Penny's Big Breakaway review

Our VerdictA creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

Our Verdict

A creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.

NEED TO KNOWWhat is it?A colorful 3D platformer from much of the team behind Sonic ManiaExpect to pay£24.99/$29.99DeveloperEvening StarPublisherPrivate DivisionReviewed onWindows 11, Nvidia 3070 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16gb DDR5 RAMSteam DeckPlayableMultiplayer?Online LeaderboardsLinkOfficial site

NEED TO KNOW

What is it?A colorful 3D platformer from much of the team behind Sonic ManiaExpect to pay£24.99/$29.99DeveloperEvening StarPublisherPrivate DivisionReviewed onWindows 11, Nvidia 3070 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16gb DDR5 RAMSteam DeckPlayableMultiplayer?Online LeaderboardsLinkOfficial site

When Sonic Mania’s dev team reformed as indie studio Evening Star, it would have been easy for them to play it safe and deliver another speedy, Sonic-styled 2D platformer. Instead, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a deeply compelling, replayable experiment drawing equal inspiration from modern Sonic, 3D Mario and more than a bit of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Just sub the skateboard for world-class yo-yo tricks.

This unfamiliar blend of mechanics does take some time to get used to, with a steep learning curve as you memorize each level’s racing line and figure out the optimal moves to navigate it. It’s good, breezy fun the first time through (around six hours long), but repeat playthroughs are where Penny shines brightest thanks to a trick-chain scoring system that channels the best of Tony Hawk, encouraging obsessive mastery of each map.

Clown about town

(Image credit: Evening Star)

penny’s big breakaway

Aside from a couple power-ups introduced later in the game, Penny’s entire moveset is available from the start, and it’s surprisingly extensive despite using one analogue stick plus jump, attack and ride buttons. Because the game has a much stronger focus on forward movement, it’s not as intricate as Mario Odyssey, but it doesn’t need to be.

(Image credit: Evening Star)

penny’s big breakaway

Your name in lights

Penny has a lot of contextual ways to chain double-jumps, yo-yo swings, air-dashes, and unicycle rides into an unbroken chain of momentum-conserving actions.

Why aim for score? For funsies, and because the theme of the game is showmanship. It’s possible to finish while barely engaging with the scoring mechanics, but every level tempts you to hit the score targets with concept art, three semi-hidden collectibles and three little sidequests to do for the chatty townsfolk around each otherwise-linear route.

(Image credit: Evening Star)

penny’s big breakaway

For maximum bragging rights, each map can be cleared in a single combo. A feat I’ve still yet to pull off, but watching recordings of those who have is witnessing poetry in motion, like the scoring of Tony Hawk paired with Mario’s expressive, technical movement and Sonic’s flow-state momentum. And when you’re on one of those runs, the penguins suddenly become a menace; even one can break your combo, making them a smartly scaling threat depending on how committed you are.

One other interesting quirk is that there’s almost no camera control, potentially a perk depending on how aggravating you find manual camera-wrangling. The D-pad allows you to slightly pivot it, but it’s of little practical use. While you can control the game with a single stick and the face buttons on a gamepad, more advanced players can fling Penny’s yo-yo in any direction with the right stick, dashing and attacking parallel to movement. These advanced controls lead to the occasional moment where I misread the level’s perspective and missed jumps, but seem key to speedrunning.

(Image credit: Evening Star)

penny’s big breakaway

A spectacular bonanza

Flashy is almost always faster.

Every world is blocked out in a clear, readable language of colors: One for basic platforms, one for sloped roads, one for moving elements, all shaded neatly, palettes shifting between environments. Between decent camera placement and smartly readable routes, I was easily navigating through the levels and their varied structures and map gimmicks.

(Image credit: Evening Star)

penny’s big breakaway

Whether red rocky basalt pillars linked with icy glaciers, long sunset-shaded beaches with rolling dunes or vertically stacked industrial towers of moving platforms (each backed with their own catchy tunes, ranging from fairground ambiance to toe-tapping electro-swing), it’s all readable. Distant architecture also fades gracefully into the background thanks to an impressionistic depth of field effect, turning distant geometry into a watercolor backdrop.

Penny’s Big Breakaway has been a joy, and there’s plenty more for me to learn, corners to cut and technical tricks to master. Through my first playthrough I did hit the occasional minor glitch, like rare semi-solid walls or spots where the camera gets wonky, but nothing a patch or two can’t hammer out. It’s also worth noting that the game runs like a dream on the Steam Deck at max settings. Unsurprising, considering it’s on Switch too, but good to know if you’ve a lower spec machine.

A strong, replayable and clever debut for a team that Sega really shouldn’t have let slip away.

The Verdict80Read our review policyPenny’s Big BreakawayA creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

The Verdict

80Read our review policyPenny’s Big BreakawayA creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

80Read our review policy

Penny’s Big BreakawayA creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

Penny’s Big Breakaway

A creative fusion of familiar platformer elements that improves with time and investment, and proof that Evening Star is more than just the Sonic Mania crew.

More about penny s big breakawayPenny’s Big Breakaway studio announces layoffs: ‘Evening Star has been swept up in the same turbulence that has affected so many of our peers in the games industry’Penny’s Big Breakaway makes me wish I’d spent more time playing platformers before Penny’s Big BreakawayLatestAMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortageSee more latest►

More about penny s big breakaway

Penny’s Big Breakaway studio announces layoffs: ‘Evening Star has been swept up in the same turbulence that has affected so many of our peers in the games industry’Penny’s Big Breakaway makes me wish I’d spent more time playing platformers before Penny’s Big Breakaway

Penny’s Big Breakaway

Penny’s Big Breakaway studio announces layoffs: ‘Evening Star has been swept up in the same turbulence that has affected so many of our peers in the games industry’

Penny’s Big Breakaway

Penny’s Big Breakaway makes me wish I’d spent more time playing platformers before Penny’s Big Breakaway

LatestAMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortageSee more latest►

Latest

AMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortage

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor

AMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortage

See more latest►

Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

Most Popular

Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair review

ASRock DeskMini X600 review

Zotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C review

Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti review

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review

Noctua NH-D15 G2 review

Gulikit KK3 Max review

Ballionaire review

Marvel Rivals review

Be Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Our Verdict#

Clown about town#

Your name in lights#

A spectacular bonanza#

Our Verdict

Clown about town

Your name in lights

A spectacular bonanza