Secret Ponchos – Coming Soon to a PS4 Near You!
Secret Ponchos, a shoot ‘em up adventure from Switchblade Monkeys (www.secretponchos.com) is a stylized top-down experience where you play as one of six different characters:

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– The Killer: fights with a gun and a knife, and resembles the classic seasoned western outlaw
– Kid Red: armed with guns a plenty and kind of resembles 2-D from The Gorillaz (and was arguably the most popular in the demo I played at PAX East)
– The Deserter: a burly character with a rifle and a medkit
– Phantom Poncho: The stuff of nightmares in his sombrero and poncho, he has a bullwhip
– The Matador: This one is not yet on the website and was available to play at PAX. She’s the only female in the line-up (which I’m used to) and has a blind ability that you can couple with her spear-like weapons. She is tough, but fun, to play. I died a lot and expect to die more until I have it mastered.
– A Mystery Class – This one isn’t up on the site yet either and I don’t remember seeing it at PAX.

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The game relies on its multiplayer mechanics – you can fight as a team in gang fights, go head to head against your friends and foes in 1 vs. 1 or duke it out in Free-For-All. The environment is set in the old West, where your fight could start in the bar and spill into the streets. Employing stealth and your surroundings, you can strategically strike from cover or completely disappear. Power ups and health boosts are scattered throughout, enhancing your play and giving you temporary strategic advantages.

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Switchblade Monkeys started as a side project by four friends who worked in the gaming industry, said Yousuf Mapara, Creative Director, who was kind enough to answer my questions during PAX. They appeared at last year’s PAX East and by chance were scouted out by the team at Sony, who asked how they could get the game on PS4. He said they didn’t want to go for a realistic look, but something more stylized. The top-down camera angle was also a way they wanted to set the game apart, since most shooters are a first or third person experience.
It is an awesome looking game with unique game mechanics and I can see it being a really good time with a lot of friends. It will be out early this Summer on Steam Early Access for PC and then for PS4.
If you’re a fan of shooters, the old west, or games for the PS4, keep your eyes out for this one!

Thank you to Switchblade Monkeys, Yousuf Mapara, and everyone at the Secret Ponchos booth for the interview and the chance to play!
~Myrrick
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