| Secret Ponchos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Switchblade Monkeys |
| Publisher(s) | Switchblade Monkeys[1] |
| Engine | PhyreEngine |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 Microsoft Windows |
| Release | PlayStation 4 December 2, 2014 Microsoft Windows October 13, 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Top-down shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Secret Ponchos is anonlinemultiplayertop-down shooter developed by Canadian indie studio Switchblade Monkeys. The game was released inEarly Access in July 2014 for Windows and on December 2, 2014, for PlayStation 4. The game was released on PC asMost Wanted Edition in October 13, 2015, with more characters and maps. The PlayStation 4 version has added these expansion packs.[2]
The game is set in theWild West, where the player is anoutlaw andfugitive.[3] The primary focus isplayer versus player (PvP),[4] where players duel online to gain reputation and notoriety.[3] The game plays from atop-down perspective.[4] The controls play liketwin stick shooters.[5]
Players who perform well receive abounty on their heads, where they become the targets of players who want to receive the bounty's increased reputation reward.[6] Other players can team up against the player with the bounty.[6]
There are five maps, multiple game modes, and multiple characters.[4] Every character has a dual-function weapon (e.g., a revolver that fires strong shots up close and rapid shots at a distance) and a secondary item, like dynamite.[4] The PCMost Wanted Edition has 10 different characters.[7]
The goal is to win the duels that can be 1v1 or 3v3 using better control and strategic use of the environment.
Switchblade Monkeys, anindie game developer, is a five-person team with seven extra contributors.[5] Company president Yousef Mapara was formerly an art director atRadical Entertainment, and left to make his own iPhone game.[5] Daunted by the realities of the iOS App Store competition, he didn't continue.[5]
The game's name comes from the title of an internal productionblog, which became popular with the developers.[8] The team was inspired byTeam Fortress,Street Fighter II, andLeague of Legends.[8] The company was approached atPAX Prime bySony representatives who played the game for 20 minutes, watched others play the game, and eventually introduced themselves to ask the developers to consider bringing the game toPlayStation 4.[5] When the developers responded that they did not have the money, the representatives offered development kits and asked how they could reduce the company's barriers.[5]
The team planned to implementcloth physics andambient lighting betweenE3 2013 and release to take advantage of thePlayStation 4's advanced capabilities.[4] Switchblade has also considereddownloadable content such as new game modes and characters, including acapture point map that would function similar to that ofLeague of Legends.[4]
It was announced ahead of the 2013PAX East convention and confirmed as a PlayStation 4-exclusive during Sony'sE3 2013 press conference.[3] It was released on PS4 on December 2, 2014, as was featured as part of PS Plus's December Free Game Collection.[3][9]
The Windows version was officially announced before the 2014 PAX East convention and developer Caley Smyth told reporters the game will be released sometime in July 2014.[10] The game entered Steam Early Access in July 2014,[11] and was released as theMost Wanted Edition in October 2015.[12][13]
IGN rated the game 7/10, with reviewer Mikel Reparaz complimenting the depth of the different characters' gameplay, which he said makes them fun to master. However, he said the game "doesn't have much to progress through" otherwise, with only five characters, four stages and three game modes available in the game at that time.[14] Reviewing the PCMost Wanted Edition in October 2015, Paul Tamburro made similar points, praising the "surprising complexity of its core gameplay" that facilitated "some truly intense shootouts". However, he said that a small online community led to frequent connection issues as well as unbalanced matches.[7]