Poncho (PC) Review

Poncho starts off with plenty of potential, introducing its plane swapping in a very easy to grasp kind of way. Essentially, the player can move into the foreground and the background, meaning they will need to monitor multiple orientations on the screen in order to get past segments and solve the puzzles, somewhat akin to Mutant Mudds. It's very much a novel approach to the idea, and starts off pretty fun and adventurous.

It doesn't hold up for very long, though, and eventually degrades into being much more frustrating than it is exciting. The platforming sections involve switching planes in the middle of platforms doing the same. This could have led to some very interesting platforming; however, because there is no recognisable rhythm to the moving platforms, it becomes more frustrating than even remotely fun. The game features a lot of this type of play and it runs the gambit from fairly fun to either mundane or insanely annoying.

This could all be forgiven, but the controls handle poorly. Timing the shifting between layers is meant to be incredibly precise at certain moments, and these moments are extremely tiresome when the timing is unpredictable. Factor in the relatively simple, yet heavy and cumbersome controls, and it's easy to see why the gameplay suffers. Jumping and general movement seem to work fine, but trying to jump and swap, only to be obliterated by a column that wasn't previously there doesn't give the player the same feeling of accomplishment on the other side. It feels more like a "Finally, that's over!"

Poncho definitely resorts to the retro look, but it manages to retain a look of its own at the same time. The robots almost appear like Mayan statues, and the environments look much crisper than perhaps a SNES classic. It's nice, and it really gives the game its own personality, beyond the normal "retro" styled releases. The sound tends to be more grating than anything, however. It's very minimalist, but due to the frequencies chosen for certain sounds, it leaves a throbbing sensation in the back of the head. It's painful at its worst, and irritating at its best.

This seems to be indicative of the whole experience. Poncho has a few highlights hidden within, but the moments that test the nerves are not only common, but repeated almost to death. Its repetitive and frequently unfair gameplay belies its truly interesting concept and its willingness to try something different. It is a shame to see such a good mechanic and interesting art put to waste due to haphazard controls (it's not even the controls, the character just seems so heavy) and puzzles that require some sort of profound understanding of the movement of objects with no discernible pattern.