Pony Island 2: Panda Circus — Everything We Know

After the release of Inscryption, one of the industry's smashing animal card games, Daniel Mullins Games is back at it with what seems to be a promising upcoming sequel. The developers have decided to revive their earliest game release.

In 2016, the team took us into an adventurous puzzle game filled with humor and satire. Pony Island features a series of quests that took over from legendary games like Super Mario. By offering the craze intense and multiple options, fans couldn't get enough.

Now, Daniel Mullins Games is reviving the 2D game with an improved sequel, Pony Island 2: Panda Circus. The developers revealed this game on December 7, 2023, during The Game Awards premiere. While details about the game are somewhat vague, here's all the information we have about Pony Island 2: Panda Circus.

What is Pony Island 2: Panda Circus?

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is an upcoming adventurous Indie title that was revealed during the TGA hosted in December 2023. The game is a follow-up to Daniel Mullins Games' Pony Island, which debuted in 2016. The same developer is also responsible for the sequel. In the Pony Island 2: Panda Circus reveal trailer, the developer does not reveal much, rather than give us a glimpse into what the gameplay might look like and some more rough ideas.

Story

While the title might be misleading, just like its prequel, Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is not about ponies. In the sequel, your story pits you as a young nomad. In your early years, you go through quests in an effort to overthrow an unnamed world. However, you lose your life amidst your battles.

After your demise, your soul is cast into prison on planet Earth, The Earth Prison. Borrowing from Pony Island, it is most likely that your soul will be trapped in a particular object. In the prequel, the soul was trapped in a pony. Following the announcement trailer, we can conclude that your soul will be trapped as a panda. This is more visible in the trailer, where we see a panda behind bars.

Although we can't be confident, the announcement video also gives us a little more insight into the story buildup. First things first, to free yourself, you will have to fight off devil-like cruelties that run the earth.

Now back to what we have discovered. The trailer introduces a prologue where the panda talks about the demise that has befallen fellow pandas. On the other hand, your soul might be trapped in a panda, and you need to fight earthly deities for your freedom. Therefore, there's a high likelihood that most, if not all, of your gameplay will be geared toward saving pandas on Earth.

A little side play here: Wouldn't it be exciting to discover that the deities are human beings who are messing with the balance of the ecosystem, threatening the mere existence of those cute furry pandas?

Gameplay

From what we have seen, the player will take on a series of diverse challenges, either as a human or a panda. In whatever form, it is clear that the developers will not allow you any peace or rest.

Looking into Pony Island 2: Panda Circus' predecessor, the team enjoys having players often on their toes. How do they achieve this?

The team sets up the protagonist in an arcade machine that takes the form of a 2D setup. Here, using the point-and-click strategy, you will play whatever challenges are set before you. The gameplay instance that comes out clearly in the teaser is the use of bows and a special arrow for battle. Additionally, the game will pit players into a battle strategy that requires the use of arms and kicks to attain victory.

While we don't have access to more challenges the game might bring, it is clear that the sequel will uphold its surreal feel. You will take on fight-and-hit quests, text-based challenges, and socializing. The aspect of socialization comes out as you try to negotiate for your release with the earthly deities.

Development

Oh yeah, and that throat singing in the trailer? That was recorded just for Panda Circus by the Tuvan vocalists from Alash Ensemble. Here's one of the raw recordingshttps://t.co/ts0xoQZdTN pic.twitter.com/bwsK19W9JD

— Daniel Mullins (@DMullinsGames) December 8, 2023

Announcement trailers are released to give players a sense of direction by letting them know what developers are cooking. Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is under development by the Daniel Mullins Games developers. Recently, the team has released a series of collaborators who are seeing through the game's success.

Dr. Dotno Pount was paramount in the development of the game's storyline. Midnight Syntax was in charge of developing the 2D creation art. Jayne from Enigma Arcana takes the lead in costume design. Tuvan vocalists from Alash Ensemble are the developers and presenters of the game's throat-singing recordings. These are just a few of the crew members who have been involved in the creation of this upcoming title.

Trailer

The trailer has not shown much. However, that bit is enough for us to know that what is in store is huge. In the 1 minute, thirty-second teaser, we get a revelation of two fighting strategies. We also get a glimpse of the devilish creatures that haunt you during your mission. There's also the mention of the king midway, leading us to wonder whether he is the earthly lord in reference. The trailer shows us a bit more of the game's arcade setup. We also know that, in comparison to the prequel, Pony Island 2: Panda Circus will host a mix of both 3D and 2D graphics.

Release Date, Platforms and Editions

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus is speculated to land between 2024 and 2026. Following the multiple X (formerly Twitter) posts about the game's development collaborations, it is possible that the game might knock in a bit earlier. The developers have also not shared the list of platforms they expect to release the game on. Similarly, there's no information regarding its editions. However, the game is available for wishlisting on its Steam page.

So what's your take? Will you wishlist Pony Island 2: Panda Circus while waiting for its official release? Also, what would you love to see in the sequel? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.