Sleeper of the Week: Icebreaker (3DO)
Ok, for the Sleeper of the Week this week, we've got a lesser known system as well as a lesser known title. We're talking about the exorbitantly priced (at least at launch) 3D0 today! Now, many people either ignore the 3D0 as a matter of course, or simply don't know anything about it besides that it died and doesn't have all that many domestic titles. Actually, there are quite a few titles for the 3D0 and many of them are surprisingly good and exclusive to the system.
The one we're focusing on today is none other than Magnet Interactive's (no I've never really heard of them either) disturbingly addictive puzzle game, Icebreaker. A game in which you...well...shoot pyramids. With a pyramid.
Sounds stupid, no? Well, it looks silly too...at first. But beneath the absolutely bizarre exterior lies an extremely complex and challenging single player puzzle game, the likes of which you've never seen before. Essentially, the game is to destroy a field of pyramids. You pilot a pyramid on it's side that fires single blasts of plasma and fires them slowly, so you have to be careful. And at first it's easy because all you're faced with are a few pyramids. Red ones that can be shot, blue ones that can be driven through with your pyramid, green ones that you can't do anything to, but can be destroyed by yellow pyramids, which are called Seekers or Yellers (get it, yellers?). Oh yeah, and the Seekers hunt you. They lurk behind reds and blues waiting for a chance to pounce on you. I told you this game is weird!
All of the sudden without warning you'll end up being chased through the rows of pyramids by twisting yellow pyramids. They're smart too...they'll end up trapping you if you're not careful. And then more types get thrown in the mix. Sneaky pyramids that move out of the way of obstacles....smart pyramids, ones that turn into pit traps, and even ones that camouflage themselves as other types of pyramids. It gets fast, frantic and crazy, a mad scramble to clear the field of stationary pyramids (some of which are trapped) while trying to avoid the forces hunting you down methodically. And did I mention terrain effects too? Ice, swamps, and other obstacles in your way, slowing you from your goal of complete pyramid annihiliation. It's all quite difficult!
There's no plot. There's not much music. There's really not much to the graphics. But this game is somethings special. Solid gameplay all the way, and damned hard. And 150 levels to beat on four levels of difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Insane. Pretty much that's the entire game....destroy as many pyramids as you can as fast as you can, and move on. I'm not sure if it's some sort of ethnic cleansing or what, but that's your goal. And it's a blast to play! Definitely one of the more forgotten puzzle games out there. I managed to pick up my copy of this one almost eight years ago in a bargain bin at a local Babbages for $5.00 brand new. I'm not sure what it goes for now or how hard it is to find, but if you're into unique puzzlers or have a 3D0 at all, you owe it to yourself to pick up this little known gem.
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Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
