Short and incisive, it’s impossible for Pony Island to outstay its welcome, and for the length of its brief run it snowballs, gaining momentum until the conclusion crashes down on you in an avalanche of meta-commentary and ARG elements. It’s a pity that these asides begin to verge on repetitious, but a late-game reskin gives them just enough life to carry the puzzles through to the end of Pony Island’s four-hour lifespan. It’s a rare sighting of genuine self-aware humour. They make you part of the joke and ensure that you’re playing a game, not stranded in a lecture theatre listening to a dev tell us how silly the very concept is. And, simply, it’s nice to have things to do-the puzzles offer a light cerebral challenge that requires your interaction. At first it feels like a contradiction to have such obvious ‘game-like’ elements with a conventional difficulty curve embedded in a game which points out how daft these things are, but I suspect that’s part of the joke. It wants you to think it’s interested in free-to-play before layering on the meta-commentary.Īs the game progresses (both the real and metaphorical game, if you’re keeping track), new commands are added to the roster and the coding puzzles become proportionately more complex. To Pony Island, the state of free-to-play is mere small talk, like mentioning the weather or your lunch plans. How droll.” This is the least of what Pony Island has to say. “Ah”, you may think, “a critical slap to the state of achievements and positive reinforcement in free-to-play. Think you can handle that? The eruption of insincere praise on prancing up to the end flag might elicit and appreciative nod. consisting of a pony, some hurdles and a sickly bucolic background. It’s an old arcade title by Systemtech, Inc.

Pony Island boasts the most asinine introduction most of us will ever endure.

Really I need to play it again, but, well, I made a promise. In compromise, I’ve pulled out a handful of inspired examples to mull over, but I’m not entirely confident of my own theories. I ought not to share my interpretation of what at times appears to be an ingenious literary conceit and at others pokes fun at the whole idea. He was named to Variety’s prestigious Hitmakers list in 20.It’s maddening that I can’t unpack Pony Island for this review without spoiling it or desensitising you to its many, many tricks. He rose through the ranks over the following eight years and was named VP of international in 2012, senior VP in 2013 and executive VP in 2017. “Island is poised to accomplish unprecedented new heights in the years ahead, and I am proud to be part of that future.”Īlexander has spent his entire music career within the UMG family, having started as an intern in 2003, prior to becoming an assistant two years later at the former Island Def Jam Music Group. “It’s an incredible opportunity to join Island’s senior leadership team, to be able to work even more closely with the label’s roster of iconic artists and brilliant staff,” said Alexander.

That combined with his strong existing relationships with the Island staff, artists, managers, and global partners makes him the ideal GM for a modern record label.”

Eshak added, “Mike’s experience gives him a unique understanding of the UMG system and the advantages it provides artists in the rapidly evolving global streaming economy.

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