Describing itself as the primary “Yoyovania” is Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, a metroidvania the place your primary weapon is the titular Cursed Yoyo.
However how does a yoyo turn out to be cursed, and, extra importantly, is Pipistrello a sport that must be in your radar?
To reply the primary query then, all you want is 4 crime bosses, a rich auntie, some unethical know-how and 4 mega-batteries to energy it up. On Pippit’s annual go to to his aunt’s mansion to ask for some more cash, it’s rapidly obvious that one thing isn’t proper. Your auntie is hiding in her workplace however as you arrive, 4 crime bosses from all around the metropolis have teamed as much as take her new, and questionable, energy technology machine and apply it to herself. Solely Pippit has the genius concept to throw his yoyo into the emitted beam on the final second. While this doesn’t outright kill his auntie, it does place her soul into his yoyo. At this level you may name it a Cursed Yoyo.
And now you recognize.
Gravity Pull
To be honest, there’s a honest quantity of backstory to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. Pippit’s household has a monopoly on the power market, however their new tech guarantees full domination. It might, nonetheless, increase quite a lot of eyebrows if the tech was to ever be used. However now, the crime bosses have used it, while additionally storing the power of their mega-batteries. The one technique to free your auntie is to collect these 4 batteries again up and use the machine as soon as once more.
Navigating the mansion is an effective tutorial so that you can become familiar with utilizing the yoyo for just about the whole lot. Out within the metropolis although, and it’s a completely different ball sport solely. There are obstacles and risks round nearly each nook and in each new display screen. Enemies are one factor, however environmental risks have to be taken into consideration too. Pippit can not swim, and even shallow puddles could cause your already minimal HP to deplete. After which there are the vehicles flying up and down the roads; they will (and possibly will) injury you, however they will also be used to your benefit to clear screens of a number of enemies…
Good factor then you can improve Pippit, and in a approach that may fit your playstyle. There are new expertise and assaults to search out all through the world, however chances are you’ll have to be vigilant to search out these.
Bind
There are additionally Contracts, that are a singular approach of making use of an improve tree. It’s pretty easy in apply; cash you acquire might be spent on upgrading and unlocking varied skills and buffs in your base. Nevertheless, and there’s a large caveat right here, Contracts work barely in a different way. Coming into right into a Contract to unlock, say, an additional assault energy, means it’s a must to repay the Contract earlier than unlocking your chosen perk. And there comes a penalty while you’re paying it off, equivalent to diminished well being or no therapeutic objects to drop from enemies.
Contracts can solely be paid off with cash you accrue after coming into into it. So, even if in case you have sufficient financial institution, that can’t be used to pay it off early. The upgrades are value it finally, however it actually does open up the potential for finishing the sport with none upgrades as a viable resolution. And, I wouldn’t be in any respect shocked to see an achievement associated to only that reality.
Across the World
There may be an simple attraction to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. It’s within the artstyle, the forwards and backwards between Pippit and his auntie, different character interactions and the design of the world as nicely. It’s dense, detailed, and filled with extras and hidden bonuses to find. One minute you may be delivering a burger for a hungry NPC, the subsequent partaking in a leaping minigame for some additional coin.
For a sport with a retro feel and appear to it, the sense of discovery and exploration is extra akin to an open-world epic.
That visible model jogs my memory of the Sport Boy Advance, and the gameplay does too. Shiny, vibrant, wacky and somewhat bit devilish as well; Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo seems like a cocktail of platformer, puzzler, metroidvania and RPG. However above all, it’s enjoyable. Coming from Pocket Lure, the Brazilian studio behind the likes of Dodgeball Academia and Ninjin: Conflict of Carrots, that ought to go with out saying.
The most effective bit although? You received’t have to attend lengthy to play. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo launches on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Swap and PC on Might twenty eighth 2025.
An Xbox Retailer web page is up and prepared for motion for these seeking to play on Xbox Sequence X|S, however you can even wishlist it on Steam too.
Big thanks exit to PM-Studios and Pocket Lure for offering us entry to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo for preview functions. We’ll observe with a full overview round launch.
You’ll discover the sport launching on Xbox Sequence X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Swap and PC.