense moments. Some users noted that adjusting settings can improve performance, but bugs and glitches, such as collision detection problems, detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game shows potential for solid performance, it may require further patches to address existing issues.
- “And I appreciate that they made their own engine for this game that only does what the game needs it to, does it very well, and it is well optimized to the point I easily maintain 144fps at all times.”
- “Similarly on my OLED deck, it ran locked at 90fps at max settings, so it seems like this game is very well polished on an optimization level!”
- “This is all brought together with exceptional performance on PC!”
- “The physics is broken, the collision detection is broken, the game is poorly optimized and controls are clunky and poorly calibrated.”
- “If you go by basic pre-built settings the game runs slowly and you have to adjust to get it to run at the speed it's supposed to.”
- “I have constantly tried changing the performance settings to the lowest ones (and I mean constantly because I really don't understand if the default target frame rate from the settings is higher or lower than 60fps so I have constantly been switching them to feel which one is better) but the issues still happen.”
character development
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
48%
10%
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with many praising the charming and unique character designs, particularly that of the main character, Penny. Reviewers appreciate the vibrant visuals and the well-paced storytelling that allows each character to showcase their personalities and motivations. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in character design quality, with a few finding certain designs mediocre or unappealing.
- “Character development is well-paced, with each character having their own chapter to show their personalities and motivations.”
- “The settings were lively, the platforming challenges were creative, and every character design was unique and colorful.”
- “Character animations are fun and lively, and the character designs themselves are very charming.”
- “The character designs were mostly mediocre, except for Penny, who is adorable.”
- “I really want to like it; I love the art and music and character design, but it feels unpolished and undercooked.”
- “The character design is awful, especially the main character.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
46%
11%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through its numerous levels, time attack modes, and collectible challenges, encouraging players to improve their skills and complete objectives. While many players appreciate the variety and execution of the gameplay, some express disappointment in the limited unlockable content and poorly designed scoring system, which can detract from the overall replay experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game remains engaging and fun, particularly for those interested in speedrunning and mastering its mechanics.
- “Excellently executed concept that stands on its own and is insanely replayable.”
- “The game is good, the game is fun; for 30 bucks you get the right amount of content and extras, and it's very replayable, especially in the speedrun side of things.”
- “Plus the giant coin tokens that unlock extra 'star globe' levels, again emphasizing replayability and mastering of the game's moveset.”
- “The only letdown is really a lack of replayability content and unlockables; the scoring/combo system is also badly designed and can drag the game down if you try to unlock the scrapbook, so there's not much to do aside from beating your own times after completion.”
- “It's also replayable because lowering the time and getting all the collectibles takes a few attempts.”
- “The replay value is going to make players 'git gud' as they play through the game over and over again.”
emotional
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of frustration and enjoyment regarding the emotional experience of the game. While some appreciate the sense of achievement from mastering level design and executing combos, many feel that the mechanics—such as losing combos upon touching the ground—detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of annoyance rather than exhilaration. The desire for improvements and patches indicates a longing for a more satisfying emotional connection with the gameplay.
- “I liked that level breaking and experimentation in this game made me feel smart and had me interact with the level design.”
- “You can combo your way through an entire level without touching the ground if you're skilled at this game.”
- “The timer and combo counter made me feel like speed was the only option, which detracted from the experience a bit.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Penny's Big Breakaway" is described as clever and light-hearted, featuring amusing one-liners from NPCs and funny environmental storytelling. Players appreciate the comedic elements of the gameplay, such as the quirky yo-yo physics and humorous glitches, which add to the overall fun experience. While the humor is generally well-received, some players noted that the story is less engaging, but the interactions and comedic moments throughout the game compensate for it.
- “What it does have is serviceable, and I appreciate the humor, especially with the robot NPCs all around the world who you can stop doing your crazy platforming to see what they have to say.”
- “Environmental storytelling with funny little speech bubbles at every turn.”
- “Dialogue amongst characters, both main and side, adds light family-friendly humor.”
grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as it often disrupts the flow with long checkpoints and tedious backtracking after deaths. While the yo-yo tricks are easy to learn, the repetitive nature of certain challenges and quick-time events can lead to a sense of monotony, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Many feel that the game, intended to be fast-paced, frequently slows down to a grind, making it less engaging.
- “These sections can feel downright dull and incredibly tedious to slog through.”
- “It feels like you are having lots of fun and are in a flow state one minute and then it is back to being tedious and frustrating again.”
- “I like that the game is more challenging than normal, but ultimately I don't have as much time to experiment with tedious repetition.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its vibrant colors and lively characters, enhanced by a catchy and upbeat soundtrack that creates an energetic experience reminiscent of classic PlayStation, Sega, and Dreamcast titles. Players particularly enjoy the cheerful ambiance of specific levels, such as the water stage, which contributes to the overall artistic direction and charm of the game.
- “The soundtrack is full of catchy and upbeat tracks that complement the quirky and colorful qualities of the journey you go on, successfully fostering a lively and energetic atmosphere.”
- “I especially love the water level's atmosphere and soundtrack.”
- “And that kind of colorful and cheerful atmosphere you would normally only find in classic PlayStation, Sega, or Dreamcast games.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its lack of transparency and effective advertising, with players noting the absence of promotional materials and the presence of lengthy end-user license agreements (EULAs) upon launch. This has led to concerns about potentially deceptive marketing practices and a general dissatisfaction with the publisher's approach to promoting the game. Overall, the monetization aspect appears to be poorly handled, contributing to a negative perception among users.
- “Whether or not you like it is subjective, but it cannot be toggled, and the promo screenshots of the game do not include it, leading one to question if it's an intended effect at all, or if maybe some lightly deceptive advertising is at play.”
- “The publisher should be dropped for getting them to release with zero advertising, and having the first thing you see upon launching the game be three very long EULAs.”
- “The game has a very charming performance as the center of its advertising.”