NES #6: Ice Climber

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: October 18, 1985

This is an oddly inaccurate cover for an old NES game

Nintendo hard is a pretty common phrase in classic gaming communities, but I am much more fond of Nintendo weird. It’s hard to overstate just how strange some of these early NES games are and how much different they felt than anything that came before them. The NES wasn’t going to launch with space shooters, casino games, and edutainment titles like everyone else. Instead they were going to give us parka wearing cartoon characters with large hammers chasing giant, vegetable stealing birds up mountains. They knew they were going to have to be different to make gaming relevant again in America, and they went just about as different as possible. Of course another thing Nintendo taught us in the early days is that a game can be cute and weird but still be challenging and satisfying. Ice Climber is a prime example of this principle. 

Eggplant theft was a real problem in the 80s

Ice Climber is a hybrid action platform and arcade style game. The basic premise is fairly simple. You are jumping up an icy mountain split into different levels. When you go up eight levels you will reach a bonus level where you collect vegetables and then catch the bird on top for big bonus points. The game will loop, but it does have 32 specific levels in it making it feel a little more modern than Pinball or Clu Clu Land. You can pick any of the levels from the title screen, so the notion of actually beating the game is still a bit foreign, but it’s closer to the type of console gaming we are used to today. It sounds simple, but there is an important catch that has to be discussed.

Such colorful ice

This game has a very difficult arcing jump that is a true challenge to master. Jumping to the next level takes a bit of a running start and a landing that is completely on dry land. Most of the levels are blocked off by ice that you have to get rid of by jumping, so there are often tiny holes up to the next level. So imagine sliding around on ice with a weird jump and going through tiny holes while fighting off yetis to get to the top of the screen. Does this sound fun to you? Well actually it is. I know it sounds like a chore, but I don’t mind a strange jump when it’s a game designed for a strange jump. If this was a Mario influenced platformer than the jump would be a game breaker. In Ice Climber, however, it’s much of the fun. If you take too long than the screen will start scrolling up so speed is a must. The weird jump means that there is a great amount of precision involved. You have to aim and jump before the yeti fills the holes in again and the odd jump makes this process more exciting and fun. I think it’s funny that there’s not climbing in Ice Climber. Mountain Jumper might’ve been a more accurate name, but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Of course this game would probably be completely forgotten if it wasn’t for the Ice Climbers being playable characters in Smash Bros. That just goes to show you that Nintendo never gives up on a game. Ice Climber was released in 1985 and quickly eclipsed by bigger, flashier games. However, Nintendo knew that it was a game worth playing. Smash Bros. probably made more than a few people go back to revisit the origins of the characters, and I can understand why they would people to. It’s a fun little game that still holds up decently today. 

Look at all the zaniness!

For ranking it in the Official Ironclad List of Correctness I am certainly going to put it in the green section. I can’t deny that I had fun, and that’s what counts the most. I am actually going to up it right below Metro-Cross at #12. They are both fun arcade games with personality to spare, but Metro-Cross is just a little bit more fun to play. For those of you keeping track at home that gives the NES a very good showing at 4-2. Of course I have mostly looked at games made by Nintendo so they should be good. When I start looking at third party games the quality factor will certainly change, but until then we can all revel in the high quality of Nintendo games.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

2. Galaga

3. Donkey Kong

4. Exodus: Ultima III

5. Pac-Mania

6. Pac-Man

7. Excitebike

8. Clu Clu Land

9. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX

10. Mickey’s Racing Adventure

11. Metro-Cross

12. Ice Climber

13. Gaplus

14. Dragon Spirit

15. Pinball (NES)

16. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)

17. Red Sea Crossing

18. Baraduke

19. Gamma-Attack

20. The Legend of “Valkyrie”

21. Galaxian

22. Evoland

23. Defunct

24. Gyruss (2600)

25. Looney Tunes Racing

26. Squidlit

27. Baseball

28. Birthday Mania

29. Bad Street Brawler