In the world of anthropomorphic gaming characters, bats are relatively rare. There seem to be countless foxes and cats running around competing quests and being heroes, so having a little bat dude with a yoyo is a refreshing change of pace. That being said, Pippit being a bat has very little bearing on the game itself – he can’t even fly! What our batty hero does have, however, is an incredible useful yoyo that serves as both weapon and navigation device in some of the most intricately designed top down levels you’ll find outside of a traditional Zelda dungeon.
We first meet Pippit on his way back from a big yoyo tournament as he recounts his excitement to a bemused taxi driver. The driver’s tone changes as soon as he realises that the young bat is a member of the dominant Pipistrello family who run the energy monopoly in the city. The scene is set for Pippit to be the exception to the rule in a family that seems to be a direct analogue for multinationals and corporations. Pippit is on his way to visit his aunt, the CEO of the company, but this trip does not go as planned. The end result is his aunt’s soul being split between four mega-batteries held by area bosses with the remaining part trapped within Pippit’s yoyo.
Pipistrello is a gorgeous game. Lovely pixel art and detailed backgrounds set the scene and there is also a real sense of character to the main antagonists. The range of enemies is decent, with new ones being introduced regularly throughout the game, each having specific attack patterns and weaknesses for you to learn. The soundtrack is solid too, with a surprising collaboration with Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts fame (amongst many others).
I played through the game on my Steam Deck, a choice that seemed to make sense given the in-game conceit that Pipistrello is being played on a Pocket Trap handheld (named after the devs themselves) and it performed excellently on that device. I was a little disappointed that nothing was really made of the meta framing idea of this being a new handheld system, but that might be a running theme for their future titles.
So, that’s the background and aesthetic covered, how does Pipistrello play? The closest comparison to the game is a traditional top-down Zelda game as you explore an overworld with areas locked off by specific abilities and upgrades to find dungeons that revolve around the skilful use of said new skills. Obviously Nintendo’s flagship adventure series has evolved to become a different (Divine) beast in recent years, but I freely admit to being one of those who have a stronger connection to the earlier titles. With that in mind, Pipistrello was both perfectly pitched for me but also found itself in direct competition with my nostalgic memories.
Exploring the overworld is kept fresh through some witty interactions with various locals, a large number of hidden items and some tricky environmental puzzles to get access to each boss area. As you explore the dense cityscape you can unlock taxi points to enable fast travel. This becomes especially useful when searching for collectables and upgrades later in the game.
Initially, your yoyo is relatively basic and can be used as a melee weapon or to grab items that are out of reach. Levels are intricately designed with triangular blocks that you can bounce your yoyo off to reach further. Identifying these blocks and the pattern they set out is crucial to navigating the levels and the game excellently trains you in spotting the different ways these can be set out. By the end of the game you’ll be pulling off yoyo parkour sections that look impossible at the beginning. These skills are also needed to tackle the various bosses throughout the game and these fights are well designed and challenging.
As well as simple back and forth yoyo abilities you unlock various more complex skills named after all the famous yoyo moves like Around the World and Walk the Dog. It does leave me to ask what happened to yoyos in the real world? They were huge for a few years in the 80s and 90s but I can’t remember the last time I saw somebody with one. Anyway, these abilities can be used in both combat encounters and in exploring the world as you’ll eventually be able to soar across water hazards, grind around the walls to avoid pits and even suspend the yoyo in midair and use it to spring across impassable gaps. Once your full range of skills is unlocked the sheer thrill of navigating the complex levels is up there with the best of Nintendo’s own game design.