Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Nov 3, 2015

  Playing Poncho now. Wish Id backed this. Tho never even saw the Kickstarter. Only thing I can say is thank you for making this!! Takes me back to my favourite platform games of my childhood in all there 16-bit glory. And so far Im loving every minute of this little chaps adventure. I was a little unsure of the parallax shifting, but you`ve done a wonderful job of implementing it, without being an annoyance. The art style, the music. Its all so polished! Something rarely seen in games emulating the 16-bit era. It would be criminal in my mind if this game wasnt highly rated, or doesnt becoming an under-dog indie hit! Seriously well done & congratulations. <3 it!! :D :D 5/5 Stars from me. Up there with Fez, Super Mario World & Other Indy/16-bit gaming goodness!! Oh and I <3 little Poncho (will be doing some fan-art of the little chap soon)
• gamedeal user

  Nov 7, 2015

  In it's current state, I can just barely recommend Poncho. The art is beautiful, the gameplay mechanics are solid, and the story is kinda touching. It's got a really good sense of adventure and exploration to it, which I like. But the game still needs a lot of polishing. There's tons of bugs, and the platforming physics are still pretty wonky. Often you'll respawn just to instantly die again. Or you'll mess up a jump because sloped platforms have wonky physics. Somestimes bits of background scenery just randomly disappear. Nothing gamebreaking overall, but it adds up and becomes very annoying. I completed the game, and would have liked to go for 100% completion, but I won't do that until the game is improved. Another tip for the dev: Can color-blind players tell the difference between the keys?
• gamedeal user

  Nov 9, 2015

  I'd really prefer that there was a "meh" review... as it stands, the variety of puzzles in the game is too slim, in that one particular mechanic (auto-shifting platforms) gets relied on almost too heavily throughout the game. The game is not long, and its ending is extremely forced. If the game were lower in price I might have fallen on the side of recommending, but as it stands there are better games to be found.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 7, 2016

  A nice little game, but it really feels a bit unfinished and is a bit buggy (menu, spawning in walls,...), and too short for this price tag. The graphics in some parts for the different grounds in the level are identical, so no chance without trial and error to find out where walls or platforms are. The cycles for the timed platforms in several parts are quite luck based, since you can't see them (and they are not synchronised), so again, trial and error, and a bit frustrating...
• gamedeal user

  Feb 12, 2016

  Poncho is a game about a little robot making its way through an overgrown post-apocalyptic world to the big data center tower, in response to a distress signal. Despite being a puzzle-platformer, Poncho is a game you grab when you need to relax and clear your mind of everyday problems. Each level will bring a relaxing, healing atmosphere upon you, starting with background music, and completing it with peaceful and colorful visuals. No enemies, no hazards — only you, 3-plane puzzles and a world to explore. Yes, you can be telefragged, or fall into the pit, but with no punishment from the game whatsoever. There is no forced progression and a neat world select screen — you can leave a level anytime you like, and you can always go back to previous locations. Thanks to the levels themselves being looped (you can go both left and right), you can explore any level you have unlocked further without tedious backtracking. To sum it up, you can count on this game to wash away your worries after a long week of work. [spoiler]UNLESS YOU’VE REACHED THE FINAL LEVEL. IT IS HELL. Go for the final level only when you are ready for some high-paced, quick decision-making platforming in three planes.[/spoiler] Poncho has very interesting multi-plane drifting system as it’s core mechanic. You can switch between the front plane, middle plane and far plane any moment you like, providing there is enough space for you to fit there. This allows you to use perspective as your ally: if the pillar is too high to jump on, just switch the plane, jump, and when Poncho is seemingly above the pillar — switch back. Voila, you are standing on top of “unreachable” pillar. There are lots of tricks with that system for you, it’s really fun and puzzles are actually good. Developers made sure to utilize their core mechanic right. I've mentioned that you can always re-explore previous levels. But what’s the reason to explore a level you’ve already cleared? 1. You can find and unlock 2 abilities in game. One of them, for example, will allow you to stomp the floor and discover secret areas. 2. Collectibles of sorts: keys, memory chips, secret characters, and dead robots to revive (Glory to the Robot King!) 3. Secret areas. These are mostly caves of various sorts, but there is one really cool location [spoiler]where robots are partying hard, and planes keep clamping together.[/spoiler] The game is aware of it’s own amount of content - it has few twists and puzzle mechanics, but it utilizes them well. It also has just the right length not to get boring, and two endings. So grab it on Friday, sit back, listen to music, relax, solve puzzles and explore. Sadly, most people didn’t give Poncho a chance, SteamSpy estimates its owners at 1-1.5k but I hope that this review helps more people to discover this game. P.S. For more awesome hidden gems, follow the steam [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/10722089/]CRIMINALLY Low Sales[/url] curator.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 30, 2016

  Incredibly cool, but within like an hour of playing I've gotten into infinite death/respawn loops twice. The only way to fix this seems to be to exit to the world map, which loses my progress. I think this is going to be too frustrating to complete.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 9, 2016

  I remember when I first saw this game on Kickstarter but it didn't receive full funding. However, then I found out that some person/business entity decided to fully support the game so that it could be created. And when I first saw this game, I thought it looked amazing. The idea that you can switch between platforms like layers intrigued me. I love games like Monument Valley, Fez, and Sky Island (and Antichamber, though that is played in a first person perspective) because they are platform games that are trying to mess around with perspective. And Poncho's game mechanic of going between platforms is a cool way to play around with perspective. But this game could use some changes. Going between platforms can be frustrating, and I've already encountered a level where I can't get anywhere without waiting for a moving platform to show up. Respawning is also an issue, as sometimes you get respawned over an area with no ground and you fall to your death. Don't get me wrong, this game is beautiful, and some levels that I have began to play are good, but it's frustrating. Yes, this game has a cool mechanic, but it could use some work.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 11, 2016

  A pretty decent game, although the store page overstates things somewhat... Gameplay: Solid 9/10. The puzzles were interesting, and the platforming challenges were engaging, with only a few frustrating moments. Storyline: Mostly an excuse plot, but a good quality one. The 'mutliple endings' mentioned in the store page entirely hinge on an otherwise arbitrary decision on the end, which I find to be a bit arbitrary, but understandable in the context of the story. 7/10 Graphics: The spritework is gorgeous, although a few of the special effects are awkward (mostly Poncho's death effect, which is a random splatter of technicolor flashing; epileptics beware). 8/10 Music: It's not an award-winning score, but it's pleasant enough. 7/10. Overall: 31/40, I'd put this title at a solid A (albeit possibly overpriced considering the amount of gameplay therein). Now, as I said, the store page is a bit misleading... the two main notes are the mention of the game's storyline which, as I said, is mostly an excuse plot. It's got a few good moments, but it's not really center-stage. The randomly generated NPCs just wander around, without really having any impact on anything. Some of them have text, but it's just drawn from a universal pool (except in one area), and mostly isn't that interesting. With regards to the comment that you can 'seek out and find new abilities'... there are two extra abilities total, neither of which is actually required to solve puzzles. One opens up certain hidden areas, and the other is an additional type of collectable you can find. Those are all nitpicks, however, and the core of the game is extremely strong, even if does kind of feel a little like the developers were trying to make an in-depth metroidvania and changed gears to a traditional puzzle-platformer mid-stream. Overall, I'd recommend it (although maybe buy it when it's on sale)
• gamedeal user

  Aug 18, 2016

  Very decent platformer with layered elements, similar in function to Little Big Planet. Designed with a controller in mind, the character handles silky smooth and I couldn't fault the controls. The environment works against you, however. The flat, 16-bit style is not great when working with layered elements. It can be difficult to determine which layer is which, especially when the actual background is coloured to match the foreground elements. The same problem cause additional issues when trying to determine if objects are in your way when switching layers. The layers in front of you don't always fade away to show your position on the layers behind. The 2D elements also ruin depth perception and, to be brutally honest, look really ugly in some areas. I like that it has all the joys a completionist would love, but doesn't force them upon the player. You can play straight through with little care for the collectables and get both endings. With that said, you only get about an hour and a half of gameplay, so you have to decide if the price warrants the quality vs length. This game has some excellent quality and the guys behind it have really put the effort into it. For that reason, I recommend PONCHO.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 29, 2016

  An underrated little game since it was developed by two people. There's not much too it length wise, but the inbetween is what makes it, as the levels are beautiful and the music is awesome. If there was a more intricate rating system I'd have to give this game about a 7/10, but try the game yourself.