I've been following David Szymanski's work since Dusk, and have since bought pretty much all of his games on or around release day. Looking at his work, it quickly becomes apparent that he has a knack for both horror and shooter design. The Pony Factory leans more into the horror side, although it still includes fps elements.
Pony Factory feels like a love letter to Doom 3. Back when Doom 3 first released, players could not equip a weapon and a flashlight at the same time, meaning they had to choose between being able to see or being able to shoot. The BFG re-release would eventually change that, but Szymanski seemingly enjoyed this dynamic so much that he made it the core mechanic of Pony Factory. The game's sharp shadows and heavily stylized lighting lend themselves well to this sort of gameplay, and some of the scares definitely caught me off guard.
However, it's important to remember that Pony Factory is not a big release. This is a 4€ game that regularly goes on sale and can be completed in less than an hour. There are some alternative gameplay modes, but nothing to keep players hooked for hours on end. The game reusing some of its levels has been criticized but I personally didn't mind it, especially since making a level that works well no matter from what direction you approach it is incredibly impressive. Ultimately, Pony Factory is a very good bite sized horror fps, and a must play for every fan of Doom 3.
Pony Factory feels like a love letter to Doom 3. Back when Doom 3 first released, players could not equip a weapon and a flashlight at the same time, meaning they had to choose between being able to see or being able to shoot. The BFG re-release would eventually change that, but Szymanski seemingly enjoyed this dynamic so much that he made it the core mechanic of Pony Factory. The game's sharp shadows and heavily stylized lighting lend themselves well to this sort of gameplay, and some of the scares definitely caught me off guard.
However, it's important to remember that Pony Factory is not a big release. This is a 4€ game that regularly goes on sale and can be completed in less than an hour. There are some alternative gameplay modes, but nothing to keep players hooked for hours on end. The game reusing some of its levels has been criticized but I personally didn't mind it, especially since making a level that works well no matter from what direction you approach it is incredibly impressive. Ultimately, Pony Factory is a very good bite sized horror fps, and a must play for every fan of Doom 3.