PAX East Secret Ponchos interview: Steam Early Access, Sony, and more…

Last year when we saw Secret Ponchos, it didn't have a platform yet. That changed quickly, as Sony swooped in and signed the game and promised as a free game in their PS Plus program.

A lot has changed in that year since PAX East 2013. Now, Switchblade Monkeys, the devs behind Secret Ponchos, are gearing up for a Steam Early Access launch. We were able to speak to Yousuf Mapara, president and creative director of Secret Ponchos, at PAX East 2014 last weekend. During the interview, we covered what to expect from the Steam Early Access of Secret Ponchos, how Sony has responded to the game heading to Steam, their new engine, and what to expect at launch.

Right now, Secret Ponchos is all about polish, polish, polish. They are putting the final touches on the game.

For those of you discovering this game for the first time, here's what the game is about, straight from the developer:

Secret Ponchos takes place in a dramatic Wild West setting, full of tension, stylization and attitude reflective of a graphic-novel. In a town crawling with bandits, murderers and bounty hunters you are an outlaw with a bounty on your head and everyone is gunning for you. In order to survive you must be the best and to gain notoriety you must defeat your opponents–claiming their achievements as your own. How many you kill and the rewards you collect define your legacy.

Secret Ponchos is an online combat game. Players battle against each other for notoriety and reputation. These duels are recorded into your character’s legacy. Players can compete in one-vs-one duels, engage in western style gang fights, or enter the fray with the Free-For-All mode. Upon entering the game, players create and customize their own outlaw(s) which can then be upgraded (both abilities and appearance) as they gain reputation points.

The game-play aggressively crosses genre boundaries, creating a distinctive and innovative feel. It brings together the strategic elements of overhead camera games, the team dynamics & matchmaking systems of 1st person shooters and the responsiveness of a fighting game.

There's no release date yet for Secret Ponchos to release on the PlayStation 4. However, look out for the game on Steam Early Access in the first months of summer 2014.

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com