ICED Demo

Being stuck far away from civilization is not an experience people want to go through, but it can happen if you are an outgoing person and you like to travel. Obviously, it’s recommended to be prepared for such situations by carrying basic supplies with you, but that may not always be enough to keep yourself alive for long. Hence, it’s much better to try your luck with a video game instead.

ICED is a first-person survival game that puts you in the role of a man stuck in the middle of a lake with no civilization in sight and the bare minimum of equipment to make it. The goal is to stay fed and warm while also thinking of a way to get rescued. Unfortunately, the game is a bit too simple and unimpressive at the moment, especially in terms of gameplay mechanics and survival options.

In short, you have a tent, a burner to cook your food, a fishing pole and two flares, plus the required winter equipment to resist the cold within reason. Although fishing is your main activity in order to get food, it’s also possible to find buried sandwiches around the frozen lake, which obviously makes no sense whatsoever. Exploration is important, however, especially if you want to be rescued.

Your character must take a variety of things into account in order to stay healthy, including stamina, injuries, hunger and thirst. Since everything takes place on ice, falling is a hazard, especially after a jump. Head trauma can be extremely annoying, and there’s no real control when it comes to when your character falls. It’s also worth noting that falling into water is an instant game over, which is a bit of a bummer.

Realism does not really enter the picture in terms of survival, especially when you think about all the sandwiches you find buried and the fact that your character was just in the middle of a lake with no means of transportation. However, at least it’s challenging to stay alive, and the graphics are not too bad either, even if there’s not much to see most of the time.

In the end, ICED is not as good as it could have been, especially since it botched the gameplay mechanics and the survival elements. However, these can be fixed in future versions or a sequel, so there’s certainly no need for the developer to give up just yet.