¡ǝuoʎɹǝʌǝ ollǝɥ ollǝH
Ah, sorry about that! April can turn all of us a little upside down.
Community manager Secundus here once again, reporting from a slightly less stable reality than usual. But what is a reality if not a fabric that is waiting to be melted into a green slime to be put in a jar? Ahem, we hope March treated you well! As we step into April, things have started to feel... different. Not necessarily wrong, just a little harder to keep track of.
Which, now that we think about it, is perfectly on brand.
With April Fools just around the corner, we thought it would be the perfect time to embrace a bit of chaos. Not too much, of course. Just enough to keep things interesting.
Speaking of which... ːlucif4rː
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a special April Fools live broadcast, where things may or may not go exactly as planned. Expect surprises, familiar faces, and perhaps a few moments that raise more questions than answers. We wouldn’t miss April Fools... and neither should you.
We have been hard at work to create the most satisfactory experience. Expect intense battles (of love), impossible choices, questionable romances, and moments that will change you forever... or at least for the duration of the stream. For this most special occasion, we’ll be hosting a live broadcast where YOU will shape the story.
The stream will take place on our Twitch channel on April 4 at 1 PM EDT / 6 PM UTC. You can also use this countdown to stay alert!
But before things get too unpredictable, let’s take a look at what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.
Well now... this feels unexpectedly peaceful. Here we are greeted by a rather friendly face. Do you remember Yaxmi from our reveal trailer? She is a cutie patootie! She is inviting us into what appears to be a calm, open space surrounded by nature. A simple setup, a warm welcome, and not a hint of danger in sight. Our ascension will take us to worlds unknown to man, so perhaps a moment of peace is all we need to sharpen our wits and sword. Such a peaceful spot can't be easily found. Which, of course, raises a very important question... Should we trust it?
You ride your horse into battle, defeat countless opponents, and carve your path to victory. Yet every now and then, the townsfolk greet and welcome you into their seemingly humble settlement.
You will need all the help you can get to escape the deities of the underworld. Perhaps the fragments of your freedom’s key lie in the hands of the local people. An Obol for some barley is a fair trade, isn’t it?
Everything seems to follow a logic of its own in this town.
The only question is: do we understand it?
The truth can be found scattered. The wanderer must seek the pieces that define his journey, if not his doom... Not every place is meant to be understood or offer comfort.
Here we find ourselves seated among rows of worn wooden pews, in a space that feels more ceremonial than welcoming. A single window stands ahead, and beyond it... something watches in silence. Petah... the horse is here.
Progress is marked. Clues are gathered. And yet, the purpose of it all remains just out of reach. We may be getting closer. But to what?
We talked a lot about riding your mighty steed to battle, but never really got to show it up until now, besides the shots in the trailer! You are confronted by the Vermillion Bird (also known as Zhūquè)! As one of the many boss fights you will experience in Pony Island 2, the Vermillion Bird is a powerful mythological creature from East Asian cosmology, especially in ancient China. It is one of the Four Symbols, celestial guardians that represent directions, seasons, and elements. The Vermilion Bird represents a group of southern constellations in traditional Chinese astronomy. Instead of a single star or shape, it is a cluster of star mansions forming a celestial region. Thus, it’s also a map of the sky! Truly a magnificent creature.
Got a question for Daniel? Drop them under this post and perhaps we can answer it in the next month's newsletter!
Zelyevar asks: Will the 4th wall be further blurred or will it remain at the level of inscryption?
Daniel: I think that wall will stay about where it was in Inscryption! It's taken enough of a beating over the years.
poor_and_stupid asks: Hello!!! I have been wondering how many years this has been in development, did you guys start right after Inscryption ended. Or was time spent more working on the ports and Kaycee's Mod, and was Pony Island 2 not begun until after that?
Daniel: The GitHub repo was created on February 1st 2022, a few months after the launch of Inscryption. At this point, Kaycee's Mod was not released and work on the console ports had not started. For much of 2022 I was splitting my time between Panda Circus and Inscryption, with the console ports getting the better part of my days. It was only around the beginning of 2023 that I could fully dedicate myself to Panda Circus! It's been full time development since then.
猴猴猴猴猴猴猴猴 asks: When will it be ready!?
Daniel: Haha.
Brainless Cat :3 asks: How long of a game do you expect Pony Island 2 to be? As in, how much play time to finish the game?
Daniel: I expect the beta testers to tell me this because without more data it's hard for me to know. My guess is that it takes around 10 hours to rush through the critical path to the credits and that exploring and seeing everything would take 20+ hours. Depending on your curiosity level you might fall somewhere between those extremes.
Our community's talent keeps enriching our newsletters, so we are not holding back when it comes to sharing more of their talent here!
This month’s AMAZING thumbnail and cover art were drawn by our one and only Tiff! We find it difficult to express her talent, so we’ll let her work do the talking instead.
Another winning piece of Pony Island 2's first art contest, this artwork was created by wonderfully talented morfiwen! Morfiwen recreated the ending of our reveal trailer (which only lasts a few frames on screen!) and turned it into a desktop screen. Brilliant and fitting!
Yaxmi! You look as wonderful as ever! Wait... what is that!? Perhaps it is best to put some distance between you and the habitants of Pony Island 2. catboy_stinkbug, our community's one of the oldest members, has created this both terrifying and terrific art. Steam compression doesn't do it justice, so do me a favor and check the original artwork here!
Theodere... I don't want to alarm you, but Hopeless Soul is right beneath you. Bah! ːhopefulː We really enjoy Cryption_Ins' sketches on Twitter/X, so you should definitely give them a follow and check out their other posts!
Look at him! Isn't Kismet the sweetest? Underachiever titled his art as "Birth of the Worst Son" but to me, I see an angel in disguise. Another amazing example that combines both familiar and unfamiliar faces to create a beautiful artwork!
And that covers April! Once again, we greatly appreciate your tremendous support, and we will see you again in next month's newsletter! Make sure not to miss the livestream on Saturday!
Community Manager Secundus signing off! ːsadoː