Pony Island trabalha bem a ideia de desenvolvimento e comportamento do jogador diante de convenções de game design, até mesmo na ideia de que aquele jogo provavelmente será deletado após sua conclusão.
Admito que foi um árduo caminho até o final, por mais que a premissa dos puzzles (usando conceitos de programação) seja interessante, pra mim era um grande empecilho entre as partes que realmente chamavam atenção dentro do jogo.
E não sei se eu ainda embarco tanto assim na pira dos jogos do Daniel Mullins, de qualquer forma, estaremos lá para os próximos.
Admito que foi um árduo caminho até o final, por mais que a premissa dos puzzles (usando conceitos de programação) seja interessante, pra mim era um grande empecilho entre as partes que realmente chamavam atenção dentro do jogo.
E não sei se eu ainda embarco tanto assim na pira dos jogos do Daniel Mullins, de qualquer forma, estaremos lá para os próximos.
one of those weird games that embraces being a video game so much that it barely feels like a video game lol. while it does a lot of fun things to subvert player expectations, the gameplay itself is kinda boring. that may be the point though.
So after finishing Inscyprtion, and not really wanting to start anything major until Final Fantasy Rebirth comes out, I figured this would be a nice little follow up game. Something I've had on my backlog forever, and with the freshness of how fantastic Inscrpytion was in my mind, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to play this.
What followed a pretty uneven experience, but definitely something that would lay the ground work for the brilliance that would be ahead.
First of all, lets start at the top. I finished this game on Steam Deck, and this was NOT an ideal place to play it. The game controls really poorly on that, which really isn't on the game, and it even warns you to not be stupid and attempt to do that. Some better control options would have been appreciated though.
The game itself is interesting. The puzzle segments were okay, though overused, and the arcade bits were fun. I wish there was a bit more playing around on the desktop, and using creative stuff like that in the game to do cool stuff t here.
The ending is pretty great, which I won't go into detail, suffice to say, I think Daniel's strength might be ending his games on a high point after two now.
Overall this was fun in spurts, frustrating in others, but the ending makes me overall positive on it. Cool to experience, once is good enough though.
What followed a pretty uneven experience, but definitely something that would lay the ground work for the brilliance that would be ahead.
First of all, lets start at the top. I finished this game on Steam Deck, and this was NOT an ideal place to play it. The game controls really poorly on that, which really isn't on the game, and it even warns you to not be stupid and attempt to do that. Some better control options would have been appreciated though.
The game itself is interesting. The puzzle segments were okay, though overused, and the arcade bits were fun. I wish there was a bit more playing around on the desktop, and using creative stuff like that in the game to do cool stuff t here.
The ending is pretty great, which I won't go into detail, suffice to say, I think Daniel's strength might be ending his games on a high point after two now.
Overall this was fun in spurts, frustrating in others, but the ending makes me overall positive on it. Cool to experience, once is good enough though.
satan becomes a gamedev
Pretty cool game tbh. Disregarding my rating of this for a hot second, I would actually say that I liked its game play, narrative and aesthetic well enough. I just didn't find it very engaging or really latch on to it's game play loop, mostly because I'm just not a fan of arcade style games.
Definitely spoiled myself playing Inscryption first, that game does everything this game does just taken much farther and with every system much more fleshed out. That being said for being such a short game I felt pretty compelled the entire time, I think the atmosphere is easily the best part of this and Daniel Mullin's is maybe the most underrated game director in the business right now. Excited for the sequel.
Satan programming pony gaming
Feels like a beta for Inscryption, but in a great way that still works as its own game.
No one is on the level of devil. A really unique experience with some shocking and perplexing moments that are mired by gameplay that ends up being repetitive and unfun puzzles that might not be your thing.
Regardless, worth experiencing at least once.
Regardless, worth experiencing at least once.
This is 3 tricks pony: a buggy “endless runner, a glitchy puzzle game and a meta adventure. More than just a 'meta' commentary on what a video game is, I feel like the game pays homage to the flash games of the early 2000s. It plays quickly, and even though some phases may feel a bit redundant (the puzzle part, in my opinion), the game doesn't lack charm or ideas.
This review contains spoilers
Pony Island's focused & aimed themeing at campy analog horror/SCP storytelling through fourth-walling breaking microgames left me feeling content with my experience. it's goal of building tension through chaotic visuals & imagery within a crumbling computer program built by satan is brilliantly executed and appropriately paired with simple puzzle & platforming sections outside of directly exploring the arcade machine's software. despite the game at times leaving me feeling a bit scatterbrained and lost as to where to go, most attributable to clunky UI & abrupt alterations, (acknowledging that this is a wonderful design choice to further develop the atmosphere) it still left me as a player a bit out of sorts. a solid game and experience throughout with a final sequence that creeps up on you as a deeply satisfying & exciting moment that leaves me excited to see where the sequel will go.
while it won't be a game that i revisit, it will remain the first game to ever make me feel actually worried that my friends actually were messaging me horrible things.
while it won't be a game that i revisit, it will remain the first game to ever make me feel actually worried that my friends actually were messaging me horrible things.
I'm a little bit tired of the gimmick of "ooh, we know we're a video game isn't that creeeeepyyyy" but as an earlier example of the subgenre, this game does decently well. There are plenty of fun or interesting puzzles to work with especially the late game battle against Asmodeus, but the actual pony island game part of the game is pretty much complete filler that the game seems convinced we are mainly there for especially considering the big finale is an extended portion of it. It doubles the length of a game that could easily be an hour and uncomplicatedly good. There is also the consistent issue of Daniel Mullins games using so many words and so many layers of secret arg stuff to simply say "it is a game that is scary and would like to take your soul". Ultimately though, if you catch it on sale and would like another hit of inscryption, it works a bit in the same way that the worst part of a watermelon tastes like the best part of a cucumber but both are satisfying to consume.
A bit of a one trick pony (hah). The fourth wall breaking and meta narrative are very fun, but the whole game leans on it, there is no quality to the actual text.
Powerful, engaging, clever: not yet the masterpiece that is Inscryption but a very strong and unique start.
kinda one trick with its puzzles and stories but. its still fun and the secret ending is great
Pep's Season of "Spooks" - Game 8
Nah, sorry, this just isn't for me.
With all the satanic themes I mistakenly thought this was a horror game, but I actually tricked myself into playing - gasp - a puzzle game!
I can just about handle regular Resident Evil-style puzzles but all the codes and swapping the icons around quickly just melts my brain. A shame too, since I think the overall concept is pretty neat.
Not a bad game, just not for me, and doesn't really belong on my season of horror games. Moving on!
Scary Rating N/A - Overall Rating N/A
Nah, sorry, this just isn't for me.
With all the satanic themes I mistakenly thought this was a horror game, but I actually tricked myself into playing - gasp - a puzzle game!
I can just about handle regular Resident Evil-style puzzles but all the codes and swapping the icons around quickly just melts my brain. A shame too, since I think the overall concept is pretty neat.
Not a bad game, just not for me, and doesn't really belong on my season of horror games. Moving on!
Scary Rating N/A - Overall Rating N/A
satan sits behind me and laughs as i keep failing all the programming puzzles
Like an early Inscription build expect the core mechanics aren't fun.
It's a short experience that pulls a few neat tricks but doesn't carry enough emotional weight to feel like it worth the slog.
I'm pretty sick of meta games shutting down on me, few games are doing something clever with it. I hope the upcoming sequel has something new to say.
It's a short experience that pulls a few neat tricks but doesn't carry enough emotional weight to feel like it worth the slog.
I'm pretty sick of meta games shutting down on me, few games are doing something clever with it. I hope the upcoming sequel has something new to say.
Pretty neat game. After having played Inscryption, its fun seeing the begin of everything I loved about Inscryption. A lot of similar ideas. Also it was only 2 hours so that rules.
Very cute game if you like MLP. Would highly recommend to all my bronies. I played this a while ago but forgot to log it.
I mean it's okay, dan mullins other games are all awesome but this one feels a bit half baked, good effort for his first "popular" game for sure, definitely looking forward to pony island 2
"is this ludonarrative sonnance or what?" I say as my 3 neurons cheer me on
Extremely cool and interesting game. Wanna say more but the game is best left experienced blind.
Hell is here and it's alright ig
Pony Island is one of those games that tries hard at being different and fourth wall breaking, but it falls a bit flat. Traversing the world of Pony Island is interesting in a way that its themes and ideas haven't really been seen before. The new ideas that this game brings to the table and all different and subvert your expectations, but when it gets to the point where the wow factor starts to wear off you start to see the flaws. The general gameplay of Pony Island varies depending on the stage of the game, but for the most part, it's bland and honestly boring. It feels like you're just waiting for the good parts to happen just to say "wow" and then move on to the next dopamine rush.
Now the different encounters and the best part of the game let you into some more worldbuilding and better gameplay moments, even if those moments are still nothing special. This is also where most of the 4th wall breaks happen which are fun for the most part. Pony Island is a game you play once because someone tells you that you need to play it, but watching a video of it will probably give you the same amount of enjoyment. It's also only like 2 hours long and in this case, that's a good thing.
Pony Island is one of those games that tries hard at being different and fourth wall breaking, but it falls a bit flat. Traversing the world of Pony Island is interesting in a way that its themes and ideas haven't really been seen before. The new ideas that this game brings to the table and all different and subvert your expectations, but when it gets to the point where the wow factor starts to wear off you start to see the flaws. The general gameplay of Pony Island varies depending on the stage of the game, but for the most part, it's bland and honestly boring. It feels like you're just waiting for the good parts to happen just to say "wow" and then move on to the next dopamine rush.
Now the different encounters and the best part of the game let you into some more worldbuilding and better gameplay moments, even if those moments are still nothing special. This is also where most of the 4th wall breaks happen which are fun for the most part. Pony Island is a game you play once because someone tells you that you need to play it, but watching a video of it will probably give you the same amount of enjoyment. It's also only like 2 hours long and in this case, that's a good thing.
I really enjoyed this game despite the pony gameplay being really dull. But the narrative was fun, the puzzles made me feel smart and there's a fourth wall break that made me momentarily think a friend I hadn't talked to in months was hitting me up on steam...so thanks for that? Totally not bummed. Maybe its a sign to initiate the conversation myself.
Game was short and sweet, played it all in one session. The final core challenge was easily the highlight for me, really really enjoyed it. Shame most of the game was side scrolling pony action with the same few enemies over and over. Really brought down the enjoyment. Good parts real good tho.
Game was short and sweet, played it all in one session. The final core challenge was easily the highlight for me, really really enjoyed it. Shame most of the game was side scrolling pony action with the same few enemies over and over. Really brought down the enjoyment. Good parts real good tho.
I know it's part of the bit that the game is bad but the bit was not compelling enough for all that.
Está lindo, te lo pasas rápido y es bastante meta. La traducción guay pero me jodió bastante una respuesta en la que tiene una palabra con tilde QUE SOLO TE LA ACEPTA SI NO TIENE TILDE.
Daniel Mullins is a very smart game developer and writer and this is one of his first exploits as a designer. You can definitely see the wear and tear of his initial attempt at this kind of game, it doesn't show the polish in gameplay and narrative that The Hex and Inscryption show, but it's definitely a fun and short little experience that I could see myself returning to again in the future.
Lucifer himself made a game about ponies, butterflies and kiling Jesus. Biblical accurate.
Ehhhh, aside from its premise there really isn't much here. The gameplay is never engaging (which is fine if the game had something else going for it) but there's very little that held my interest past the first 20 minutes or so.
Its only a bit over 2 hours so at least it doesn't overstay its welcome. But without any real positives to speak of, its still longer than what feels worth playing.
Its only a bit over 2 hours so at least it doesn't overstay its welcome. But without any real positives to speak of, its still longer than what feels worth playing.