Play Ponymon Dusk (alpha 0.32) Online

Ponymon Dusk is a homebrew alpha for the Game Boy Advance, released independently in 2024. It feels like a game that could have existed in the mid-2000s, fitting right in with the system's library of quirky, ambitious RPGs made by small teams. The developer isn't widely known, which adds to the feeling of discovering something obscure and personal.

You control a young trainer who explores the world on foot, capturing wild ponies to build a team for turn-based battles. The main goal is to collect eight badges by defeating gym leaders, but the journey is filled with tall grass, caves, and small towns to investigate. Two mechanics stand out: the terrain system, where the battlefield's environment (like mud or flowers) can passively alter your pony's stats, and the fusion feature, which lets you temporarily combine two ponies for a powerful, single-use attack. The pacing is deliberate, with random encounters feeling frequent but manageable, and the difficulty has a noticeable spike for the first major boss. It feels like tinkering with a promising, unfinished machine, where every new area holds the potential for a clever strategy or a frustrating bug.