ICEY is definitely a hidden gem.
For those who didn’t know, ICEY is a 2D platformer with Devil May Cry-like action accompanied by a narrator who will get irritated if you don’t follow his instructions (think of The Stanley Parable).
The game is relatively short. I had my first ending (defeating Judas) in around 90 minutes. But believe me, it worth your time and penny.
What’s Good
Really great action, visual and sound design. A quality combination of action, visual and sound make ICEY an excellent action experience.
- a sci-fi setting, a good fit for this game
- 16 different combinations of moves in the game; satisfying to see ICEY grow stronger, perform different combos and level up once you get yourself familiar with these moves and beat up the enemies
- dazzling visual effect during combat
- the music gets intense gradually on your way to find Judas, the final boss; will make you feel that “the moment has finally come!”
Jack is the most challenging boss to me. He’s quick, and it took me about six times to beat him. Combat tips from me: use Dodge a lot.
Breaking the fourth wall
The game has what we called “breaking the fourth wall” design - the narrator talks to you directly. Fictionality and reality are intertwined.
Highly replayable
There are 34 trophies to collect in ICEY. Given that the game is kinda choice-based, you will need to replay the game a few times to get all the trophies. Trust me, it’s not boring to replay the game; the narrator will offer you a good ride.
The intangible philosophical thing
It is probably because of the narration (and some achievement called “The Abyss Watches Back”), ICEY will get you to think that “wow this action game is deep”. You will question the identity of ICEY, the identity of you as the player, and the instructions in gaming in general.
What’s Bad
Overall I’m pretty impressed with ICEY. if you’d ask me what’s the one thing that makes the game less satisfying, I would say the narrator’s performance.
ICEY is available in five languages: English, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, which means that each has a different narrator.
I’ve played the Simplified Chinese version and the English version. The former one is good, considering that the game itself is developed by a Chinese team. The English narrator’s performance, however, seems “trying too hard” to me. So, instead of having the fun of disobeying him, I sometimes find him annoying.
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