Browser Game Pick: Icycle (Damp Gnat)
The story of Icycle is set in a time when the entire world has been frozen solid, save for a man who was cryogenically preserved together with a bicycle and an unknown companion that flees the scene just before the game starts. The protagonist can only cycle forward and never move back, but he is still able to control his travel speed and time his jumps to avoid some of the dangers he will face during his adventure.
There are eight stages to play in total, each featuring three or four screens of landscape to traverse.
Comments
What a well though-out game, great time based puzzles and excellent appeal.
Great gameplay overall
Posted by: ajay karat | September 21, 2009 8:03 PM
This is really impressive visually. There are some issues with the gameplay that make it less fun than a game this polished could be, however. Many of the game's challenges depend on unfairly surprising the player and forcing a retry rather than giving fair warning and presenting obstacles which must be overcome with skill. One example of this is that there are frequently hazards right in front of the player when the screen advances. On a more visual note, sometimes it's hard to tell which objects are solid, in the background, or lethal.
But all told, this is really impressive and I look forward to seeing more games by you.
Posted by: Sparky | September 21, 2009 8:04 PM
Strange how this game got just a few coments, probally because most players got a mixed feeling of, such a beatiful game, that start to pissing you off near the end.
Posted by: me | September 22, 2009 12:52 AM
This has very nice presentation, and I like the variety in the areas.
I think I've reached the last part of the last screen, and that may be as far as I go. Modern video games have made me impatient when it comes to repeating a difficult sequence, I guess.
Posted by: c5 | September 22, 2009 1:13 AM
This game is beautiful, but the ridiculously frustrating trial and error gameplay all but ruins it. It's a shame, too, because the later levels are the most beautifully constructed (I managed to get there after a lot of tries). The way the landscape interacts with the character is extremely well done, as well. I especially liked the buildings falling and the ice extending.
Also, the little touch of the character's echoing "hello"s at the beginning of each level adds so much to the atmosphere.
So, overall, one of the most beautiful and atmospheric flash games I've ever seen, but the trial and error difficultly ruins the atmosphere by replacing the calm, eerie loneliness of the scenery with frustration and anger.
Posted by: VampireCactus | September 22, 2009 5:22 AM
Killer intro, beautiful setting and soundscape... beautiful graphics, it's a joy to play, even if it's a little difficult, I hope to see more from them
Posted by: mots | September 22, 2009 7:17 AM
That was great!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 22, 2009 8:34 PM
fantastic graphic style!
Posted by: ROBOT | September 24, 2009 2:30 PM
Any game that mandates that you fail in order to succeed is broken.
Nice art style, shame about the game.
Posted by: kwyjibo | September 27, 2009 12:55 AM