[Demo] Ice Princess : A horror puzzle game

[Untra]

"She may still be down there... But she is definitely not alive."


Story:
The island of Berut is known not only for its painfully bitter winters, but also its reliance on the large deposits of coal under the island. After a sudden cave-in under its largest mine, it also became the site of a national mystery; The last heir to the throne- the princess of Berut, is found to be among the missing body count. With no time to loose, a number of professional bounty hunters and spelunkers were dispatched to find her before it was too late.

But when dozens entered the collapsed mine, only a few returned. Frostbitten and empty-handed, the adventurers were too afraid to speak of what they saw. With the monarchy on the verge of collapse, the government is willing to commit fiscal suicide to pay whoever finds her- dead or alive.

Jaques Froslass, a spelunker of Audacian fame, does certainly enjoy money. And now that he is nearly broke, divorced and spiritually dead, He has nothing to loose- even to frostbite.


About:
Ice Princess is a puzzle game with a simple premise; you know those cheesy, ice-themed puzzles you've seen in Pokemon and Legend of Zelda? Imagine them, with the difficulty cranked up to 11, and then cross-bred with the dark aura of Diablo. From ice sliding to block pushing, to lava freezing and wall climbing, Ice princess shows no mercy. But if you ask nicely... I'll provide the solutions.

Screenshots:

Spoiler: screenshots

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Solutions (hall of shame):
NOTE: By looking into this spoiler tag, you mentally signify defeat, and indicate to yourself that you are, indeed, a pussy.
Solutions are only for certain maps, and only if they are requested. If you request a solution, your name goes on the wall of shame, and you will forever be acknowledged as the first coward.

Spoiler: screenshots

I'll post an example solution later.

Download:
v0.5 Check it out!

 

[regi]

I thought the concept was pretty novel, but opening up the screenshots... generic RTP ice puzzles don't exactly scream "horror" to me. I know I'm judging a book by its cover but please, try to add some atmosphere, better screen tones, etc. I know there's a puzzle aspect too but I'd like to see more than just the boring old "ice sliding" ones. Impress me, please, and I'll try it out.

 

[Untra]

I actually forgot to include 3 later screenshots. Thanks for reminding me!

No, the demo is actually fairly short. Its really just the middle third of the game right now. Its fairly light on the horror aspects, and the demo has no story whatsoever. Also, the challenge is mostly in the difficulty of the puzzles. A good playtime would probably be beating it in 30-45 minutes (knowing the solutions to the puzzles, it took me 15 minutes).

Also, its definitely more than just boring ice sliding puzzles- every room poses a slightly different challenge, (although I will admit the very first room is borrowed straight out of pokemon). Puzzles involve a number of factors that can make them crazy difficult, including explosives, sound, ice, water, lava, and (not in yet) mirrors and light. Ice sliding and bloc pushing are just part of what makes these puzzles crazy hard.

 

[kqurmiz]

Good,but its not horror its more like puzzle adventures or something.

 

[death by moogles]

I stopped reading the OP right before I clicked the spoiler that indicated that I was a pussy. That's awesome advertising. Not only that, but, when one clicks the spoiler of shame, all they get is a lame not-excuse. Psh. I won't play this game, but I'll give you some criticism anyway.

CC:

Bounty hunters search for fugitives, not princesses. Send some of her guards down there with a spelunker guide.

Most monarchies are based on divine right. Divine right is the concept of a god or higher being choosing one man or woman to rule over other, lesser, men and women. Lineage is passed by the male, an heir. Daughters of kings and queens were used as diplomatic tools to get in good with neighbouring powers. One power might marry a princess to the prince of a neighbouring power in a show of peace or respect. I have no doubt that a king whose daughter is lost within a caved mine would be desperate to have her rescued, but he would not sacrifice his kingdom to save her. That just doesn't make sense. If he doesn't have a son already, his kingdom is done anyway, as his daughter will marry and take another name, continuing a line that will not be known as his.

Jacques loves money. He's selfish. A character whose only defining characteristic is that he loves money is not going into a cave from which no one has returned sane. Maybe you could add in there that he seeks the thrill of adventure, or even that he wants to die or something like that. I understand that he has "nothing to loose," but that wouldn't change such a core trait as selfishness.

@regi:
You are by no means judging a book by its cover. The screenshots are, going with the given analogy, quotations taken from the game. The screenshots are all we have by which to judge the game, and they are sub-par.

Speaking of novel, the only "novel" thing about this game is the proposed atmosphere, that upon which this entire game seems to be built. You promised "cheesy" puzzles, and that's what I see. Like I said, I didn't play it, so I can't comment on the difficulty and how accurate your "cranked to 11" comment is, but atmosphere is really the only thing going for this game, and it's missing all of the atmosphere that you say you're trying to provide.

You admit that "the demo has no story whatsoever." Are we to expect a story in future installments?

You say that it's more than just boring old ice sliding puzzles, and you give us a list of these things that will make the puzzles "crazy difficult," but how will these things make the puzzles difficult? Are you planning on a tedious puzzle-crawl, or an innovative array of puzzles that actually makes your player think? Difficulty is nothing if it's fake.

Hope this helped some. You know what doesn't help? That section with the pointlessly rude comments doesn't help. Stop insulting your audience and give them something worth playing, man.