ICEwall

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | LACKING[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE[/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]WHAT TO EXPECT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] ICEwall (Iw) is an Indie created, horizontal shoot 'em up encased in a roguelike format and made with the Unity engine. Players control one of a number of ships, blasting their way through 20x levels of increasing difficulty in order to reach the final boss level and defeat Death. Between levels 45+ power-ups can be chosen to augment several ship capabilities and creative powerful damage-dealing combos. There are 3x game modes and 10x ships of various abilities to unlock. It is single-player only [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Released and supported with incremental updates so far [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]AUDIENCE:[/b][/td] [td]For fans of simple shooters in the vein of classics such as Space Invaders, that possess some complexity in power-up strategies [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE FOR MONEY:[/b][/td] [td]It has a fair price [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED USING:[/b][/td] [td][b][/b]Intel i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 1GB 1920x1080 windowed, EVO850 SSD [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884425439 [h3]OBSERVATIONS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td][b]THE GOOD:[/b] [/td] [td] [b]▲ SHIP SELECTION:[/b] 10x ship types to unlock with various positive and negative factors to choose from [b]▲ SHOOTING TYPES: [/b] Lots of different types including: piercing shots, lasers, bubbles, drones, diagonal firing [b]▲ POWER-UPS: [/b] 45+ varied and scaled power-ups that affect 20 or so, aspects of the ship such as: damage, dmg multiplier, move speed, projectile speed, fire rate, additional ship lives, drones, ship size, shot types, barricades and more [b]▲ AESTHETICS & AUDIO:[/b] A neon aesthetic may be becoming overused but fits well in this instance [b]▲ VARIED ENEMIES: [/b] About a dozen or so enemy and boss types, all varied in their behaviour and attack patterns. The bosses in particular are well-rounded and very different from each other [b]▲ PRACTICE MODE: [/b] Gives unlimited lives and allows players to play around with possible power-up combos against each level [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]THE BAD:[/b][/td] [td] [b]▼ NOT ENOUGH MODES:[/b] Could really have done with an endless mode with procedurally generated levels to tax the best players [b]▼ LACKS ROGUELIKE ASPECTS: [/b] After unlocking the remaining ship types, credits earned from playing just end up gathering dust. Could have been used for: buying extra lives, reducing enemies or their fire rate, or something else [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]AND THE REST:[/b][/td] [td] [b]= DIVERSE LEVELS:[/b] Only 20x scripted levels, but each one diverse and presents its own challenge before the novelty wears off. Levels are different across difficulties and there are alt. versions on replaying from start after dying [b]= PLAY MODES:[/b] As well as a Practice mode includes Standard and Hard difficulties. Additional modes affect power-up availability: None, random or free choice [b]= LEADERBOARDS:[/b] A set of leaderboards one for both difficulty types and power-up availability [b]= STEAM SUPPORT:[/b] Screenshot capture through overlay, achievements and cloud saves [/td] [/tr] [/table] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884386300 [h3]FINDINGS:[/h3] [b]GAMEPLAY[/b] > The amount of ship upgrades provides the opportunity to try lots of different strategies. Some combinations work better than others and some power-ups are more useful depending on the ship chosen. > Some power-up combos make short work of levels and thus having a small number makes for short playthroughs. At least on normal diff. Hard difficulty is a challenge all of its own. > The range of enemies and level design makes for a varied experience, especially the first few failed attempts. However, once a power-up strategy is found the game becomes quite run of the mill. > The depth of shooting and ship mechanics makes for some gratifying strategizing, allowing for a good amount of trial and error to find the best combinations of power-ups. > Core gameplay of shooting enemies and avoiding their fire is well done and remindful of the classics of yore. However later levels, especially bosses produce bullet hell which was not a feature of those games. [b]QUALITY vs ISSUES[/b] > Its a simple game and as such no issues were experienced: No bugs, nor crashes were encountered and stability was good. > The simple approach also works well with the general look and feel of the game, with a neon aesthetic and pulsating audio that's supports its modern throwback vibe to the original classics of gaming. > Its Roguelike aspects are under-cooked with the points earned from playing the game side-lined once all the ships have been unlocked. This really needs more attention. > Could have done with Grave Markings of where previous attempts failed or likewise where friends did, with info on what the ship/configurations where at the time. [b]BALANCE vs DIFFICULTY[/b] > The difficulty curve is fair but Hard mode is where the real fun through failure is to be found. If this mode could be randomised a little more it would be a good source for an Endless mode. > The unlimited lives in Practice mode is perfect to show players how to trial different ship and power-up combos. > Some of the levels (more so on Hard diff.) have some satisfying bullet hell action when overcome. > Achievements range from a few easy ones, to some that are medium difficulty to more that are more difficulty to attain. [b]REPLAYABILITY vs LONGEVITY[/b] > There is already a fair amount of replayability and longevity but an Endless mode with procedurally generated levels would really take both aspects to another level. > Instead of having pre-made ships, being able to upgrade hulls with starting components for a variant of the No Draft mode, could also allow the use of credits. > More enemy types, ships and power-ups would be welcome. [b]ENJOYMENT[/b] > I really enjoyed playing Iw despite missing the few features that would make it a stronger recommendation. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2884399941 [h3]VERDICT:[/h3] ICEwall updates the classic experience of Space Invaders with a lite roguelike shell. What content there is contributes to a fun game with a bright, vibrant ambience. Its simple design affords it a good quality and power-ups provide a decent depth to strategy. Its hardest difficulty possesses a noticeable rise in complexity to the challenge it offers. If it's roguelike scope can be expanded upon, and more content and an Endless Mode added, then ICEwall would warrant a stronger consideration than just a strong [b]MAYBE[/b]. [quote=]Thank you for reading. | Follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] here[/url].[/quote]

OVERVIEW: Nostalgia often isn't the way to move forward, some exceptions should still be considered and this title by Erlend Kirkeboe is a fine example. I wasn't out and about when Space Invaders was available but I know the basics of shoot em up's go back there so for a fair price I was open to try what this update version had to offer Pros -» Gameplay: In those days you are with no gamepad available this is the perfect option -» Soundtrack and sound effects: truly epic music with pleasant S.E., in short, magnificent -» Graphics: lovely neon colour pallete -» Bosses: Designed to keep this a fast pace game -» Replayability: pretty decent if you test all ships. ICEwall is excellent for short gaming sessions too -» Difficulty: scales very well. Great challenge if you want to clear all achievements Cons -» Simple game... but it hits all the benchmarks it needs to. Very underrated SUMMARY: 7.9/10 gaming scale Disclosure: After clearing the main campaign and as I comeback for new sessions or new updates arise by developers, I intend to keep revising this review

Would like to give this a positive review but it simply isn't worth the price. Very fun and unique for an hour. No real replayability, unless you don't care about the roguelike aspect just want to play space invaders with new bosses. 1-2 possible builds, each run feels the same and is trying to do the same thing. No real variance between runs. Not worth $9, I'd say buy it on sale for half off or better.

The game has 2 modes essentially. Roguelike mode, and normal mode. (Draft, no-draft). The Draft mode is extremely broken and easy, starts off slow but very quickly you become a death machine that destroys everything on screen instantly. The no-draft mode is the polar opposite, it starts off slow and remains insanely slow throughout. Extremely boring. While not being easy necessarily, the primary challenge is that of being an endurance test and if you can make it through an entire run without falling asleep. (hyperbole, but it being boring is 100% accurate IMO) If either draft mode was toned down slightly, or no-draft mode was tuned up slightly the game would be a slight recommendation.

ESP: La verdad ya estoy bastante cansado de jugar roguelikes, y sin embargo probé este y mierd4! me engancho! Es un roguelike de estilo Galaga/Space Invaders, con varias naves para comprar con distintas estadísticas, modos de juego, dificultad, leaderboards y todos con unos gráficos simples pero de estética elegante y variada. ENG: To be honest I'm pretty tired of playing roguelikes, and yet I gave this one a shot and sh1t! I'm hooked again! Its a Galaga/Space Invaders roguelike whit several ships to buy with different stats, game modes, difficulty, leaderboards and all with simple graphics but with elegant and varied aesthetics.

good game https://youtu.be/g0O56F8WQeA

ICEwall ist ein ziemlich gut gemachtes Space Invaders Spiel. Man schiesst als Figur von unten auf zurückschiessende Feinde oben und kämpft sich so durch die Levels. Zwischendurch kann man Upgrades aktivieren und bei all dem sammelt man Punke, die man z.B. in neue Startschiffe investieren kann. Die Grafik ist zwar alles andere als hübsch, aber insgesamt stimmig und passend. Also alles in allem eigentlich kein schlechtes Spiel, wo liegt also das Problem? Nun zum einen im Spielprinzip selbst. Stichwort: Space Invaders. Das Prinzip ist einfach alt und ausgelutscht. Warum sollte ich ein Space Invaders Spiel spielen, wenn es so viele coole andere, moderne, abwechslungsreichere Spiele da draussen gibt? Anders als andere Urspielprinzipien scheint mir dieses heute einfach nicht mehr aktuell zu sein. Der einzige Weg, wie das Spielprinzip heute noch ein Publikum anzieht, scheint durch den Faktor Schwierigkeitsgrad. Und genau da haut ICEwall auch voll in die Kerbe. Schon die einfachsten Levels sind nicht einfach. Gut mit etwas Training, kann man diese wohl schaffen, aber wieso sollte ich mir die Mühe machen? Und wenn ich die Screenshots ansehe, dann dürften spätere Levels noch viel verrückter sein. Fazit: Fans von Bullethells und Space Invaders dürften hier vermutlich einen der besseren Genrevertreter bekommen mit einigen spannenden, modernen Gameplayelementen. Für alle anderen dürfte es sich aber wohl nicht erschliessen, warum man heute noch mit so einem Spiel Zeit verbringen sollte.

Interesante re interpretación del Galaga, que al poco tiempo se fuma y escala a un viaje alucinógeno genial. Vamos armando builds incrementales (Al estilo Vampire Survivors) tratando de ser mas fuertes que el poder de fuego de los enemigos en cada nivel. Está todo controlado por una IA fumona. Me gustó. https://youtu.be/YdVMGeKEoYo

[h1]An unique twist on old games?[/h1] [hr][/hr][i]It is a small game which gives you what it shows you. It is for people who like bullet hell games and want to have a twist on them like a rogue-like progression.[/i][hr][/hr] [h1]What this game is all about?[/h1] This game is fundamentally bullet hell game. You will be focusing on your character and making micro adjustments to your position. You will be memorising projectile patters and dodging them. Everything else is just a twist on old, bullet hell genre. Rogue like elements are fun, but they do not alter core gameplay. This is good, albeit short game. You will soon complete base game and the longevity supposedly comes from repetition. Beating game with other characters, hunting for achievements, better scores, higher difficulty levels, etc. I only disliked seemingly randomly thrown assets together as game lacks a little bit thematically. For example, in military level boss is a pyramid? Then it is a plane? Bosses generally tend to suffer from multiple stages which neither of them is interesting or difficult. These are just stages pilled upon stages and game even lacks simple coherence. Like: this is military level or this is pirate level as assets are not always consistent. [h1]What I had expected?[/h1] I had missed an easier mode for starters and greater focus on rogue like elements. [list] [b][i]Rogue like[/i][/b] [*]When I had played this game, I had expected various interesting upgrades which would allow you to play this game differently. However, all upgrades are rather tame. They all are focused on various interactions of your shots. Make them bigger, make them slower in order to scale up in a way which would allow you to fill entire screen and instant kill entire wave in a dozen of seconds. This game has only this kind of interactions. I was expecting to get regenerating shields. Amour. Stealth. More interesting drones which wouldn't just be extension of you shooting. Even something as regenerating health is very scarce in this game. In this game you will have 100 ways to augment your attacks, but few powerful combinations to make your character really powerful or interesting. [b][i]Easy mode[/i][/b] [*]Game lacks an easy mode. It has a practice mode, however it is so trivial that it is not interesting to play. You essentially have invincibility turned on which is neither interesting or gives you a real practice. This game needs to start with on easy mode for a new player. An easy mode should be just a normal mode with ballerina pick up enabled by default. The core issue is that this game is unforgiving. It is for people who love playing bullet hell type games. Thus, you will have to beat level after level without making a mistake. For a new player it is difficult and they will make a mistake along the way. Mistakes will accumulate and they will get frustrated. Ballerina gives a player 1 health if they take no damage. It is an easy way to make an easy mode for players to play on as it allows players to make mistakes and learn how to play base game. After player beats an easy mode, a normal game mode will be unlocked which is just how the base game is now. [/list] [h1]Is it worthy your time?[/h1] This game is what you see. It is designed for people who enjoy bullet hell games and is unforgiving to others. If you know that you like these types of games, it is a good purchase. If you don't, then it is more of an open question. Lack of an easy mode for people unfamiliar with the genre will cause frustration. Lack of interesting character customisation might feel shallow and game lacks narrative to make levels interesting as they can feel cheap at times. [h1]Little things[/h1] Here is a list of various small things which could be improved. [list] [*]Is a giant resource hog. Game uses surprisingly little RAM, but a lot of GPU and CPU resources. The problem resides with having no cap on FPS and thus my hardware max out unity FPS cap of 900 FPS. Game needs to have an option to cap FPS. [*]Game has a standard white cursor which stays on a screen when you use keyboard aiming. I would like to just get rid of it in options or hide it when not in use. [*]It is little bit annoying and tiresome when all bosses have 3 stages of ever increasing difficulty. [*]Game has only 1 health regeneration pick up and that is very situational. [*]Game has upgrade tier system which is not very clearly portrayed. Each upgrade has different icon with different kind of stars to show that it is better. It would be nice to see icons with unified scheme of rarity. [*]Game waits until last projectile to finish. When you are dealing with boss, it is kind of anti-climatic to deal with remaining spawns. [*]Barrels/bombs slow down gameplay significantly by denying you access to part of a map where are a lot of them. [/list] [i][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Calicifer/discussions/0/3497635239425716541/]Calicifer's Reviews[/url][/i] [quote]If you are interested reading full review or want to discuss something with me, please follow the provided link. I do not allow endless discussions under my reviews, because it rarely ends well.[/quote]

Yea.'