Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo (PS5) | REVIEW | Yoyovania That Lands the Tricks!!!

Morally grey business monopolies usually aren't the heroic entities known for doing good, or being on the receiving end of bad competition. In the case of the energy monopoly in Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo though this is definitely the case. As a monopolistic energy provider that utilizes special roses for electricity Pipstrello Industries controls the energy grid. They dictate the high prices, and everyone either pays up or does without. Of course this leads to bitter rivalries, and in this case that rival interest shows up one day using one of Pipistrello's own experimental energy devices to put into the play their takeover. 

Showing up at the Pipestrello estate these financially motivated fiends unleash an attack on the Aunt in charge of business in an attempt to steal her soul and use it to power-up their batteries for a infinite supply of energy. With Pippit on the scene, the nephew with an interest in Yoyo tricks, this plan is ultimately thwarted, but not without transplanting part of the aunt's soul into Pippit's yoyo. Hence the cursed part of this game's title. It is with this unlikely duo that they aim to reclaim the Aunt's soul, and return power to the Pipistrello family.

Pippit, the Auntie and a whole host of other Pipistrello Industry family members join forces to take back what was once theirs. As Pippit, specifically, you are guided by your now malformed aunt who doubles as your guide and your weaponized yoyo. Using yoyo tricks you will break, bash, and puzzle solve as you commit to quests out in the world. This entails talking and interacting with NPCs of interest, engaging in NPC events, and utilizing key items as well as badges to navigate your way to each of the bosses that lie in wait in their own part of the city. 

At Pippit's beckon call is the now cursed yoyo which acts as a weapon, puzzle solving mechanic, and means of traversal. By learning new tricks the yoyo effectively offers up more options with which to battle or make your way from point to point. Along with the yoyo mechanics Pippit can jump, and utilize found badges that add game modifiers to improve upon things like damage invulnerability. These badges utilize a BP (Badge Point) system that allows for only a certain amount of badges to be equipped at a time. Something that can be altered through completed contracts that can add additional BP. 

The contracts themselves come from a rescued Pipistrello family member, and require gathered coins to complete. Completing said contracts comes with an initial negative side effect, but once paid off will gift boosts to things like attack power and BP. The negative effects will do things like take away heart health or BP until the contract is fulfilled. You'll find that earning coins in game comes from destructible items and killing enemies.

In addition to that family member there's an assistant that will also become available once rescued. This assistant will offer up badge refinement or rarity enhancement, and blueprint crafting. The latter being a new way with which to obtain badges. All rescued allies of Pipistrello Industries will reside at the game's safe house which can be accessed at various locations in the city which are marked by a red tile with the Pipistrello emblem. Jumping on these will access the safe house, and it is here you can make use of the extra vendor offerings. 

Traversal in the game is a map guided experience with points of interest detailed on a menu map. Often times talking to key NPCs will highlight places you need to go, and sometimes this requires backtracking or puzzle solving. While the city is broken up into multiple areas of interest with their own boss and quest lines navigating between each can be done on the fly by unlocking Taxi stations for a price, and by utilizing those taxi services for fast travel. This helps you avoid certain hazard laden paths that can prove difficult on foot. And supposing you lose all heart health you can revive in the current room, but money will be taken from your stash to do so. This means that if you don't have the funds to revive it's back to the beginning. 

The end goal in all of this is to eventually defeat all boss characters and do so utilizing the various contract upgrades, badges, and yoyo tricks learned along the ways. That and NPC events or mini-games acts as a means to gain access to new items or features. It is fairly straightforward objective with Metroidvania style progression, and top down The Legend of Zelda gameplay.

The Presentation ...

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a city sandbox focused metroidvania RPG experience with a curious casting of colorful creatures. It is a brightly colored world featuring multiple layers in the way of locations, and a bustling city life brought to life through interactive NPCs. The game is presented in a mostly top down perspective, and shown as a collective of pixel art, and pixel art animations. The game itself offers the ability to change the screen filter adding a more retro appearance. The soundtrack, itself, plays into the whimsy of the wacky art style adding a lighthearted overtone with spikes in intensity during boss encounters.

The Verdict ...

I did not quite know what to expect going into Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, but what I found was interesting enough. The game is very oldschool by design. It harbors that retro challenge with it's own unique gameplay gimmicks. This added with accessibility slider options can change the difficulty curve for those struggling to best it. The game has sliders for just about every aspect of gameplay from health to monetary gain, and rose drops. It's something that wasn't necessary, but could prove useful for some.

Accessibility aside the gameplay demands precision, and this can be kind of off putting considering it utilizes the thumbsticks for movement. That and the ability to only aim in the four cardinal directions makes accurate shots a little more difficult to land in a dire situation. Only through new tricks does the game eventually become something more easily navigated. If you can look past the challenge, and actually get into the story and characters the game does have it's charm. It is this charm filled with comedic sarcasm that carries you through to the end. Overall, it's a decent buy for the price asked as it is a budget priced indie that does not aim to break the bank. If you fancy that retro challenge from games like the original Legend of Zelda then Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo will likely impress you.