Pony Island 2: Panda Circus

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is an unusual combination of an adventure game, arcade game, puzzle game and phantasmagorical horror. It's the next installment in the Pony Island series by Daniel Mullins Games - also known for The Hex and Inscryption.

Plot

As the author points out, the game doesn't actually have anything to do with ponies. The new protagonist is a young, confident nomad desiring world domination. Premature death foils his plans and condemns him to The Earth Prison. Now the protagonist must escape the deities of the underworld trying to claim his soul.

Mechanics

Like the first game, Panda Circus is set in an unusual world, mixing mechanics of various genres. There are puzzle sections (reminiscent of hacking and programming), arcade sections, combat and exploration.

The protagonist aims to protect his soul from the inhabitants of The Earth Prison while staying sane. While traversing disturbing, phantasmagoric lands, he must bargain with eccentric deities ruling this land. To escape with his sanity intact, he must complete their games or exploit their rules, with nothing but a steed, a pendrive and his wits.

Technical aspects

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus features experimental, often changing graphics. We'll witness 3D first-person areas, as well as 2D pixel art areas, side-scrolling or top-down. The game also introduces many elements tied to Asian culture and art. The disturbing 8-bit-like audio builds the horrifying atmosphere further.