After doing the supposedly impossible and making a universally loved Sonic game in Sonic Mania, the developers behind it are moving forward with their own new video game character announced today at the Nintendo Direct. Evening Star Games, which was founded by many of the folks who worked on Sonic Mania, showed off Penny’s Big Breakaway, a 3D platformer featuring a young girl who partners with an anthropomorphic yo-yo named Yo-Yo to traverse through a mystical world called Macaroon.
The trailer for the game shows off a 3D platformer that looks like a mash-up of a Mario game, a Sonic game, and a Warriors game where Penny uses Yo-Yo to perform attacks and acrobatic stunts to get through levels. In the game, Penny is set upon by Emperor Eddie, who attacks her with a lot of penguins. Those penguins will make massive attack squads that Penny must fight through, giving a decided brawler slant to the action. It’s the kind of thing that feels like a throwback to ’90s 3D platformers, which does seem like the logical next step for a team that nailed Sonic.
The game will feature a story mode in which you’ll play through all the levels and power up Yo-Yo with new attacks and tricks. It will also feature a Time Attack mode set up specifically for speedruns that will unlock special items and secret stages.
Penny’s Big Breakaway will release on Nintendo Switch sometime in early 2024.
