Want a Slice?
FantaBlade Network, and X.D. Network, Inc, presents Icey on the Nintendo Switch. While it has been available on other platforms, this game makes me content. It is a hack ‘n’ slash title. Icey reminds me of Strider. It is not Strider, but it feels, again, necessary for Nintendo’s platform. Portably, on a desktop, or on your television, the game fills in the gaps, at a decent price, of your Switch library. Get on a boat, a ship, or simply hunker down on an island, Icey, the Chinese independent title, delivers a solid, genre outing.
The Cold Story
Icey is a two-dimensional action title. You play the role of a character, Icey, that is a blank slate in a cold stasis. You escape. There is a Narrator. You push Icey, with instructions from the Narrator, toward the end of the game to confront a world-ending foe, Judas. The Narrator acts as a presence that can push you toward, or away from, your final goal. For example, The Narrator tells you arrows will push you closer to the end goal. You should follow these intructions. However, there are areas that you can visit and discover more about Icey’s world. Icey is my first metagaming experience. Quora offers a solid example of this. In the case of Icey, the game offers a solid, action game, with role-playing, and platforming, elements. However, Icey also offers twist, and turns, that can lead players to secret areas, bonus areas, and content outside of the game, if you move away from the Narrator’s advice. This is not a new idea, but it is a fresh concept for this game.
Crisp controls and game play
Icey’s controls are simple. Use the analog or digital control pad to move your character. X and Y buttons act as your hard and simple strikes. The A button is an action button meant to interact with Icey’s world, access upgrade menus, and allows players to deliver finishers to their enemies. The B Button is the jump button. I found out, late in the game, the R button is the ultimate dash button for the character to slide around the screen, and through some enemies’ attacks. Players can collect currency and access an upgrade menu for Icey. The upgrades include charged blast, longer dash ability, and special attacks to give Icey an advantage over her enemies. The game moves well. The action is fast and all of the buttons respond when you need them. Honestly, without a counter balance, the game’s enemies, Icey could be a very simple game. The game’s artificial intelligence, however, has other plans for your fun experience. The enemies in this game work as a team. Easy, or hard, the game uses enemy attacks against your best efforts. In most cases, enemies come on screen and attack. You simply take the offensive, or counter attack. Smaller enemies, with larger foes, make for a headache. I will also add smaller enemies in certain numbers, and combinations, make for difficult game play. For example, a large boss, Carlos, is a bulky machine that envelopes Icey when she gets to close and has a series of attacks that can ground your character, anywhere on the screen. Carlos works in tandem with smaller characters. One enemy shoots a simple laser to keep your character in place. The other enemy uses dash attacks to make Icey’s movements more difficult. Each enemy uses their skill in precise ways, as part of a gang attack. This is both great for the game, and unfair in certain cases. Timing, the right attack, and effort can get you to the end of the game.
Coldclusion
I love Icey, on Nintendo Switch, for this reason. I recently purchased Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection, from Capcom. You can never get enough Street Fighter on a Nintendo console. This is necessary. The game is almost a preparation for Street Fighter online play. None of the versions, in Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection, have an ability to change the difficult settings. The game offers precise control, for each version, and is an arcade collection of the games. It is a grind. You play the game and you lose, as much as you win, off, and online. Icey was the game I went to after this collection. Icey is fun, solid and a grind, but is an escape. Both games represent Nintendo Switch’s reality. Nintendo Switch has the games you want, where you want, but offers the challenge you had better be ready to face. This is a fun time to own a Nintendo Switch console. Nintendo’s Electronic Entertainment Expos presentation is very near. Icey’s appearance on the platform is just one more reason why Nintendo needs to keep doing what they are doing.