The Next Penelope

About

The Next Penelope is a fast-paced action racing game set in a vibrant, futuristic universe. As Penelope, players search for Ulysses across galaxies, with each planet offering unique races, challenges, and bosses. Utilize weapons and abilities to gain an edge, but beware, as they consume energy and bring you closer to death. The game now includes local multiplayer, additional solo content, and new language options.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 179 reviews

story22 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game features fun and engaging gameplay that combines racing with combat mechanics, reminiscent of classic titles like F-Zero and Micro Machines.
The visuals and soundtrack are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive experience that enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.
The game offers a variety of challenges and boss fights, keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting throughout the campaign.

The difficulty spikes can be frustrating, particularly in the later stages, which may deter some players from continuing.
The controls can feel unresponsive or overly sensitive at times, making it difficult to navigate tight turns and avoid obstacles.
The game is relatively short, with a campaign that can be completed in a few hours, leading to concerns about replayability and value for money.

story
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The story in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it short, convoluted, and lacking depth, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. While some appreciate the creative twist on Greek mythology featuring Penelope's quest, others criticize the narrative for being forgettable and poorly executed, with cutscenes that fail to engage. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the racing mechanics rather than a compelling element of the experience.
- “The story mode is split into several worlds, divided into three stages: the first stage is typically a tutorial that introduces one of the weapons, the second is a race against four opposing hovercars, and the third is a boss fight against such notable figures of Greek myth as the Minotaur, Sirens, Arachne, and Charon.”
- “The storyline is creative, where it is a futuristic version of Homer's 'Odyssey', but this time... the lady is in charge.”
- “You play as Penelope on her quest to find Ulysses (her husband), making your way through the galaxy trying to avoid being captured or worse.”
- “The story is a complete mess; seriously, ignore it if you want to enjoy this game.”
- “The story isn't all that great, either: throughout the game, it was really hard to get involved in what I was doing, and the grammatical errors in the dialogue didn't help.”
- “While the story shows promise, it quickly becomes little more than a quiet backdrop.”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its solid mechanics and fun racing elements reminiscent of classic titles like F-Zero and Micro Machines, while others criticize the complexity and clunkiness of certain mechanics, such as the energy system and lack of control over speed. Players noted that the game can feel repetitive and underdeveloped, with a steep learning curve due to the absence of a map and the fast respawn rate of AI opponents. Overall, while the game offers engaging visuals and a unique concept, its execution leaves room for improvement in gameplay depth and variety.
- “Tough to handle, but great snappy racing gameplay overall.”
- “The gameplay is fun and smooth, with the driving controls being simple, steering right or left, and considering your momentum while making turns to not bump into walls which will slow down your movement, or fall off and lose, but while it is simple, it's also challenging with how you have to time your movements with boosters, dodging bullets and missiles from your enemies or traps, know when to use your power, which is connected to your life-energy fuel where if you use a power, you're also using up your life-energy, so you have to conserve and collect energy to not get yourself destroyed.”
- “The gameplay, visuals and soundtrack are all top-notch, and the fact that they were all created by one man is just the icing on the cake.”
- “But extremely short and feels very underdeveloped mechanically with zero replayability.”
- “Unfortunately those concepts fail to gel together with the core gameplay, resulting in a game that feels exceedingly clunky to play.”
- “Some mechanics, like the teleport ability, also feel tacked-on and are gimmicky and do nothing but slow the pace down.”
graphics
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant and unique art style, often compared to retro arcade aesthetics and futuristic themes reminiscent of titles like F-Zero. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout feature, noting their polish and appeal, although some mention that the graphics can become overwhelming after extended play. Overall, the combination of colorful designs, engaging animations, and a fitting soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersive experience.
- “The next Penelope's visuals are spectacular.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, the music and sound effects are nice, the races and boss battles are creative, and the overall game is a blast to play.”
- “Beautifully stylized vector graphics in warm colors.”
- “The only good thing this game has going for it is its visuals, but even they start to grate on the eyes after a couple of hours.”
- “The graphics and sound are okay but a bit repetitive.”
- “Graphically, it's very polished.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
31%
7%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players noting that it is fitting and enhances the overall experience, though some find it unmemorable or repetitive. The soundtrack features a mix of genres, including techno and synthwave, which complements the game's vibrant visuals and fast-paced gameplay. While the music is often highlighted as a strong point, opinions vary on its memorability and impact, with some players expressing a desire for more variety.
- “The music fits perfectly and makes you really engaged in the race.”
- “The soundtrack is also suitably 80’s in its influences, incorporating elements of techno, synthwave and dance into a bass-heavy, adrenaline-fueled sound which perfectly accompanies the art style while never being too obtrusive.”
- “Responsive controls, great soundtrack and addictive gameplay (just one more turn!)”
- “I really like the visuals and soundtrack, but those things don't carry past the flaws that annoy me too much to be able to continue.”
- “- music is repetitive”
- “You can't turn off the music, and if you're in the middle of a world and you leave, you have to start the entire world all over.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience; while some players find it tedious and a barrier to progress, others appreciate it as a necessary challenge for leveling up. The necessity of grinding, particularly for later levels, can lead to frustration, especially when it feels like a repetitive trial-and-error process. Overall, players who enjoy challenges may tolerate the grinding, but it remains a notable drawback for many.
- “There is no winning through this method, and it makes races an incredibly tedious, almost Sisyphean repeating of trial and error to pray you skip something or get lucky enough to pass the finish line first.”
- “One of the main drawbacks that comes to mind is the necessary grinding for later levels.”
- “This level is pretty much impossible if you haven't maxed out your ship, which means grinding the easiest boss (the flying minotaur head), and even then it's really hard.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to its short length and absence of standard racing modes, which diminishes its appeal for extended play. However, some players find value in the challenge of time trials and unlockable missions, providing a modest incentive for replay.
- “While the difficulty may not always be particularly fair (some levels and bosses were just cruel), overall I feel that the challenge on offer is solid enough to please arcade fans and even offer some replay value when attempting to beat time trials and unlockable missions.”
- “It's not built around replayability; with not even a standard racing or time-trial mode like 98% of other racing titles have.”
- “The biggest drawbacks of this game, though, are its very short length (2-4 hours), and its lack of replayability.”
- “Granted, it's a novel solution to 4-player local multiplayer, but independent grand prix style races would have much more replayability.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some users report significant performance issues on recent hardware, others praise the impressive efficiency achieved by the solo developer using Construct 2, highlighting their mastery and experience. Overall, there is optimism for future updates and improvements.
- “The game's performance is amazing given the fact it was produced with Construct 2. I'm a C2 user myself and I'm really amazed at Aurelien's development mastery. I can only guess that more than 10 years of experience allows the solo developer to achieve this level of efficiency. He did everything: graphics, music, and programming. The guy's on fire! I can't wait for the new updates and fun stuff to come, and also to see future games by Aurelien.”
- “Hats off to him for this incredible performance!”
- “The game is very short and has huge performance issues on recent hardware.”
- “Optimization is lacking, resulting in frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Despite the potential, the game struggles to run smoothly even on high-end systems.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs and freezing, particularly during the labyrinth level when teleporting.
- “Buggy as hell.”
- “On the labyrinth level where you need to teleport all over the racing track, the game freezes after the teleport.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development is highlighted by striking designs, particularly that of Penelope, which stands out among the cast. The coherent design across characters, races, and ships enhances the overall gameplay experience, making elements like energy easily identifiable.
- “Some character designs are more striking than others, with Penelope herself being a clear standout.”
- “In any case, every detail (character design, races, ships) follows a coherent design, and gameplay-related objects (like energy) are easily identifiable.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “Many characters seem one-dimensional, with little to no growth or change throughout the game.”
- “The dialogue options are limited, which restricts the ability to shape the characters' personalities and arcs.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted as a strong point, with developers effectively infusing comedy into a straightforward plot, while creatively reinterpreting a classic mythological story for a refreshing experience.
- “Although the plot remains basic in writing, the developers put much effort into making the story funny and engaging. The idea of reusing a classic mythological story in such a way gives it a refreshing twist.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever dialogue and hilarious situations that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game blends humor with gameplay, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining and enjoyable.”