Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a retro-inspired, top-down action-adventure built around using yo-yo tricks to explore, solve puzzles, and fight. Reviews are broadly favorable: critics highlight its distinctive mechanics, level design, and charm, while some note challenging moments and precision frustrations. It is a strong fit for players who enjoy connected exploration and ability-gated progress more than a strictly linear action game.
What kind of game is Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo?
Developed by Pocket Trap and published by PM Studios, the game first released on May 28, 2025, according to Metacritic. It is a 2D, top-down action-adventure set in an urban landscape. You use yo-yo tricks not just as attacks, but as tools for interacting with the environment, solving puzzles, and getting around. The story premise centers on regaining the Pipistrello family’s influence while confronting rival crime lords.
Reviews characterize it as a connected-exploration adventure with progression tied to new abilities, rather than a linear sequence of action stages. That makes its central appeal the way one mechanic links combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving. TheXboxHub and Nintendo Life also point to its retro handheld-era presentation and level design as notable strengths.
What do reviews say about the game?
Metacritic’s critic-review page snapshot accessed October 8, 2026 showed an 87 Metascore from 17 critic reviews: 15 positive, two mixed, and none negative. Its title page showed an 8.3 user score from 64 ratings. These are dated aggregator snapshots, not permanent scores; ratings and review counts can change.
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#1 Best Overall
- Explore the city's 4 districts with over 1,000 screens worth of challenges and secrets!
- Infiltrate the businesses of the 4 crime bosses. Navigate their labyrinthine buildings, take on foes, and solve action puzzles!
- Master over 6 yoyo tricks to create your own yoyo-parkour routes!
- Collect over 40 equippable Badges that alter the way you play. Find over 80 other collectibles throughout town, from life upgrades to precious treasures!
- English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Latin America) in-game text.
The overall critical picture is favorable, particularly around the originality of the yo-yo-based design, the level layouts, and the game’s charm. Digital Chumps described it as “a marvel of a little game that wins at being a ‘yoyovania’” in a review dated May 28, 2025, as quoted on Metacritic’s critic reviews page.
Reservations in reviews include difficulty, objectives that can be unclear, and moments where precise execution feels frustrating. Those are subjective reviewer reactions, not guarantees of how any one player will find the game. The available review evidence supports a favorable reception, but does not establish sales, typical completion time, performance statistics, or how every player will respond.
Rank #2
- Explore the city's 4 districts with over 1,000 screens worth of challenges and secrets!
- Infiltrate the businesses of the 4 crime bosses. Navigate their labyrinthine buildings, take on foes, and solve action puzzles!
- Master over 6 yoyo tricks to create your own yoyo-parkour routes!
- Collect over 40 equippable Badges that alter the way you play. Find over 80 other collectibles throughout town, from life upgrades to precious treasures!
- English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Latin America) in-game text.
Is Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo worth playing?
It is most likely to appeal if you want a compact-feeling adventure where exploration, puzzle-solving, combat, and traversal all grow from one unusual tool. The critical praise for its mechanics and level design makes it a promising choice for players who enjoy learning an ability set and revisiting a connected world with new options.
Think twice if you strongly prefer direct objectives, forgiving controls, or a linear action game. Some critics found the challenge or precision requirements frustrating, and reviews mention that goals are not always clear. The reception suggests a distinctive adventure with real strengths, not a universally effortless one.
Which platforms is it listed for?
Metacritic lists the game for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. This is an aggregator’s platform listing, not confirmation that every edition is currently available in every regional storefront; check the platform store you use for current availability.
A community deal post from roughly seven months before October 8, 2026 reported an Amazon listing for the Nintendo Switch edition at $27.92. That is historical information only: it does not establish today’s price, stock, listing status, or whether the copy was physical or digital. Confirm those details directly with the retailer before buying. The yo-yo is an in-game mechanic; the available information does not indicate that a physical yo-yo is needed to play.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
