A Sequel Nearly 40 Years In The Making: A Beyond The Ice Palace 2 Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series XS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

We've all heard about sequels coming out long after a series is thought to be dead and buried, but how about a sequel to a relatively unknown game that's nearly 40 years old? Beyond The Ice Palace 2 is the follow-up no one knew they needed to a game that launched on microcomputers all the way back in 1988. It's been taken out of its long hibernation thanks to developer Storybird Studio, and publishers PQube and PixelHeart. It's out now on most major platforms, and we took a look at it on both the Nintendo Switch and PC for this review. Was the long wait worth it? We hope to find out here and now!

Beyond The Ice Palace 2 places you into the shoes of a King who rules a prosperous Kingdom after ridding it of a great evil. I'm not sure if this King is the hero from the first Beyond the Ice Palace game, but I guess it's safe to assume that. Said King rules by the will of the Gods who show their favor with Sacred Arrows. These Arrows strike the one they've chosen, and they grant them power. It's been many since the Gods have graced the King with their blessings, but things change suddenly out of nowhere. The most recent arrow that struck the King wasn't a normal one, as it came with a curse that drained him of his God-given powers. Sensing his weakness, those who would do the Kingdom harm quickly seize power. These aren't faceless villains though, as they were the King's former advisors, the Pages. The Pages imprison the now Cursed King, and raise up a demonic army to lay destruction upon the land. Those loyal to the King go into hiding, and all seems lost until the Cursed King suddenly breaks free of the chains that bind him. He must now seek out the Pages, and reassemble the Sacred Arrow that granted him the Gods power once again. Revenge and justice guide his way, and so his adventure begins.

I actually don't have a lot more to say about the story, beyond that I think it's more than adequate for a game like this. It gives players a reason to go on this difficult journey, and the plot does evolve as the game progresses. The Cursed King eventually sees the destruction caused by the Pages in his absence, and he even meets with the loyal survivors who have held strong. It may not be the most original story out there, but it is written well enough that it doesn't really matter. One can play through the game without ever giving it much thought, or they can choose to fall into its twists and turns. I'm all for this sort of approach when it comes to action-heavy games like, and Beyond The Ice Palace 2 pulls off the unenviable task of keeping a simple plot interesting for those who enjoy that sort of thing. Not a bad start to the review, but it's time for us to take a look at gameplay.

While parts of Beyond The Ice Palace 2 might feel like a Metroidvania, it definitely falls more squarely into the action platformer camp. There are some backtracking elements, hidden treasures, a light inventory system, and stat progression, but the emphasis is on the fighting and platforming more than anything else. The moves you have at your disposal are fairly diverse, with most of them revolving around the chains that you find yourself carrying after breaking out of them. These chains are your main form of attack, used to deflect projectiles, and can also be used to grab onto rings. The latter mechanic is probably the most important in the game, as it's used in both exploration and combat. We'll circle back to the chain mechanics later, but the Cursed King can also dash, slide, and grab onto ledges too. Grabbing ahold of ledges is another tricky skill that player's will have to master, even though it sounds like it should be simple on paper. Besides the standard life bar, there's also a stamina meter which is used for powered-up attacks, and a rage meter that allows you to become more effective combat when triggered. Stats and skills can be augmented by items that are either bought or found, and permanent character changes can be made via the use of power crystals. It's a system that probably sounds more complex than it actually is. And with that, most of the basics are covered.

Giving players a map that can also be used for quick travel might give the impression that there are plenty of different paths to explore, but this is game where the map operates on a level similar to Castlevania III rather than Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I hesitate to say that Beyond The Ice Palace 2 is broken up into standard levels, but that's really how it plays. Each area sees you go through waves of enemies, sometimes broken up by checkpoints and interactions with friendly characters, and said waves of enemies usually end with a boss encounter. Standard enemies don't warrant much discussion here beyond mentioning that many of them require a finishing blow to keep them from continuously reviving, while boss monsters can test one's skill and patience in ways that have to be experienced firsthand to truly be understood. Every boss battle requires the use of at least some advanced mechanics like perfect blocking and perfectly timed dashes, as well as plenty of platforming. I mentioned the chains that you have to grab onto earlier on, but I was surprised to find that you have to use that mechanic in just about every boss fight. If you haven't mastered swinging and jumping from rings, then you're going to have a hard time with the game. Bosses can be unforgiving, and dying takes you back to your last checkpoint. There technically is no Game Over scenario, but you do lose any money you're carrying when you die. If you survive a boss encounter, you'll usually be moved on to the next area, and hopefully another checkpoint. That's a pretty simple gameplay loop if I've ever seen one, but it isn't without its charm.

Even though I went into Beyond The Ice Palace 2 thinking I would absolutely adore it, a few key factors kept me from doing so. I can of course talk first about the game's difficulty, but I don't think that necessarily is a big issue in and of itself. Even though I had a lot of trouble with some bosses, I was able to power through most of them once I figured out their attack patterns, and what was needed of me if I was to dodge or deflect their attacks. I'm actually of the mind that most boss encounters require a death or two just to learn what you're supposed to be doing, and that is something that doesn't really gel with the game's mechanics. You'd think that checkpoints would be common since dying sends you back to them, but they become extremely rare about halfway into the game. They're often placed at the beginning of an area, or after a boss battle. This means that dying to a boss can mean having to spend 5-10 minutes getting back to it, and that is as frustrating as it sounds. Things only get worse if you get back to said boss and then immediately die again, which is quite a common occurrence. This exact thing happened more than I care to admit, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I rage quit several times before coming back to this review. I'm all for a challenge, but getting sent back to faraway checkpoints feels more like the developers trying to pad out the game's length rather than anything fair.

The other big issue with Beyond The Ice Palace 2 lies with its platforming. You'd think that a game that relies so heavily on jumping, ledge grappling, and swinging from hooks would have tight controls, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Not only do ledge and hook grabbing seem to fail about half the time, but they are most likely going to be the reason you die most often in the game. There are plenty of jumping puzzles, as well as boss fights, where those mechanics are front and center. I hit a brick wall early on when I learned that the game's second boss required the use hooks in the ceiling to get around its large body. The mechanic of grabbing onto a hook was shaky enough on its own, but you're required to swing from one to another about five times. I very nearly quit the game then and there. Nothing about these platforming mechanics work correctly, and it's something that really should've been hammered out before the game's release. That's not the only thing either, as the Cursed King has a walking animation that makes NES Simon Belmont look like he's sprinting. I've seen other players say things like: "Just slide everywhere!" but that's the sort of thing that should stay in ancient game design. Everything seems balanced in the strangest of ways, and I can't help but wonder if this game was playtested at all.

There's no denying that this is a game that needs a lot of work to get it into a more playable state, but there are a few more positives I want to point out before moving on. While the actual platforming might be more than a little janky, the animation itself is smooth, and the graphic style is quite impressive. These are some of the best pixel-based graphics I've seen in a modern release, and I'm a huge fan of the world and enemy design too. It also runs perfectly on the Nintendo Switch, even better than the PC version in my opinion. The PC version of course has the potential to run better, but there seems to be a bug in the game that makes the game run extremely slow when put into fullscreen. This is a bug I've seen acknowledged by the developer, so it's not something only I experienced. That issue aside, I guess I should also say that I'm not really a fan of the style used in the cutscenes, as it looks so drastically different from the rest of the game. That is a small gripe, but it seems odd to not go with the pixel aesthetic there too.

Sound is another aspect of the game that I think is executed well, and leans far more towards perfection than the graphics do. I have nothing but positive things to say about the Beyond The Ice Palace 2's soundtrack, as it's full of amazing track after amazing track. The visual comparisons to Castlevania are obvious, but the same is true when it comes to music. Not only is this a near-perfect collection of music, but it's on par with anything that series has to offer. Even the sound effects are great, and I even got used to the weird screams the bosses make when you kill them. Gameplay might've been a bit hit or miss, but there's little fault to be found in this game's presentation.

Beating Beyond The Ice Palace 2 will take most players about 4-6 hours, or upwards to 10 if you constantly have to backtrack to face off against a boss that is placed ridiculously far from the nearest checkpoint. This again goes back to what I said about padding out the game's length, as this would be a really short game if it allowed players to quickly get back into boss fights. I don't know if this was as intentional as it feels, but I'd much rather play a short game that offers a pleasant experience, over one that makes me never want to touch it again after beating it. It's not like this isn't a highly replayable game either, as I see it lending itself well to challenge or speed runs. They just really need to get those platforming issues taken care of. Considering the game currently only costs $19.99, it's not a bad game for its price. I know I'm giving rather mixed impressions regarding the game, but I'm giving the developers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to them fixing the bigger issues at hand. They seem open to the criticism the game got upon its release, and seem to be working on patches as I write this. I really do hope they get it right, as this is a game I still have high hopes for.

I still have to give Beyond The Ice Palace 2 a recommendation at the end of the day, but it's not a solid one. There's a good game at its core, but it has a lot of problems that have to be sorted out before it reaches its potential. I of course wish that all of that had been sorted out prior to launch, but at least the developers are being open and communicative. Also, seeing as none of the problems I encountered were truly game-breaking (Except for that PC issue with fullscreen mode.), I'm sure that there are players who won't find as many issues with the gameplay as I did. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye out for any updates, and add a note to this review if the issues are ever addressed. Until then, I'll see you in the next one!

Check Out Beyond The Ice Palace 2 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/beyond-the-ice-palace-2-switch/

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Story: B
Gameplay: C
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A neat mix of action platforming gameplay, and Metroidvania level design.
+ Everything about the presentation is top notch. The pixel-based graphics are some of the best seen in a modern game, and the soundtrack is even better.
+ Captures just about every retro gameplay and visual aesthetic one could want. (All that's missing is the CRT filter!)
+ Highly replayable, and seems ready made for challenge and speed runs.
+ The idea of creating a sequel to a game nearly 40 years old is so wild that I have to love it.

+/- Even though I found the game to be a bit more challenging than I would've liked, I know that there are some players out there who live for that sort of thing.

Cons:
- Just about everything involving platforming feels either wonky or broken. Grabbing onto ledges seems to only work half the time, and swinging from hooks in the sky never feels as accurate as it should.
- The overall difficulty is quite high. This is a very challenging game, and might not be a good choice for the casual player.
- Checkpoints becoming rare by the end of the game just feels mean-spirited. Not only can one die by way of iffy platforming sections, but the bosses can often kill you without much fuss.
- At the time of this writing, there is a bug in the PC version that sometimes renders the game unplayable in fullscreen mode.
- While the developers seem open to fixing the game's many issues, the game really shouldn't have been released in the state it's currently in.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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