Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – PS5 Review

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo comes from Brazilians Pocket Trap. It’s a search action game that delivers a lot of charm whilst trying to make combat and traversal very active. The genre’s well-trodden ground but this twist does push my buttons, despite the rising challenge delivering some tricky moments.

The premise is lovingly daft. Pipit, our bat protagonist is visiting his auntie at the family headquarters. He arrives just in time to see four disgruntled workers steal powerful mega batteries. Auntie tasks you with reclaiming the lost hardware but she now inhabits Pipit’s yoyo. During the journey, you find out more about the thieves’ motives and that does help flesh out the structure of the town.

The writing keeps things light and cheery with plenty of time for jokes. It likes to prod at corporate sensibilities whilst not quite delving into preachy territory. Auntie is definitely steering the ship as your main objective giver. Ultimately, she wants her body and her business back with her young nephew being a little naïve and impressionable. It’s a nice adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously and there are some chuckles along the way.

Your possessed yoyo becomes your weapon. To begin with, you have simple strikes that recoil back to you. More moves become available and what is like is how they mimic real tricks. They each have their utility with walking the dog allowing for a ranged attack. Around the world gives you a sweeping arc to bash foes. It’s a neat way to handle character progression.

Whilst being handy in combat, the new moves prove more vital in puzzle solving. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo‘s map is dense and there’s an abundance of rooms to solve. There’s switch puzzles but most conundrums involve opening locked passages. It comes together really well and, as Pipit’s mobility improves, the challenges increase in complexity.

I enjoy it the most when you’re in these situations. It’s mostly clear about what’s intended of you. I think some search action games keep you second guessing about areas you might not be equipped for. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is structured so that you always seem to have options. The main objectives tend to come in twos, offering an alternative at most times. I do think the density of the map can be a little overwhelming.

Perhaps I need to knock perfectionism on the head but I’m inclined to poke around and fill the map out rather than focusing on the critical path. That does slow the pacing down and I feel this game is large enough without curiosity getting the better of me. The game does like to throw obstacles at you occasionally. The path the batteries usually involves a fetch quest before opening the gate to the actual dungeon. That does offer a viable reason to explore.

One thing the map could be better at is labelling important areas. Exclamation marks distinguish possible avenues for investigation. Not just the critical path but anywhere extras may reside. These come in the forms of petal containers to increase your health and shards that improve your bat power.  I don’t think it’s great at highlighting shops.  You can shortcut some puzzle rooms by purchasing keys and batteries but I can’t point those stores from the map.  A legend would’ve been helpful.  It’s a shame because most of the icons do their job effectively.

Bat Power is essential to equipping badges which grant you additional perks. These have to be discovered and then taken to your home base to unlock them.   You have a limited number of slots to use but upgrades can give you more room to play with.  You’ll find vendors out in the world that will also offer you upgrades. The main skill tree comes with a compromise. Rather than buy them outright, a percentage of your future income pays them off. Whilst in debt, you will have a negative trait applied such as one less pip of health.  It feels harsh, especially at the beginning.

I initially found that to be a tough sell. Especially if I already had the money on hand. Currency’s not hard to come by with every enemy giving up coins. It’ just a complication that takes longer than expected to pay off. On top of that, you require eight petal containers to increase your health. That also can take a while to achieve. By default, Pipit has three health pips to play with. You can regain some in combat but some encounters can be daunting. You can retry rooms but you’re penalised a percentage of your currency as well as not recovering your full health. Upgrades will improve those odds but there’s also a full accessibility suite where you can tailor the experience to your liking.

That feels like a slight cop-out but, it only seems to apply to your effectiveness in combat. There’s a lot of trial and error involved, particularly when it comes to movement. Whilst I do enjoy how the abilities chain together, it requires a dexterity that sometimes deserted me. Rooms are self-contained and it’s not difficult to figure out what’s needed from you. The controls are responsive enough so failure was often down to my execution.

The presentation is colourful and the pixel visuals are pleasant. They contrast well which makes reading environments easy. Above ground, it’s very bright whilst the sewers have their own degree of colour. It’s danker underground but, given that you spend so much time there, it doesn’t wear out its welcome. Each boss gets a nice intro and, whilst it’s not something that’s particularly new, the soundtrack is cheery and fits the vibe very well.

I think Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo manages to accomplish a lot with its combat and movement. It’s a world not short on challenge but it doesn’t delve into frustration too much. I think character building is a slow climb but there’s plenty to admire here. The story is light-hearted and the whole vibe is mostly upbeat. It’s nothing new aesthetically but it works as a whole.