Your first run through a level might take you some time and plenty of restarts, but as you learn the ideal spot and timing needed to pass each hurdle you’ll soon find yourself running through them in a minute or two – though this overconfidence can often lead to simple errors. Thankfully though, levels tend to be fairly short, rarely consisting of more than half a dozen screens. After using them up you can pay for another attempt by using the Ice cubes that you’ve got in the bank, but the prices escalate quickly with each subsequent extra try in a location requiring a price that increases exponentially as the game isn’t exactly hugely generous with giving out the cubes and purchasing upgrades is expensive, you’re often better off simply sucking it up and restarting the location altogether. Your avatar can’t take any damage, so the slightest mistake will see you returned to the beginning of the screen to try again and you only have 3 attempts in a location. Despite taking place purely on a 2D plane, some clever tricks convey a sense of false depth. Icycle demonstrates a clever use of perspective.
#Icycle on thin ice mobility scooter series
These can be used as currency to unlock a series of different outfits and upgrades these unlockables are expensive however, and with only a handful of cubes in each location you’ll find yourself replaying them multiple times to accrue currency. You also need to think about your momentum – go too slowly and you’ll find yourself squashed by a falling piece of scenery or fail to surmount a large gap go too fast and you might overshoot a narrow ledge or fly too far before falling, resulting in an unfortunate meeting of face with spike.Īlong the way through each level there are ice cubes to collect. Doing so is essential the path through each screen is often covered from side to side with lethal spikes, bottomless pits and other hazards, so careful negotiation through the series of screens which make up each level is required to get to the end of each course and progress to the next location. When you jump, tapping the screen a second time and holding your finger down deploys an umbrella, slowing your fall and allowing you to travel further as you descend. Gameplay is on a 2d plane, and controls are kept simple – forwards, backwards (which wasn’t available in the original) and jump: something that works to its benefit, as anyone who’s tried to play a game with complex controls on touchscreen devices can attest.
While there are only 20 locations to work with, each of them presents a great deal of challenge, especially if you are going for a perfect score of 100 percent.Publisher Chilingo has an eye for attractive games on mobile platforms, and Icycle: On Thin Ice, the new title by independent developer Damp Gnat, is no exception.Ī follow-up to the original game on browsers, Icycle‘s premise remains the same: you play a man on a bicycle – naked except for a hat, shoes and some sort of clothing on their upper body – trying to avoid obstacles and get to the end of a series of snowy courses. As each level, or “location” changes, so does the visual makeup of Dennis' surroundings. The graphics, complete with the sounds of whistling wind and Dennis' little bicycle are very consuming, yet soothing to experience. However, while this looks great on the iPad and has the same effect on the iPhone, this type of camera angle is not optimal on devices with smaller displays, since holding my phone right up to my face caused a bit of eye strain. As Dennis gets more and more lost in the middle of nowhere, the view continues to pan out to portray the feeling of emptiness. Their color and texture reminds me of the Mimpi games that we recently reviewed. One of the strong points of Icycle: On Thin Ice is that the graphics are not only a pleasure to view, but they also add to the overall experience of the game to make it seem more real. Of course, more of this currency can be attained via in-app purchasing.Īlong with acquiring more spare wheels, you can also purchase new apparel and equipment for Dennis in the “icebox”, which acts as the game's virtual store. Once Dennis uses all four of his lives, known as “spare wheels,” he will have to begin a level over again or purchase more spare wheels using the game's currency.
To prevent him from freezing to death, be sure to watch out for pointy objects, land mines, and other obstacles that may poke or crush him.
Unfortunately, these changes are usually not in his favor. Tapping left or right will move Dennis forward or backward, while tapping up will make him jump, and holding that arrow will deploy his parachute umbrella.Īs Dennis makes his way carefully across the landscapes, his environment will change around him. To proceed throughout each level, use the left, right, and up arrows located along the bottom of the display.
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