Penny’s Big Breakaway

[Maf]

Bought this on Switch last night and played the first 3 levels.

 

Not going to make a big post about it but have to say initial impressions aren’t great 

 

I would say my big problems are figuring out the movement. This game is very Sonic the Hedgehog influenced which I like. Very much about momentum, there are loop de loop style things that Penny grabs on to and spins around on things and goes really fast after. I really like this bit and the overall talent for this kind of gameplay, you can see the devs get it and are good at it. 
 

But just finding out how to use the moves in a way that gives satisfying momentum is not apparent. The game is also a bit exploration focused, which I feel is counter intuitive to the flow of the game and the big timer constantly ticking up in the lower corner

 

I don’t particularly like the character or designs. But I do like the colour, music, vibe and overall PS1 style ‘wackiness’ of the visuals

 

I also stopped playing because I hit a kind of glitch where Penny got stuck on a wall and had to retry the level. Unfortunately my actual response to that was turning the Switch off

 

I’m not DF but I think this is 30fps, but good 30fps. I don’t know if it’s deadlocked, but the controls didn’t feel sluggish at all
 

This is just initial impression and I want o play more of it and like it, because I like what it’s going for. 
 

But the controls are a bit hmm and it doesn’t have that spark Sonic Manaia had. Sonic Mania has a rare X factor to it where it feels excited to be on the screen. The game is the equivalent to a firework. 
 

This game has the makings of that but without the X factor

 

This is no review by any means, but based on the first 20 minutes or so, it’s not a strong start or immediately fun 

[Maryokutai]

Switch version is getting a 60fps performance mode: 

 

 

This game seems to have been rushed hard to make that shadowdrop deadline. Very similar situation to how the Panzer Dragoon remake launched a few years ago.

[DANGERMAN]

I've been playing this on my Steam Deck as my commute game. I should really exit the game to get that pc patch.

 

I think I'm on world 5, so I think I'm pretty far in. I've been enjoying it, I suspect Maf will agree with me on this, but watching other people play this is a bit of a mixed blessing. You'll see them do all sorts of shit almost immediately with the controls, chaining together all sorts of stuff and always being in full control. That is not me. I've got better at it, I do air dash in to roll now, that sort of stuff, but too often I miss items or fling myself in the wrong direction. Sone of that is the camera angles I think, you don't have control and it's often offset slightly, even tonight I've missed jumps (or landings more specifically) because the ground just isn't where I thought it was. I can't reliably control the rolling either, it's quite responsive at slower speeds, but with a bit of pace it feels like it just isn't reading my inputs at all

 

Something of note that isn't just down to me not being very good at the game is how samey the levels look. They're bright and colourful, and they are generally themed based on the world, but in terms of the actual look (textures and colours), they don't feel wildly different from each other. It isn't a huge problem, but I feel like a big part of Penny's Big Breakaway is returning for score, or finding the extra stuff, the problem is that the levels just don't leave any sort of impact, at least not for me

 

This all being said, I am enjoying it. When you do nail things and feel in control it's great. Playing it before work on a moving train, on a handheld, probably not the best way to experience it, so that I'm still positive on it is a compliment

[Maryokutai]

The Switch patch is out if someone wants to try it. Seems like it's not really good though, just flipping between 60 and 30fps depending on what's going on, and more often than not sticking to the latter. 

[DANGERMAN]

I've been back on this. I still have issues with the control, but I spoke too early about the lack in variety of the levels. The very next world looked completely different to previous ones, and each one since has too, so on that regard it picks up. 

 

It's still a solid game, I suspect if the controls make sense to you you'll love it