During the game awards, Daniel Mullins Games, the creator of Pony Island and Inscryption announced their next game, Pony Island 2: Panda Circus.
The trailer shows an individual taking a fancy-looking USB drive to a fancy-looking arcade cabinet. Then things get really lo-fi, and then things start glitching out in a sinister manner. The video description describes it as, “a phantasmagorical voyage through time, myth, divinity, and video games. Escape the lordly deities of the underworld with your soul, and your sanity, intact.”
When I saw that the game was coming from the maker of Inscryption, I was pretty underwhelmed when it started glitching out. But since it’s an actual sequel to 2016’s Pony Island, I think it would be pretty strange if it didn’t have the fourth wall breaking meta-narrative.
I’ve played both Pony Island and Inscryption. Pony Island is a solid time that puts you in a toxic relationship with Satan. Inscryption on the other hand, was absolutely terrific in the first chapter and then kind of underwhelmed. I’m probably still on board for another one.
The release date for Pony Island 2: Panda Circus flickers between 2024, 2025, and 2026. Your guess is as good as mine, but it will probably be on PC first.