Emily Tofanelli writes: "Poncho is an incredibly unique open world puzzle platformer. I love open world games as I feel like they really open a game up for the player, and help create a more immersive experience. What helps set Poncho apart is its 2D/3D characteristics. While clearly a 2D game, and a super adorable one to boot, the player is able to switch planes by hitting the up or down arrow keys. Switching planes brings to mind the 3D aspects of Super Paper Mario, albeit in a much more pixelated atmosphere."
Indie platformer Poncho is a great concept marred by poor puzzle design.
There is no shortage of puzzle-platformers on the downloadable scene, each one with their own retro hook, so standing out from the rest of the scenery can be a daunting task. With one simple push of a button, however, the mechanized titular protagonist of Poncho, just released for the Wii U, can change his position within the pixellated, parallaxing world. Is this clever gameplay mechanic enough to bring himself (and hopefully his game) to the indie foreground?
EB: This is more than likely going to be a week of working through your video game backlog, because there really aren’t many “must-play” games releasing this week. That doesn’t mean that you can’t find a gem in this week’s new video game release lineup, so head on down below to see what’s cooking.
