Hello everyone!
Community manager Secundus here again, reporting for another monthly newsletter! We hope February treated you well! While winter still refuses to loosen its icy grip, something else has started to stir behind the scenes. March is that strange time of year when everything begins to wake up again. Snow melts, the days grow longer, and somewhere deep within the Earth Prison... certain systems appear to be coming back online.
Coincidence? Probably.
But we thought it might be a good time to show you a few more things we've been quietly working on.
Without further ado, let's take another look at what awaits in Pony Island 2.
If it's getting too crazy to follow what's happening in Pony Island 2, welcome aboard! Behold! A victory worth celebrating... or at least worth inspecting. Our hero seems to have dealt with a rather unpleasant demon, and in return receives a curious reward: Rostam’s Lariat. A fine piece of equipment, judging by its impressive list of benefits. But the real question is... why were those little onlookers so interested in the outcome? And more importantly, how did this duel take place in the first place?!
Now that's a familiar scene! At least... to some extent. A while ago, we saw some locks reminiscent of Pony Island’s original design. It seems there is still much to discover in the code as you delve deeper and deeper into the very essence of the game.
Be careful about where you step into, though. The screen presents quite the collection of curious elements: a Sentence ticking down from 999 years (what could be the reason for such a punishment?!) and a prison gate looming quietly in the background. We also have our friend Folden who seems to have several curious items within him: a video (from King Yan?), an Obol, a bomb... A BOMB?! And why is there a heart inside you, Folden?!
And if that wasn't strange enough, the whole thing seems to be running inside GameWorks. You know that's a recipe for disaster.
If all that battling around is not your cup of tea, perhaps you need to sharpen your skills before you step into The Earth Prison!
Here we find ourselves in a calm, moonlit landscape, where a mysterious archer faces an opponent across a field of floating symbols. The scene feels almost ritualistic, as if every position and every movement carries meaning beyond what we immediately see.
Whatever the rules of this strange encounter may be, it seems we are expected to play along.
Your journey here will challenge both spirit and soul. Along the long steps that lie ahead, you will encounter many realms, some eager to aid your ascent, and others... less welcoming.
Guided only by faint light and the strange artifacts you carry, the path forward will rarely reveal its intentions at first glance. But every step taken deeper into these lands brings you closer to answers... and perhaps a few more questions. The only certainty is that the journey will not be an easy one.
So the real question is: how far are you willing to go?
Got a question for Daniel? Drop them under this post and perhaps we can answer it in the next month's newsletter!
Zale asks: Do you have the full story and lore of the Daniel-verse set up, or is it continuing to be developed?
Daniel: Very much the latter! Figuring it out with every new game.
Kid.little.kat asks: How much will Panda Circus cost?
Daniel: I haven't made a final decision but probably 25 or 30 USD.
❤A1M3RUSH❤ asks: Will the game have Turkish language support? In Turkey, we love Pony Island btw
Daniel: I would NEVER give up the opportunity to work with Secundus again for localization. It will have Turkish language support.
FerociousT-Rex asks: Will Pony Island 2 also eventually be ported to Mac like Inscryption?
Daniel: It will release on Windows but I hope to have Mac & Linux ports shortly after the initial launch.
Script001 asks: Among the ones in your games, what was your favorite ARG of them all? What was the hardest thing to develop in all your games?
Daniel: The first Pony Island's ARG was special. There was something fun about figuring out the arc of the ARG while the players were solving it. Being only one step ahead of them was a thrilling dynamic.
To answer the second question: Panda Circus has definitely had its challenges. The biggest one has probably been the scope of the 3D space in the game. It’s newer territory for me. Inscryption was a little easier because the movement was locked to fixed camera views and the pixelation effect helped obscure some environmental details. Now I’m trying to create something closer to a double-A quality 3D experience, and that demands a higher level of expertise and coordination with artists.
Our community's talent keeps enriching our newsletters, so we are not holding back when it comes to sharing more of their talent here!
Have I told you folks how much I love Baphomet? Ahem, anyways! alukslice was one of our winners for Pony Island 2's first ever art contest! Their portrayal of Baphomet is out of this world (literally) and looks terrific!
theangeloffilth didn't hold back as he showed the true nature of Pony Island! For a game about ponies, it seems a bit too dark.
It is always impressive to see how our lovely pony can be redrawn, each time becoming cuter and cuter. oduvan_sun did an amazing job capturing its pure presence!
That's all for this month! Thanks again for your tremendous support, and we will see you again in next month's newsletter!
Community Manager Secundus signing off!