News Penny's Big Breakaway, from the creators of Sonic Mania, announced for PC and consoles (UPDATE: out today!)

[chocolate_supra]

oh thank fucking god they've made the switch version 60fps. still a completely baffling decision to me that they made it 30fps initially, but i'll take it now anyway.

Remember though it's not explicitly a 60fps mode, the new mode raises the cap from 30 to 60 but that doesn't mean it'll run at 60.
Whitehead specifically mentioned Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, which has an uncapped mode and mostly runs in the 40-50 range. Just don't want you to be disappointed if you're that excited for "60fps mode" and it turns out to not hit 60 most of the time.

 

[frog]

anyone know which level the secret room for the Pengo Penthouse achievement is in

 

[JazzyFuture]

anyone know which level the secret room for the Pengo Penthouse achievement is in

The Gala Night level where you go up the buildings at the end with the pepper

 

[frog]

The Gala Night level where you go up the buildings at the end with the pepper

thank you kindly

 

[fluttersusagi]

so uh

any word on when the update is coming to switch?

 

[chocolate_supra]

so uh

any word on when the update is coming to switch?

They said it's just awaiting Nintendo's approval, so shouldn't be long.

 

[Jahranimo]

Gonna repost their last tweet about the update coming to consoles since we're on a new page:

 

[AstroOhHey]

Still chugging through this and while it's not an immediate breakout hit for me like Pizza Tower was as far as indie platformers go, I'm still having a ton of fun. Honestly sort of weirded out at the negative impressions earlier in this thread unless it's just a lot glitchier on the Switch than PC? But to me it still has a lot of the 90's Saturn-era charm Mania did and does a great job of carving its own niche for 3D platforming.

 

[WonderLuigi]

Still chugging through this and while it's not an immediate breakout hit for me like Pizza Tower was as far as indie platformers go, I'm still having a ton of fun. Honestly sort of weirded out at the negative impressions earlier in this thread unless it's just a lot glitchier on the Switch than PC? But to me it still has a lot of the 90's Saturn-era charm Mania did and does a great job of carving its own niche for 3D platforming.

Idk I got so many glitches I can't go back to it. On Steam deck.

 

[SiG]

Please give us post-patch impressions, especially on Switch and the unlocked framerate mode.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Please give us post-patch impressions, especially on Switch and the unlocked framerate mode.

I follow EveningStar and Christian Whitehead and will let the thread know as soon as they say the patch is out, so anyone who does have it already can check it out.

 

[crazybenjamin]

I follow EveningStar and Christian Whitehead and will let the thread know as soon as they say the patch is out, so anyone who does have it already can check it out.

I'll stay tuned for that, once the patch drops I'll take the plunge and buy the game.

 

[Christer]

While I haven’t had any glitches at all (playing on Xbox), my biggest problem with the game is that the boss fights really aren’t fun. Every time I hit a boss I stop playing for a couple of days because they are so tedious to clear.

The other thing I think is holding the game back is the lack of variation in the environments. At a surface level one might say that each world is different. But I don’t experience them as different enough. It’s all variations on the same color palate and the simple 3D models make everything look kind of the same.

It’s an unfair comparison of course but in Mario Odyssey each world really have a different vibe which is a breath of fresh air when you progress to a new level.

Also the music is certainly a style and a choice but unfortunately it doesn’t really work for me. A bit to busy and doesn’t lend itself to a flow state.

That said, the movement is still great and I really appreciate that the team set out to make a 3D platformer with the ambition to innovate with new and fun movement instead of making another collectathon. Happy to have bought it, certainly. But I don’t click with it as much as I anticipated.

 

[chocolate_supra]

so uh

any word on when the update is coming to switch?

Please give us post-patch impressions, especially on Switch and the unlocked framerate mode.

I'll stay tuned for that, once the patch drops I'll take the plunge and buy the game.

The performance patch is live on Switch!

 

[Jahranimo]

Nice! I'll check out the Switch patch in a couple hours.

 

[Decoyman]

I recommend turning off the Depth of Field if you're hoping to get more out of the performance. The game's performance mode isn't exactly working miracles here but with DoF turned off goes from being 60fps about 2/5ths of the time to maybe 3 or 4/5ths of the time with it turned off, depending on the level. Game still has a few weird collision issues that hopefully they'll sort out as time goes along.

 

[Jahranimo]

I recommend turning off the Depth of Field if you're hoping to get more out of the performance. The game's performance mode isn't exactly working miracles here but with DoF turned off goes from being 60fps about 2/5ths of the time to maybe 3 or 4/5ths of the time with it turned off, depending on the level. Game still has a few weird collision issues that hopefully they'll sort out as time goes along.

Yeah I agree with this regarding performance. 30fps locked is still the way on Switch imo.

But the option is nice for those that want it.

 

[Raccoon]

well uh

hopefully it plays better on switch 2

 

[fluttersusagi]

it finally comes out and the performance mode still struggles with 60fps

pain. if only the e-shop offered refunds.

 

[Decoyman]

Okay

Apparently, if you go to the Switch settings and change the TV Resolution from Automatic to 720p, this game will MUCH consistently hit 60fps when in Performance Mode; possibly even hitting a perfect 60fps

I just played through 1-1 and it ran like a dream without a single framerate drop, and that's one of the levels where the drops had felt the worst so far in terms of severe drops

Bewildering compromise but I'll take it until Evening Star hopefully patch in a resolution setting for the game itself

 

[Serif]

That's weird since changing the Switch's TV output resolution shouldn't modify the resolution that games are rendering at, they're just down/upscaled to the display target.

 

[Jahranimo]

That sounds like placebo imo.

 

[Decoyman]

That sounds like placebo imo.

(With apologies to the sound delay in my capture because I didn't solve this issue in my OBS until after the fact)



You can go play the game right now on this stage using Switch's default TV resolution setting (Automatic) and easily spot the common areas where the game will drop without fail. The stage intro, when Penny vaults off big ramps, the big field with the enemy penguins, the construction area with the collectible; compare all those moments to the footage above. Not a single drop when Switch's TV resolution is in 720p. I can't tell you why it works, but it does.

EDIT: If you need further proof, Camjo-Z made a comparison video on ResetEra when people questioned this fix. It's incredibly obvious to spot because the performance mode works on variable framerate and gets cut into 40/30 fps rather than simply dropping frames when under high load.

 

[bixente]

(With apologies to the sound delay in my capture because I didn't solve this issue in my OBS until after the fact)



You can go play the game right now on this stage using Switch's default TV resolution setting and easily spot the common areas where the game will drop without fail. The stage intro, when Penny vaults off big ramps, the big field with the enemy penguins, the construction area with the collectible; compare all those moments to the footage above. Not a single drop when the TV resolution is in 720p.

EDIT: If you need further proof, Camjo-Z made a comparison video on ResetEra when people questioned this fix.

Well done. Are you going to try and complete the level without without losing your combo?

 

[Decoyman]

Well done. Are you going to try and complete the level without without losing your combo?

A bucket list objective for sure once I get better at the game.

 

[Jahranimo]

(With apologies to the sound delay in my capture because I didn't solve this issue in my OBS until after the fact)



You can go play the game right now on this stage using Switch's default TV resolution setting (Automatic) and easily spot the common areas where the game will drop without fail. The stage intro, when Penny vaults off big ramps, the big field with the enemy penguins, the construction area with the collectible; compare all those moments to the footage above. Not a single drop when Switch's TV resolution is in 720p. I can't tell you why it works, but it does.

EDIT: If you need further proof, Camjo-Z made a comparison video on ResetEra when people questioned this fix. It's incredibly obvious to spot because the performance mode works on variable framerate and gets cut into 40/30 fps rather than simply dropping frames when under high load.

That's interesting! I wonder if it has something to do with the docked profile they used.

 

[Suswave]

(With apologies to the sound delay in my capture because I didn't solve this issue in my OBS until after the fact)



You can go play the game right now on this stage using Switch's default TV resolution setting (Automatic) and easily spot the common areas where the game will drop without fail. The stage intro, when Penny vaults off big ramps, the big field with the enemy penguins, the construction area with the collectible; compare all those moments to the footage above. Not a single drop when Switch's TV resolution is in 720p. I can't tell you why it works, but it does.

EDIT: If you need further proof, Camjo-Z made a comparison video on ResetEra when people questioned this fix. It's incredibly obvious to spot because the performance mode works on variable framerate and gets cut into 40/30 fps rather than simply dropping frames when under high load.

damn, this works really well. neat, and very interesting!

 

[chocolate_supra]

(With apologies to the sound delay in my capture because I didn't solve this issue in my OBS until after the fact)



You can go play the game right now on this stage using Switch's default TV resolution setting (Automatic) and easily spot the common areas where the game will drop without fail. The stage intro, when Penny vaults off big ramps, the big field with the enemy penguins, the construction area with the collectible; compare all those moments to the footage above. Not a single drop when Switch's TV resolution is in 720p. I can't tell you why it works, but it does.

EDIT: If you need further proof, Camjo-Z made a comparison video on ResetEra when people questioned this fix. It's incredibly obvious to spot because the performance mode works on variable framerate and gets cut into 40/30 fps rather than simply dropping frames when under high load.

Good lord that's smooth

I wonder if performance mode shoulda automatically disabled DoF and then set the game to a slightly lower resolution like some of the PSXB games will do. Like maybe a drop from 1080p to 900p coulda been enough for the system to catch up? Or even just all the way to 720p if that's what's necessary.

I'm already seeing comments online about how performance mode is really bad in this game, followed by people chiming in to say "nonono, just tweak all these settings and it'll work," so having performance mode tweak those settings for you seems to be the best way to avoid those sorts of negative reactions.

 

[xghost777]

Since this is the de facto ST, I’ll share some thoughts here. Played the first level last night and as of today I’m roughly halfway through. I was bit concerned after the first level, but once I got my bearings I’m having a pretty fun time with it. I usually go for 100% in platformers, but at least at this point I’m not sure I’m interested enough to go for it. The levels all have a good flow to them, but sometimes stopping to read objective text can interrupt it, so I haven’t been stressing on them or hunting for the collectibles. Penny has a very powerful moveset, but the controls can get a bit wily for how fast the game moves, particularly with air dashing and the pendulum jump. That said, when it all comes together it feels both fun and refreshingly unique. I’m juggling a few games right now, but I’m eager to wrap it up soon.

 

[KingOnion]

How’s performance handheld now? Sounds like this forced 720p trick is nice for docked but I don’t think there is a similar mode for handheld.

 

[JazzyFuture]

How’s performance handheld now? Sounds like this forced 720p trick is nice for docked but I don’t think there is a similar mode for handheld.

I'd imagine handheld is also forced to 720p.

 

[Raccoon]

I'd imagine handheld is also forced to 720p.

yes, but at lower clock speeds it still isn't 60

 

[KingOnion]

yes, but at lower clock speeds it still isn't 60

thanks, kinda what I expected. I wonder if it’s much different than the vanilla docked mode…

really split on picking this up on switch vs ps5. based on videos it doesn’t seem like the type of game to benefit a ton from resolution, so I don’t mind playing at 720

 

[chocolate_supra]

thanks, kinda what I expected. I wonder if it’s much different than the vanilla docked mode…

really split on picking this up on switch vs ps5. based on videos it doesn’t seem like the type of game to benefit a ton from resolution, so I don’t mind playing at 720

Don't forget it's not just the 720 trick but also turning off the painterly DoF effect. The combination of those seems to help performance mode a ton.

 

[Concernt]

Don't forget it's not just the 720 trick but also turning off the painterly DoF effect. The combination of those seems to help performance mode a ton.

I have to admit the game looks absolutely incredible at 4K60 with the painterly effect on Xbox Series X.

thanks, kinda what I expected. I wonder if it’s much different than the vanilla docked mode…

really split on picking this up on switch vs ps5. based on videos it doesn’t seem like the type of game to benefit a ton from resolution, so I don’t mind playing at 720

Ultimately it comes down to formfactor. If you see yourself mainly playing it in handheld mode, absolutely get it on Switch. If not, the resolution and framerate on PS5 is truly excellent.

 

[xghost777]

At some point in the last two days I switched from “I’m just going to beat Penny” to “I’m going to 100% it and get all of the trophies.” I’m in chapter 7, but went back now to start collecting stuff. I don’t 100% vibe with it, but the game is fun.

 

[xghost777]

I finished Penny’s Big Breakaway with the Platinum trophy just now. Wish I could say it ended on a happy note, but the last star globe I had left (14) kept crashing the game every time I beat it (aside from Time Attack mode which didn’t count). I was considering quitting, but decided to wrap up the rest. Then I came back to it and it cleared. My guess is either the game didn’t like if I took damage entering the goal or if something with the save file would get upset since I hadn’t beaten the final boss.

Other than that last bit of grief, I ultimately had a good time with the game.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Okay I tried the demo in performance mode with depth-of-field off (tried with it on and didn't like the look of it) and can confirm it runs pretty dang well most of the time. Few drops here and there when there's a lot of NPCs on screen (including penguins) but nothing that messes up the feel or flow for me. Thankfully.

Also, while I doubt I'll try to do the combo stuff that I've seen people online doing, the tricks are fun to pull off. I was worried at first about having no camera control and having the yoyo mapped to the right stick but holy cow it works. Also since the air dash is tied to the yoyo it means I can jump in one direction and air dash in the other, which is nuts and I love it.

Hell yeah, Evening Star.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Okay holy shit

This game is so up my alley I can hardly believe it

The art, the gameplay, the music, all of it. Joyous vibes everywhere

Evening Star made this game for me, fuck

Moving beyond the novelty of "they're the people who made Sonic Mania," they're now one of the studios where I'll be watching for every damn thing they make from here on out.