Inscryption developer returning to little horses with Pony Island 2
Announced during the Game Awards pre-show
After the deadly (and delightful) card game of Inscryption, creator Daniel Mullins is returning to his happy land of little horses. Today he announced Pony Island 2: Panda Circus, a new genre-shifting curio described as "a phantasmagorical voyage through time, myth, divinity, and video games." I like that this description is likely wholly earnest and accurate. This news came during the pre-show for Geoff Keighley's Shopping Hour and if a game like this is relegated to the pre-show, I can only assume the main event will include Half-Life 3, Elden Ring 2, and Deus Ex 5.
"You were a young nomad who would have gone on to conquer the world... until an early death doomed you to The Earth Prison," the blurb explains. "Now you must escape the lordly deities of the underworld with your soul, and your sanity, intact. This is not a game about ponies."
Yeah, but he would say that if it was about ponies. Would be a great twist, that.
In our Pony Island review, John Walker declared it "the smartest game of 2016" only five days into the year. A lot of people would stand by that 360 days later. Like Inscryption, it's a game where I'd hesitate to explain much about it, trying to reveal just enough interest to pique interest so people go play and can experience surprises and discover its shape for themselves. Still a nice game if you know it's not about ponies, of course, but nicer if you don't.
Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is coming to Steam in... 2024? 25? 26?
Can't get enough of Geoff's annual advert hype machine? Find all the announcements and more on our Game Awards 2023 hub page, and why not pop into our liveblog while you're here?