ICEY (v2018.08.16 & ALL DLC)

A sleek cyberpunk nightmare hides beneath the surface of what first appears to be a straightforward 2D hack-and-slash. You control the sword-wielding ICEY as she tears through laboratories, ruined industrial zones, and hostile mechanical forces in pursuit of an enigmatic target. The real tension comes from an omnipresent narrator who insists he knows the correct route, framing every detour as a mistake and every act of independence as a personal affront. Its tone shifts constantly between stylish action, bleak sci-fi mystery, and sharply funny fourth-wall-breaking commentary.

Combat is fast, responsive, and built around sword combos, dodges, aerial attacks, counters, and screen-clearing special abilities. Enemy encounters demand awareness of attack patterns rather than mindless button mashing, especially when larger machines crowd the screen with projectiles and heavy strikes. Upgrades improve ICEY’s fighting tools, while branching routes encourage repeated runs through stages that may seem linear at first glance. Following directions moves the plot forward, but deliberately ignoring them is often the more rewarding choice, unlocking alternate scenes, hidden bosses, achievements, and entirely different conversations; the Awakening DLC expands that strange meta-fiction with further material for players willing to push against the script.

What separates ICEY from similar side-scrolling action games is its willingness to make player obedience the central mechanic. The narrator reacts to hesitation, disobedience, failure, and even attempts to exploit the game’s boundaries, turning menus, achievements, and route selection into part of the story. Its clean anime-inspired art, energetic boss fights, and compact campaign make it easy to pick up, while the many secrets give completionists a reason to revisit every suspicious instruction. Fans of Metal Gear’s playful meta moments, NieR’s existential oddities, or tight action platformers will find plenty to enjoy, and newcomers can handle the combat while veterans chase its deeper layers.