IceCube Adventures review

IceCube is an iPhone platforming puzzler that requires very high amounts of timing, planning, and careful jumps all with a one-touch control scheme. Available for iPhone and iPod touch, plus there is a separate IceCube Adventures HD version for the iPad. This app costs $2.99 for the iPhone/Pod version and the iPad version costs $4.99 and this game is released by Little White Elephant Games.

You are an ice cube in a family of other icecubes. This world you live in consists of different blocks and shapes and you have control over this little cube of solidified water. The cube will constantly move left to right over and over. If you touch and hold your finger on screen, it will reverse directions. Tap the screen to jump, climb ladders, and interact with the level. Each level has different puzzles of which most of it involves carefully timing your jumps with your cube’s auto-movement to make your way through the level and open doors and avoid enemies.

First let me go over the positives. This has some very clean, very lovely graphics. There are some blurry background elements that try to imitate depth perception. The look is very bright and colorful and your cube is a cute little guy. It sometimes looks like a pure flash game at times. Sounds are forgettable however, and the interface could use some more work, but otherwise, the look is very nice and flash-like. There are some really cleaver level designs and placements of enemies and obstacles.

Second, let me go over some of the negatives. The price is a bit high for a puzzle platformer. You have no direct control over your cube as it falls off platforms, runs into walls and can be a struggle. The jumping is not precise since the chances of jumping and hitting the side of a cube, which will turn you around and send you back down to where you were, are way too common. There are no alternative controls, no tilt feature, no joystick controls, no options for moving your cube.

Overall, the game design, graphics, sound, and the general mood are great. Controls need improvment, yet this app is in version 1.0 however. If they gave you control options instead of trying it’s ‘unique’ one-touch control mechanics, then this would be a much more addictive game. The level design gets the nod, the graphics pushes the points up, and the subtle environmental message all give this app some hope. I look forward to some hopeful control improvements.

Here is a video demo of the IceCube Adventures app on the iPhone

AppSafari Rating: 3/5

AppSafari review of IceCube Adventures was written by Joseph Ho on September 14th, 2010 and categorized under Adventure, App Store, Games, Platformer. Page viewed 5468 times, 2 so far today. Need help on using these apps? Please read the Help Page.