An initial analysis - Penny’s Big Breakaway

Due to some health issues at the beginning of the month I decided to not do Blocktober this time around.

Instead, in this post I will go through some of my notes for the first few levels of playing through Penny’s Big Breakaway. I have collected a list of 3D platformer collectathon titles that I am going through and analyzing to see which things I think work in the different titles and which things might not work, and why it is so.

Since this is a collection of notes taken while playing it might not seem as coherent as previous blog posts, but it should highlight some of the stuff I look for when analyzing this type of game.

First impressions

Game uses lots of brighter colors and silly looking characters. Very common for the genre.

Opening sequence

Game very quickly goes from intro screen into an animated intro, which then progresses through some gameplay footage showing in-game situations, including different player character movement which helps to inform the player beforehand about these, provided the intro is watched. The game still introduces those abilities nicely later on, so it is not a must watch.

Main menu

The menu navigation felt a bit too sensitive using the controller.

In-game

Controls – feel very responsive, which both feels great and comes with a minor issue. The button that activates the yo-yo the player character uses controls several abilities and even a slight mistiming or too long a press can lead to some accidental movement. It is not a big issue, but does take some getting used to for the player.

Camera – The view is almost fully locked to the players viewpoint and only allows for slight angling with the d-pad. It also feels slightly more zoomed in than is usual for the genre. The locked in view does prevent issues with walls getting in front of the camera which also auto rotate the view depending on where in the level the player is.

Level design — The levels I have played so far flow well. They don’t have any big route splits at the point in the game. The setting in these first levels uses buildings and walls to segment off and limit the view. There is also a good amount of verticality as is common for 3D platformers. The 2nd area introduces the main player abilities as you have to find an alternate way to “enter Emperor Eddie’s audition”. The levels do have a bunch of places where it’s possible to fall off and lose a life. There are plenty of checkpoints spread throughout the levels. There are also a few areas that require more specific movement, but rewards the player with collectibles, which is also very common for this genre.

Gameplay – The game so far feels like it is intended to induce a sense of urgency. This feeling comes from a combination of the mentioned stuff, the sensitivity of the menu, and the responsiveness of the controls. The fact that as you enter a level a timer starts right away, and the main enemies so far have been the emperor's penguin guard, which, if they overwhelm you will capture you and send you back to a checkpoint, both help to make the levels feel more hectic.

That’s all for this post. I might return to posting more notes from this game after playing more of it, or do the same for other games and genres.