Icarush review: remaking the old for the new
In Greek mythology, Icarus was an impetuous youth who helped his father build wings out of wax and feathers. These wings were meant to help them escape an island they were confined on. Icarus’s father warned him not to fly too high, but elated by the gift of flight and emboldened by his youth, Icarus didn’t care.
As he flew higher, the heat from the sun melted his wings, causing the feathers to fall off, sending Icarus plummeting towards his death.
Icarush, however, is a less-grim rendition of the tale by Indonesia-based studio, Pixelfrost. This endless jumper has you sending Icarus closer and closer to the sun by helping him to grab on to feathers. Tapping on a feather propels you upwards, closer towards freedom. Just like all games in its genre, Icarush goes on forever.
Icarush’s gameplay is given variety in the types of feathers available. There are your standard blue feathers with average propulsion, purple feathers that appear only one at a time on the screen, green feathers that send you soaring in the air, mystery feathers that can end up as any color, and red feathers that are so weak they are almost useless.
As Icarus ascends, he can pick up stars. A star lasts for a limited amount of time, and acts as a safety net against your first fall. There is also a rush meter, which fills up when you grab on to feathers of a corresponding color. Rush mode, as you may have guessed, sends Icarus rushing upwards, allowing him to collect golden feathers along the way for more points.
(See: Line’s Run Run Hero review: why being linear isn’t all that bad)
The landscape in Icarush changes as you climb upwards, but since this is an endless game, have no fear of the sun melting your wings. It can get repetitive after a while, but the rush mode is a nice way to break the monotony up a bit. On a whole, Icarush’s gameplay is not tiresome, especially when paired with a catchy backing track and decent sound effects.
Players are also rewarded with achievements and levels: unlocking achievements each round wins you wings, which contribute towards your overall level. This is a nice touch. What’s not nice, however, is the fact that your gold and achievement counters are reset every time you exit the game.
In other words, the only way I can buy that pair of dragon wings for my Icarus is if I never kill the Icarush app. The game is actually free to play, with in-app purchases including different wings and costumes as well as performance upgrades and boosts. While Icarus does not look adorable, he doesn’t look half bad either, and everyone knows prefacing an in-app purchase with the word “dragon” automatically makes it hot property. I really want to buy those wings.
While I haven’t earned enough for the wings yet, I’m not so sure they’re worth it, now. If my gold disappears when I kill the app, then the wings probably will as well. This is a fatal flaw and I hope Pixelfrost fixes it in the next update.
Icarush is Pixelfrost’s first game, and while nothing new, it is a competently-made game that entertains, albeit briefly. Icarush is available on April 17, 2014, on the App Store.
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