Icycle: On Thin Ice
- October 25, 2017
- Damp Gnat
Get on Steam"Icycle: On Thin Ice" is a quirky adventure game featuring a naked hero, Dennis, on his quest through a frozen post-apocalyptic world. Players solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and collect items across surreal, hand-drawn landscapes. With its unique art style and whimsical humor, Icycle offers a refreshing take on the classic platformer genre.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Visually stunning with a unique art style and engaging environmental storytelling.
- Fun and nostalgic gameplay that appeals to both casual and hardcore players.
- Creative level design with a humorous and adventurous tone.
- The game is plagued by bugs and technical issues.
- Some levels can be frustratingly difficult, leading to moments of anger.
- The menu navigation requires mouse use, which can be inconvenient for some players.
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful visuals and charming art style, with 2D vector graphics that stand out on larger screens. Reviewers appreciate the attention to detail in the animations and environmental sounds, contributing to an overall cute and engaging aesthetic. Despite some criticism of specific gameplay elements, the overall artistic presentation is considered a highlight.
“Beautiful visuals.”
“The art style is also fabulous.”
“The 2D vector graphics by game designer Reece Millidge really pop on a big screen, highlighting the detail that went into every short but challenging level.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The character models look blocky and unrefined, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The environments feel bland and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- story8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story is conveyed through striking visuals and audio without any dialogue, showcasing effective environmental storytelling similar to titles like *Half-Life 2* and *Fortnite: Battle Royale*. Players appreciate the engaging narrative and unique art style, although some express frustration with certain gameplay elements, such as a particularly disliked bonus level. Overall, the platformer is noted for its interesting story and fun gameplay.
“A great platformer with an interesting story and visual style.”
“Like Half-Life 2 and Fortnite: Battle Royale, Icicle: On Thin Ice is another great example of environmental storytelling.”
“The story is told through its art and audio with no dialogue.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, reminiscent of classic 8-bit titles, as players control a quirky character navigating a post-apocalyptic world. While the visuals and story are praised, the difficulty increases significantly midway, and players have mixed feelings about certain bonus levels, particularly criticizing the lottery level. Overall, the experience is described as tense and fun, especially with the use of an 8bitdo sn30+ controller, which enhances ease of play.
“Connecting an 8bitdo sn30+ controller makes the gameplay much easier (the difficulty still picks up halfway through).”
“Amazing visuals, a neat little story, tense, fun gameplay.”
“Its game mechanic is about as simple as an 8-bit console cart: you guide Dennis, a paunchy, balding, naked dude on a tiny bicycle, through the mostly frozen remains of civilization in an attempt to find someone, anyone else.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its humor, which adds a lighthearted touch to the challenging and adventurous gameplay. Players find it genuinely funny, complementing the experience with brilliant platforming elements.
“It is a humorous and sometimes challenging and adventurous game.”
“Really funny, and brilliant platforming as well.”
“Funny.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its significant stability issues, with multiple users reporting frequent bugs that hinder gameplay.
“Way too buggy”
“Way too buggy”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy includes a "pay to revive" feature and expensive upgrades that encourage players to spend real money to enhance their experience, despite the absence of microtransactions in the PC version. This approach has drawn criticism for making the game feel less rewarding without additional purchases.
“I'm quite surprised they kept 'pay to revive' and overpriced upgrades that double collectibles count, which usually tease you to buy it with real money to make the game less trivial, despite the fact that there are no microtransactions in the PC version.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, especially with the constant push to spend real money for basic gameplay enhancements.”
“It's frustrating to see a game that could be enjoyable marred by aggressive monetization tactics that prioritize profit over player experience.”
