Released in 2016, Pony Island is a puzzle arcade that’s also a hacking simulator and a psychological horror. It is also one of the most bizarre and creative games I’ve ever played.
Unlike what the name indicates, it’s not about ponies. Instead, it’s about an evil and broken arcade cabinet possessed by Satan. You are trapped inside of it.
It seems you’re destined to continuously play this awful arcade game for the rest of your life, but unbenownst to the devil, you have coding skills and can hack the game’s code. Perhaps you can use your skills to free yourself from Pony Island.
Funny enough, this game is accurate to a certain degree. I remember in the 90s and early 00s, when I used to frequent various hacking spots, we used to play certain pranks like this on each other all the time. You know, you put a “mysterious” pop-up on someone’s screen, and when they go to click on it, you suddenly move the dialog box.
As an aside, I wish code was as “easy” to fix in real life as it is in Pony Island. When something is broken on Pony Island, it is very apparent. But in my experience, finding broken code in real life is a painstaking process. I’m glad Pony Island didn’t go for simulating an authentic broken code because that would have been a less entertaining game.
It is highly recommended that you play Pony Island with a keyboard and mouse. A trackpad will do but it’s nowhere near as precise as a mouse. I managed to play this on my Steam Deck, and while it was playable, if I were to try this again, I’d play it on my tower instead.
The graphics are something else. Pony Island is supposed to be an arcade game, but it also has a GUI, and looks like a terminal made in the 1970s too. The graphics are largely monochromatic with red used for accenting. This is haphazardly retro but not period specific – which makes Pony Island very creepy. Who, in their right mind, would make such a cursed machine?
The sound effects are great. Again retro, but not period specific. I quite like the sounds that happen when you do something the machine doesn’t like. In terms of the soundtrack, it’s 80s-inspired chiptune music but is much more complex than what would be found in 80s chiptunes – again, giving it a creepy effect. Composer Jonah Senzel did a great job.
Most modern machines can run Pony Island just fine. Almost any modern CPU will do. You need 2GB of RAM and 400MB of space. It has been released natively for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Pony Island is “verified” on Steam Deck, though I wouldn’t recommend that route unless you’re docking it.
Apart from PC, Pony Island has been released on the Blacknut streaming service. No console has ever had a release, and I don’t think it would be a good experience there.
Pony Island is a solo development project by Daniel Mullins. In addition to Pony Island, Daniel Mullins has also made Inscryption and The Hex.
On Steam, Pony Island has a 91% approval rating, and I can see why. It’s a daring, creative, and intense game with a captivating story that blends many disparate game genres together. The people who don’t like it compare it to a bad Flash game. However, Flash games are rarely this ambitious nor complex.
It is awesome that Pony Island is only $5.49, and it offers a more intense and immersive experience than games that are charging 10x as much. It’s also great that Pony Island often goes on sale. Right now, you can get it for 80% off.
If you’re easily spooked, you might want to avoid Pony Island – this isn’t a game for children. But if you want something that will freak you out and is also off the beaten path, then Pony Island is a must-play.
Don’t go watching YouTube playthroughs if you want to make the most out of Pony Island. It’s best when you go in totally unaware of what will happen.
Pony Island is indie gaming at its best: an incredible novel experience that cannot be delivered through any other medium.
