Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Genre: Top-Down Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a Top-Down Action-RPG released in 2025 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. This game, set in a more or less contemporary world peopled by anthropomorphic animals and slime creatures, follows the story of young Pippit, the heir to the Pipistrello family’s energy-production empire who has ridden on the coattails of his family’s fortune, focusing on his passion for being a professional yo-yo… person? Practitioner? Athlete? Seriously, what do you even call someone who does yo-yo tricks for a living? Though of course it’s not much of a living, as Pippit at one point mentions getting 300th place in a yo-yo competition. Also, even if you’re the best yo-yo-er in the world, can you actually make a living off of that?

Er… but I digress. Pippit heads back to his family’s estate to mooch some more cash off of his far more enterprising aunt, Madame Pipistrello, only for his visit to be immediately interrupted by a group of invaders barging into her home and using a device to blast her with some sort of strange energy. Panicking, Pippit tries to stop this by flinging his yo-yo into the beam, but Pippit’s aunt still gets zapped away and the gang leaves satisfied at having accomplished what they came for. However, Pippit is soon surprised to discover his aunt’s soul or spirit somehow became attached to his yo-yo, and together the two of them head off to confront the ones responsible in the hopes of restoring Pippit’s aunt to normal again.

It’s a silly plot, but it more or less sets up the mechanics of how the game will be played, with Pippit’s moves centered around his yo-yo and progression tied to learning new tricks, and with Pippit’s aunt’s spirit in the yo-yo acting as this game’s version of Link’s Navi, albeit a much sassier one who knows very well what a good-for-nothing her nephew is. The interplay between these two is delightful as Madame Pipistrello needs to keep finding ways to motivate Pippit and keep him on-task as he’s easily distracted and clearly not the brightest.

The presentation here is good, with a colorful 2D pixel art style with some nice animation. The whole thing has a slightly “chunky” pixel aesthetic that reminds me of Game Boy Advance games. This is joined by an energetic synthesized soundtrack that’s not especially memorable, but gets the job done.

As for the gameplay, this is one of the better takes on the Zelda formula I’ve seen, as this game clearly has its own identity. Much of the gameplay here revolves around different and interesting uses for the yo-yo, such as careening it off of angled blocks to hit enemies around corners, or riding it across otherwise impassable areas covered with water. This really gives this game a unique feel while still keeping it well within the formula established by old-school 2D Zelda games.

It’s not perfect, though. Especially early on the game seems extremely claustrophobic as much of the world is cordoned off and impassable. The game also frequently uses switches and gates to block off areas, which seems far less creative than other parts of the game that push players to use new abilities Pippit gets as he progresses. Finally, combat sections often fill up with enemies to the point where it can seem almost impossible to get through battle without taking a hit due to how crowded it is.

Still, while it has its flaws, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is an excellent Top-Down Action-RPG that does a good job setting itself apart within the genre with some fun mechanics built on its yo-yo focus. If you’re craving a new take on old-school Zelda, you should consider this game a must-have.

tl;dr – Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a Top-Down Action-RPG that follows the traditional 2D Zelda formula but with a yo-yo as its central mechanic, with some really creative uses for it that you gain as you progress. This game isn’t without its flaws, but overall this is a fun and unique take on the Action-RPG genre well worth playing.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2025 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Action-RPG – Pipistrello did a wonderful job taking the formula of a classic top-down Zelda game and pairing it with a clever central mechanic that it found numerous fun uses for, the yo-yo. Between the cleverness of its concept and the variety it injects into the gameplay, and the delightful characters throughout this game, this made for a wonderful experience that was surpassed other games this year that either lacked that originality, lacked the variety, or lacked the personality this game has in abundance. Not too bad for a yo-yo swinging mouse.

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