Some of the games on the NES were popular at the time, but wasn't remembered as much as other titles. These sort of games come back as nostalgic moments and suddenly, they become popular again. Games like Kid Icarus and Ice Climbers were like this. Some make sequels, some don't. Ice Climbers never had a sequel, but was re-released several times over on different formats. Some of these games are often over seen and under noticed for what they really are. So how does this game fair? Get your booties 'cus it's cold out there. Lets look at Ice Climbers.

There isn't much story. The game is more arcade orientated and those normally don't have a story. There is one, but not that gripping. The ice climbers, Popo and Nana, are climbing up a mountain to retrieve stolen vegetables from an evil condor. Why a condor wants to steal vegetables is beyond me. How the ice climbers got the vegetables is another question.....unless if they don't live in the Arctic. But I digress. You venture through 32 different stages to get the vegetables. As this is arcade orientated, when you get to the end, you start at mountain 01 after 32. You can even select the stage you want from the very beginning in the same way Wrecking Crew for the NES did.

An odd thing is the game side scrolls up, not along. Very few side scrolling games did this at the time. It makes sense, as you are climbing a mountain. The level is split up into eight different layers. You start at layer one, of course. You make your way up to layer eight by smashing blocks above your head with your hammer. You have to watch out for birdies and icicles that might fall on your head. These can be destroyed by smashing them with your hammer. Sometimes, in future levels, you need to wait for a cloud to pass by in order to get further. Quite often you'll miss that cloud and have to wait for another one. I pass the time by holding down the B button so Popo continuously is whacking his hammer around. Isn't that adorable? ^^    It's like he's trying to be serious. I sometimes like to say "RAGE!" when doing this.

If you fall below the bottom of the screen (often when you go up a layer or two+), you'll lose a life. If you do, you'll go back to the layer you were once on. Awww, how nice ^^    You don't have to start all over again if you die. An annoying thing in levels is that when you make a hole just the right size for you to go through, one of these fur ball yeti's will fill it up with some ice before you get the chance to jump through it.....RAGE! *holds down B* Although I love getting my own back by smacking them on the head, and they'll scurry away. Aww, they are quite cute when they do that.....WHAO! Was that a polar bear wearing some Hawaii shorts in shades? What the hell does he do? Odd clothing for a polar bear in the freezing mountains.

When you make it passed layer eight, you'll be in the bonus round. this is your chance to get all the vegetables that dastardly condor stole from you. Just collect it and get to the peak before the time runs out. Sounds simple. But the controls are a little slippery and stiff at the same time. As you skid on the floor a bit, you could fall off the platforms. But jumping makes it hard to get there as you have to be right next to the cliff to make it effectively. This makes the bonus stage harder than it sounds. At the peak is that evil condor - whose crimes should give him the right to be hanged by a flaming noose - holding a vegetable. You need to take it from his very talons and the bonus stage is completed. Take that! If you fail at the bonus stage, you'll move on to the next stage.

At first, the first five or six stages are fun to play. They introduce a new type of footing, that moves you in the direction that the arrows point. This adds a level of skill needed to get through that hole you made and....NOOO! I just made that hole you vile yeti.....RAGE! *holds down B* But the levels get incredibly linear and very repetitive as you play. You'll notice That the same level is used, but a floor is missing on a layer, or the floor has the moving footing on a certain layer. The level design is poor in the aspect of keeping things interesting. I found myself give up on stage 16 and went straight to stage 32. That's what happens if you give the player instant level select.

The graphics are nice and adorable, but the background remains black for the most part (turning into a star-filled night at the bonus stage), which makes a poor background in any situation. The music is limited, but it is good. Although there isn't much music for the most part of the level, when you get to the bonus stage, the theme song pops up and gets you in a mood to get those stolen vegetables. But it does get a little annoying after a while.

Overall, I give this game a 7.1/10    Quite frankly, I find this game boring. The game play is linear and repetitive after a while and I lose interest after a while. That being said, it is a fairly challenging, has good music, and a lot of cute enemies in it. Completing a bonus stage is not an easy task, and I'm mostly pleased when I do it properly. But even then, it doesn't seem worth it for the bonus stage in itself. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to this game, I would even look forward to playing it if it came out, but I can understand why people didn't take much notice of it, but still was popular among fans.

I never thought of the Ice Climbers as cute like that. x3 But your review is making me wish there was a remake with better graphics, gameplay, and whatever else they can add to it. It isn't bad for an arcade game, and it was a pretty good representation of what the NES had to offer.

Well I really do not like this game all that much just because it is not that great in my opinion. I am also not very good at it at all. I wish that it was a little bit easier.

Ice Climbers is a fun game to play.  I play it all the time.  Good review.