Hello everyone! Community manager Secundus here again. We hope you all had a wonderful January. Winter is really doing its best to freeze the team solid, but there’s no need to worry. If there’s one thing that can heat us up, it’s the loving hands, warm hugs, and intense gaze… of brand-new teasers from Pony Island 2!
What, did you think I was going to say something else? Lucifer certainly wouldn’t agree…
Speaking of Lucifer, this month's lovely cover art, which showcases Louey's unfortunate attempts to make a certain someone feel the "love" in the air, was drawn by one of the wonderful artists within our community, AnnaStudiio! Lucifer just can't catch a break from all the "love" and whatnot... 🎨
Without further ado, let’s add a little heat to our hearts with some new teasers!
Here we see a familiar-looking interface filled with unfamiliar details. Was the Devil hard at work to finally bring a glorious remake to his UI? Symbols, menus, and icons overlap in ways that feel intentional, yet difficult to parse at first glance. Even something as simple as “color calibration” seems to raise more questions than it answers. Just... try not to break anything.
Now isn't that weird! But "weird" is in our recipe all the time, so maybe this is the new normal. Our "hero" seems to be in a bit of trouble. Fortunately, you have some skills to blast through the waves! Also, what is that console on the left? Weird... GameWorks needs an update for sure.
It is a good time to be a tourist! Welcome to the narrow chambers deep within the surface, where you are welcomed by dark hallways illuminated by candlelight. Stone walls close in and shadows stretch across the floor. At the far end, something stands just beyond reach, offering no explanation for its presence. Do we move closer, or simply take note of it for now? Why would anyone need such a construct? Unless you have some sort of a mythical device to unleash the powers within those halls...
Behold! The thumb drive of unforeseen power! While we cannot reveal its power just yet, it might just be the key to your grand escape from The Earth Prison.
Do NOT touch it. Whatever you do, DO NOT FEED THE SERPENT WITH THE INFERNAL FRUIT.
And lastly, a music track to commemorate your epic battle against King Yan!
A new newsletter means a new round of questions answered by Daniel himself! As always, if you have any questions you want to ask Daniel, drop them below! We might have them in the next newsletter!
Orian34 asks: (Daniel) Doesn't watch anime? Now I need to know, what kind of games are played for leisure, if any?
Daniel: I consider it almost a duty to stay up to date with indie games but I'll admit recently I have slipped on this front due to grinding hard on Panda Circus. The last indie game I truly loved was Öoo by Nama Takahashi. My pure mindless opiate is, and has been for a while, Hearthstone Battlegrounds.
gftfrmgd9 asks: Did you always know it’d be game dev?
Daniel: In high school if you had asked me my dream job I probably would have said film director. In university, while learning computer science, I hoped I might work in games but didn't think it was certain. It only seemed possible after getting some industry experience near the end of school!
kid.little.kat asks: Where do you get your inspiration for your games and stories?
Daniel: Everywhere from films and books to history. But probably other games are my biggest source of inspiration.
Abosultan2 asks: I am aware this is a stupid question considering the title of the game but is Pony Island 2 going to be connected to Pony Island 1 lore-wise? Like you have to play the first one to play the second because the story will continue from there on? Or is it going to be its own thing and you don't have to play the first one?
Daniel: You certainly don't have to play the first one and despite the "2" in the name I don't think of Panda Circus as a very straightforward sequel. That said, Pony Island 1 enjoyers will be rewarded with a few inside jokes and references. Panda Circus's lore is compatible with Pony Island.
TeamFortressdude asks: Will the Lucky Carder have any presence in this game?
Daniel: The Lucky Carder? No. Kevin Saxby? Well, that's a different question.
Zhuchok asks: Who is your favourite character you've made by far? (maybe favourite characcter from every game?)
Daniel: Plasma Jimmy.
Gigol asks: Do you think that after playing your games alone, after examining every corner of them, a person can fully understand all the details of their overall plot? Or would it be impossible without the community?
Daniel: I hope so!
Secundus: Speaking of our community, feel free to join our Discord server to go crazy over the littlest details! I mean it.
And what's better than wrapping up this month's newsletter with a series of artwork made by our wonderful community!
Baphomet couldn't have looked any BETTER! loxidoxenonh went crazy with her brush and she certainly didn't hesitate to show off her skills! Just WOW!
Nuclear_Angel’s vibrant colors and cute style are exactly what we need for a Pony Island-themed Valentine’s Day!
Stimulation never ends! It just gets a bit... tired. foggy_dayz on Discord perfectly captured our Lonely Wizard's visage. Props to them!
Our lovely Discord friend bugmangregor (or as we call them, Blurry) drew Louey! Isn't he so cute?
As mysterious as she was, she was equally powerful and beautiful. Chandrelle finds life once again through the brush of maxwell2011lol!
No, it is not coming out tomorrow... yet. jackfrost05 just had this amazing idea that we couldn't stop ourselves from sharing here as well.
And that's all for this month! We cannot wait to reveal more about Pony Island 2 in March!
Community Manager Secundus signing off!