Playing Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo on the Steam Deck feels like the closest approximation to playing on the Game Boy Advance as a child — albeit with a glossy sheen thanks to the Deck’s OLED display and superior fidelity. Despite its firm early 21st-century inspirations, it manages to feel modern, with a polished combat system, sleek movement, and challenging puzzle design. Not to mention, it’s hilarious, with its own brand of satirical humour that skewers the ludicrous nature of modern life. When the puzzles and combat ramp up in difficulty, it never feels frustrating, and success is often rewarded with compelling dialogue and a rich narrative — surprising, given you’re controlling a bat wielding a yoyo.

Although I did not grow up with the GBA, I have fond memories of the once-powerful console, and Pipistrello feels like a lost GBA game — one that has been an absolute blast to play.

In New Jolt City, the Pipistrello family have discovered a powerful and sustainable source of energy, and with it have monopolised the market, driving up prices and forcing many out of house and home. Pippit – the central protagonist – is the youngest in this ruthless family tree. But rather than conform to the views of his elders, he focuses on forging his own path, breaking free from his tyrannous family’s vast wealth.

The yoyo is his hobby, his ticket out, and soon his weapon. An altercation in the game’s opening sees Madame Pipistrello’s (Pippit’s aunt) soul split between ‘mega batteries’ controlled by rival crime bosses. Thanks to Pippit’s intervention, part of her soul is rescued and stored within the titular yoyo. The two of them set out to foil these outrageous plans and reclaim the remaining fragments of her soul — restoring power to the family.

Travelling through New Jolt City is a delight. It’s filled with lovable, genuinely funny characters, and each vibrant borough is controlled by a different crime family, bringing its own unique visual flair. Each encapsulates a personality in a masterclass of world-building. One hides deep underground drilling beneath the guise of constructing a towering skyscraper, sending Pippit leaping between rooftops and cranes in a careful act of balance and acrobatics. Another has you infiltrating a festival — manoeuvring around long queues of punters by ducking in and out of the sewer system, eventually confronting the boss on stage as the ‘main event’.

Although the game is fairly linear, the map is open for exploration with plenty of movement and combat abilities to unlock. Exploration feels so polished — each new ability filled me with joy, and there was never any pushback from the game’s controls.

The Yoyo-Vania

Pocket Trap have coined their own classification for Pipistrello: the “Yoyo-vania”. An apt name, given the blend of genre with a unique brand of early 2000s humour. The yoyo turns out to be the perfect vessel for metroidvania systems. The genre’s interconnected maps can only be fully explored with a suite of unlockable abilities, so backtracking is the name of the game. Unlocking the yoyo’s signature moves and skills translates directly into combat and traversal.

There’s no dramatic overhaul of the formula, but the way each ability and system is implemented adds a unique flair that fits perfectly within contemporary design.

‘Walking the Dog’ sees Pippit dragged by the yoyo and blazing across the screen, only stopping on collision with enemies or the environment. ‘Cat’s Cradle’ ping-pongs the yoyo between enemies, provided they’re close enough to keep the chain going. Every ability reshapes how you approach combat and puzzles, creating an array of challenging encounters.

One encounter might have you fighting enemies while dodging projectiles — projectiles that ricochet chaotically off the environment, creating a bullet-hell storm. It’s a controlled chaos that allows for skill expression and demands different strategies depending on your choice of abilities or equipped badges.

In keeping with the ruthless greed of the Pipistrello family, purchasing upgrades plunges Pippit into debt. While indebted, a crippling debuff is enforced on the player until the debt is paid off. One or two fewer hearts or reduced damage output might be fine in the short term, but against stronger enemies it can be devastating, ramping up the challenge. It’s an ingenious system that ties into the game’s themes while simultaneously adding risk–reward depth to progression. Buying an upgrade before a boss fight might allow you to deal more damage, but makes the fight far deadlier, turning Pippit into a yoyo-wielding glass cannon. Suddenly, progression isn’t just about stats — it’s about player agency and constant problem-solving.

Breaking Free from Nostalgia

Thankfully, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo manages to claw free from the clutches of nostalgia. Games that lean too heavily on the affections of previous generations often feel derivative and devoid of innovation. But Pipistrello truly shines when it embraces its unique weirdness — its wacky puzzles, its satirical humour, and its fresh innovations that expand one of gaming’s most celebrated genres.

It manages to tackle serious topics while maintaining a light-hearted and entertaining tone. Movement is polished and fluid, puzzles are creative and varied, and it’s honestly a masterclass in Yoyo-vania design — a game I thoroughly recommend.