Wasn't feeling it at first as it takes a while to get used to the game's controls and movement options. But as you play, you being to understand how to optimize your character's momentum and movement options it becomes real fun. Penny has various skills that makes traversal super dynamic and thrilling to speedrun through. There are various quests you can do in each level that are quick side objectives that you can blast through if you're skilled enough. By no means are they pace-breaking, they feel quick enough and easy enough to do without feeling like you have to drop everything to do them. Conversely, I would say that the first world is definitely the weakest world because it's weirdly difficult for a starting area. It almost feels like you're thrust into the game with very little forgiveness to the player just learning the ropes.

The graphics and presentation are absolutely captivating. The Sega Saturn-esque aesthetic is vibrant and colorful and while at times the game feels budgeted with character animations feeling stiff, it's overall easy to look past due to the simplistic artstyle. I was worried during pre-release that it would take TOO heavy inspiration from Sonic and wouldn't be able to forge its own identity but thankfully this seems like a non-issue. The music is also full of fun and whimsy. This soundtrack is thankfully less inspired by the Saturn and moreso jumps right off the back of Tee Lopes's excellent Sonic Mania OST. The songs are bouncy and full of life that really captures the energy of Penny. You can clearly tell that the presentation of this game is one of this it's greatest strengths.

In summary, I can say that this game, while it does have some hiccups here and there, is a blast once you finally understand the full extent of Penny's momentum-based gameplay. It's very much a speedrunner's dream and while I may not be a big speedrunner itself, it still a good time and definitely worth your time.

Reviewed on Apr 11, 2024


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