By Dan Spence on January 27th 2016

On the face of it Pony Island appears to be a very basic game about a cute pony jumping over fences. This simple veneer is quickly stripped away, however and the game takes a significantly darker turn. Saying too much would undoubtedly spoil the game, as Pony Island is an experience that manages to play with your expectations at almost every turn.

To quote from the game’s Steam page: “Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.”

Pony Island is adept at surprising the player, (and not just with its wonderfully misleading title) it does this by doing things that you would never ordinarily expect a video game to do. One core aspect of the game sees you essentially hacking and altering the game that you are currently playing – as you play it – through a series of simple logic-puzzles. The game regularly breaks the fourth wall in truly baffling ways and often changes or transforms to become even more bizarre.

At just 2 hours long Pony Island is the perfect length to ensure that it never outstays its welcome. While my enjoyment did dip slightly during the middle portion of the game (due to a puzzle section that goes on for slightly too long) it’s filled with enough constant change and surprising moments to ensure that you’ll never grow bored.

Not wishing to give too much of the game away, I’ll leave you with this:

Pony Island is a weird and clever game that subverts the norm in a variety of unusual ways. Daniel Mullins has created a truly unique game that you’re not likely to forget any time soon. If that sounds like an intriguing prospect to you, then it’s a game that is definitely worth your time (and money!).

Pony Island is: RECOMMENDED

Pony Island is available for £3.99 on Steam and Humble Store.