Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo review: Sick tricks, pitfalls, and corporate greed

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Upon launching Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, an extraordinary introduction unfolds. The screen displays a 3D-rendered, portable gaming device that seemingly drops from the sky, its glossy surface gleaming under artificial light. As a cartridge slides into place, the console spins before facing the player, initiating the game load. Unlike typical video games, Pipistrello doesn’t switch to full-screen mode at this point; instead, it operates within this imagined handheld device, occupying over half the display. Even before the game proper begins, we’ve plunged into a realm of twisted, unsettling imagery. Engaging with this game is akin to screaming into the void, and the void echoes back with the familiar jingle of a Game Boy Advance startup.

Dang, that’s cool

Beyond that point, you’re certainly able to customize the screen settings. You can zoom in or out, alter the screen effect, and adjust the pixel resolution among other things. However, the dedication shown towards this specific aspect is striking, creating an atmosphere that gives off a strong impression that Pipistrello could very well be a forgotten Game Boy Advance game we’ve stumbled upon from a time capsule. The ambiance resonates within the game, with its vibrant color scheme, large sprites, and gameplay centered around a core idea pushed to its limits. It has a feel reminiscent of a GBA game, yet it’s not like any we’ve encountered before. Unlike other games that are heavy on overt references to retro classics, this one is more of a tribute to the entire style and surprisingly accurate in its representation.

Power struggle

In this rephrased version, you take on the role of Pippit Pipistrello, a small bat character with an ambition to become a top-tier yoyo player. After participating in the latest competition, a taxi takes him home; however, the driver nearly swerves off the road upon hearing his family name. This is because the Pipistrello family, who are the exclusive proprietors of the world’s unique energy source, wield significant influence over society due to their monopoly on a crucial resource other than food or water. Life for Pippit has been challenging, especially given that his aunt and head of the family business decided to impose a tax on the world’s only available energy source.

It’s not surprising that Aunt Pipistrello’s choice sparked resentment, and lo and behold, a group of disgruntled individuals show up to stir up trouble as Pippit returns home. They attack Auntie with an unusual gadget, but Pippit manages to halt the attack with his cherished yo-yo. The woman’s spirit splits into five pieces, four of which go into Mega Batteries, while the remaining piece gets trapped in the yo-yo. With Auntie left for dead, Pippit and his newly possessed auntie-spirited yo-yo must now venture out to recover those batteries. Perhaps during this journey, they might uncover the reasons behind these grudges. We’ll see.

A certain-styled adventure

Essentially, Cursed Yoyo is a Zelda-style adventure game set from a top-down perspective, featuring Pippit as he navigates his city, uncovering secrets and hidden pathways. The main villains reside within their corporate headquarters, where the influence of the Mega Batteries has led to an exaggerated, rotten depiction of their respective companies. Throughout your journey, you’ll use your yoyo and acquired special abilities to fight off enemies, solve puzzles, and perform typical heroic tasks in a video game setting.

Overall, the Cursed Yoyo offers an enjoyable and incredibly imaginative gaming experience. The fundamental move involves a straight yoyo attack, reminiscent of a whip in Castlevania. However, it can also bank turns at corners, making any sloped surface cause it to deviate 90 degrees. This versatility leads to intricate puzzle designs and maneuvers such as releasing the yoyo from its string, performing a “walk the dog” action over liquid surfaces, bouncing off walls in reverse, and more. By the game’s end, you’ll master every aspect of the yoyo, and acquire abilities beyond what you can manage simultaneously, greatly influencing your combat strategies. For instance, there’s a traditional parry that deflects projectiles, but this can be swapped for a circular swing that pushes enemies within range back with a brief stun effect.

Retro style, retro problems

The constraints of your attacks reveal certain drawbacks in combat situations. For instance, your primary attack is a ranged yoyo throw, which has limited directions and only one area for impact. You might miss your target by overshooting or undershooting, and the speed of the attack isn’t particularly swift. Consequently, encounters often take place in close proximity with numerous enemies that are generally quicker than you.

To dodge attacks, you can perform a bunny-hop maneuver with some invincibility, but it’s brief and not very effective against swarms of bees, especially those armed with guns who shoot while you’re occupied elsewhere. Another challenge is the need to pick between parrying or crowd control, as you can’t do both simultaneously, and you must pause at a bench to switch weapons!

Dying isn’t that bad because you lose a bit of money and get another chance in the room. However, constantly feeling outmatched during gameplay, especially since the game encourages acrobatic maneuvers outside combat, feels strange and underwhelming. The game has a lot of interesting concepts, but when it comes to fighting enemies, Cursed Yoyo stumbles often. While I enjoyed exploring the world and moving around, combat always made me tense up in anticipation of frustration.

Platforming presents a challenge due to the jumping mechanic I mentioned earlier. This is your jump, and it’s heavy and exact. So when you’re asked to perform moves like bunny-hopping over gaps with or without using your yoyo abilities, it can become quite frustrating! It’s not enjoyable to have a jump that feels like tossing a large beanbag a few feet in front of you, especially when asked to perform quick, precise movements with it. I’m at a loss for words. Perhaps someone should reach out to Klonoa for assistance.

This game titled “Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo” appears as if it was a forgotten action-adventure title for the Game Boy Advance, unearthed when a collector discovered an old prototype cartridge and offered it to preservationists for a vintage ROM dump. The game beautifully emulates the ambiance, artistic style, and even the imperfections of games from that epoch. It’s brimming with innovative and imaginative concepts centered around the yoyo gimmick, though at times (particularly in combat and platforming sections) it can become overly whimsical. However, when it hits its mark, it does so flawlessly, transporting you back to the era of WarioWare, Zelda: The Minish Cap, and Mother 3 without being weighed down by excessive, formulaic references. Additionally, the 3D handheld aspect is quite impressive.

The game titled “Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo” will be released on May 28, 2025 across multiple platforms such as PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as Xbox Series X|S. For this review, we were given a Nintendo Switch code by the publisher.

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2025-05-28 16:28