Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

There's just something about pixel artwork and top-down adventures that seem to be able to transcend time. Every year, a boatload of new games that fit into this category make their arrival, and for the most part they tend to entertain. This leads to a whole slew of challenges and oversaturation in the space, which makes it difficult to pick out worthy highlights, but thankfully Pocket Trap's creation has one big feature that sets it apart from the rest: it's a Yoyovania.

You're probably absolutely baffled and confused by that term and what it may allude to, but let me dispel any confusion. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, as this game is known, is a top-down 2D pixel-animated adventure that combines Metroidvania-like exploration and puzzles with combat powered by a mystical yo-yo. Hence Yoyovania. Again, that might seem like a hodgepodge list of terms ripped right out of the gamer's thesaurus, but the key thing to note is that Pipistrello is basically what you'd get if you replaced The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening or Tunic's swords and shields with a children's toy. And that also paves the way to a whole slew of interesting and unique gameplay elements too.

Before I get into those however, let me quickly discuss the overall body that makes up this game and how it is quite traditional for the format. You're plonked into a quirky world and tasked with exploring with the underlying goal of defeating four bosses to claim the item they're protecting. There's a narrative reason tying this together that revolves around an energy conglomerate and local gangsters (naturally), and along the way, as you continue exploring and reaching new areas, you pick up additional abilities and moves that further enable access to previously inaccessible zones. It's the Metroidvania standard that most will be familiar with at this point, fit with side quests, optional combat encounters, and extra puzzles that lead to collectibles or items that permanently improve your health or combat efficiency. Then we have the yo-yo.

As you would expect, movement and combat with a yo-yo is not very similar to well... anything. You strike by throwing the yo-yo out in a vertical or horizontal direction, enabling you to hit any enemies that cross its path, all while being able to match this with special moves where you rip the yo-yo and let it bounce around the room like a Beyblade. The catch is that you are effectively useless without the yo-yo in your hands, meaning you have to balance crazier attacks with being able to protect yourself, and this too applies with movement and exploration. The yo-yo can be used to cross gaps, activate switches, pick up items and bring them back to you by ricocheting them off angled parts of the level, and more. What looks like a pretty typical Metroidvania is quickly turned into a geometric puzzler where you have to think about each room and encounter like a snooker player identifying the perfect shot. It's a fascinating combination that throws the expectation of more traditional combat on its head, and for the most part it works.

The main issue that plagues Pipistrello is that it's very retro-geared and firmly likes to exist on two planes: vertical and horizontal. This makes precision a bit of a challenge at times, whether that be in combat when attempting to avoid large numbers of enemies or when exploring and attempting to line up the perfect yo-yo throw. It's not a dealbreaker by any means, but the imprecision, when matched up with quite intricate gameplay mechanics that are perhaps a bit much for this rather rudimentary gameplay suite, will lead you to sigh audibly as you retry "basic" environmental platforming for the fifth time...

Otherwise, Pocket Trap does an admirable job of serving up a detailed and broad Metroidvania that will entertain for plenty of hours. There are multiple core biomes to explore that each have their own themes, mechanics, and spinoff areas, and along the journey you'll find plenty of opportunities to battle new threats, meet new allies, and pick up new abilities and items that improve Pipistrello's power potential. In fact, on this front it's worth highlighting the upgrade system. The main idea here is that as you explore you will find coins and bags of money that you add to a grand total. This is used to improve badges and as a resource for funding respawns, but it's combined with debts that you can take on to permanently unlock attribute improvements. What this feature does is enable you to be limited by some form - perhaps by having one less health chunk to play with - until you've paid off the debt by putting a portion of any acquired cash to the fund. It's a neat idea that works really smoothly and allows the player to consistently improve and develop Pipistrello.

Beyond this, during your time playing Pipistrello you'll naturally enjoy the pixel art direction and the retro aesthetics, which feel as though they belong on a Game Boy. The soundtrack is fine and fitting too, but if you compare this game to the wealth of other pixel titles on the market, it doesn't feel head and shoulders above the rest audio-visually. Granted, the competition is very steep.

So, if you're the sort of person who likes to pick and chip away at a Metroidvania, ticking off every single side activity and quest along the way, you'll find plenty to do and appreciate in Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. It's at its best when it lets the yo-yo mechanics and puzzling take centre stage, which is perhaps a little ironic too as the game is at its most frustrating when the yo-yo mechanics fail and struggle in their precision. Typically speaking though, for an indie game and a very reasonably priced one at that (approximately £17!), there's much more to celebrate than there is to bash. If you're looking for something fun and surprisingly packed, perhaps as a final hurrah for the Switch, then Pipistrello is certainly worth a look.