Slick 2D action side-scroller game

ICEY is a premium action game that was developed by FantaBlade Network. It is a 2D side-scroller that has players traverse a futuristic world at the beckoning of a mysterious narrator. This voice pushes them towards a seemingly inescapable path as they battle waves of robots and cyborgs.

Similar to NieR: Automata or SCARLET NEXUS, ICEY is set in a post-apocalyptic world wherein technology and artificial intelligence have taken over everything. It also takes inspiration from anime and manga to create its distinct character designs and art style to go with its slick visuals and animations.

Push forward

In this side-scrolling action game, every action you make is seemingly preordained by the omnipresent voice and presence of a mysterious narrator. In it, you control the titular ICEY as you traverse a futuristic cyberpunk-like world in search of answers and the truth. Everything feels like you’re just a puppet by the enigmatic entity, with splashes of fourth-wall-breaking humor, but you’re still in control of your fate.

You’ll encounter various enemies along the way, ranging from mindless robots to cyborg bosses, and large technological machines. Combat is easy-to-learn and primarily revolves around slashes, dodges, and well-timed counterattacks, but lets you create some devastating combos with your deadly katana blade. Also, ICEY boasts a variety of skills that you can utilize to deal with different enemies and find a play style that suits you.

The story is presented by the narrator that will constantly urge you along your journey as you speed towards an unknown goal—you can go against this and choose your own path, though. Despite the game’s efforts at clever narration and storytelling, the whole experience does feel a bit shallow and empty. Also, the entire playthrough will typically last you only a couple of hours depending on how you play.

The voice inside your head

All in all, ICEY features simple but fun combat with some level of customization and flexibility. What really makes it stand out, though, is its clever storytelling with the use of a narrator that would humorously berate you for going against it. Having said that, the whole experience still feels lackluster and could use more. Hopefully, that can be improved upon in the future.