Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (227 positive / 73 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing26% mention it
- Combat21% mention it
- Music & audio11% mention it
- Visuals & art10% mention it
- Difficulty & balance8% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing44% mention it
- Combat44% mention it
- Controls & UI16% mention it
- Visuals & art11% mention it
- Grind & repetition10% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
62%
163 reviews
5-15h
91%
122 reviews
15-40h
100%
11 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 76 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 89% | 83 | 36 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 104 reviews sampled · 101 total reviews in window · weighted 50.2 up / 5.9 down · computed 9h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (25)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 60
“ICEY is not the worst game with a good soundtrack, fast battles and odd storytelling, which suffers from monotony, stupid plot and many minor problems. If you're interested in the genre, then you can try it, but only at a reduced price.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Battling your way through screens of mechanical enemies to reach the final boss won't take very much time at all, but exploring the compact yet detailed world around you is enjoyable. Hidden are some thought-provoking snippets of narrative that touch on the hardships of developing games, for example, and the clever delivery of its storytelling is, at times, ingenious. However, the simplistic approach to battle and a confusing and convoluted story plot could prove bothersome for some who are looking for something a little more in-depth. ICEY does, however, succeed in providing quick, tight blasts of fun that's sure to please fans of the genre that are looking for something a little different.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“While the main game is weak, there's good writing here for a large number of secrets, but the delivery still makes it a bit painful to play through. Still, it is enjoyable for quite a few hours.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“In the end if you’ve not experienced a game that plays with concepts like these ICEY has some added value. Being prompted to think about the game and how you interact with it differently is always a bit of fun and thought provoking. Of course if you don’t have a taste for the slashing action there will be other opportunities as well. If you enjoy the genre, and appreciate a little something extra to wrap your head around, ICEY is worth your time though.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“ICEY has a lot going for it; the combat is fun, the story and writing smart, plus it has some great designs and animations. It's definitely an enjoyable little addition to the libraries of Switch players, but its flaws are evident to see. If only it was a little longer, or had a bit more of a replayability factor, and if only the voice acting was better... Still, more than just a good game, and well worth checking out.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“If you like meta-commentary in your video games, ICEY might be right up your alley, but I found the narration to be overdone, overlong, and overly aggressive. I appreciate ICEY's attempt to differentiate itself but…not like this. Not like this.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“ICEY is a really solid action game with an appreciable effort to do something unique with its storytelling.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“ICEY is one of the most special games that you can play in your life. Mysterious and multilayered story of the game that has its own unique narration and a delightful gameplay, makes it one of the best indie short hack 'n' slash games of these past few years; Although lack of content and being an overall short game might not be pleasant for everyone.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Brilliant art design, lovely script, and great production values make ICEY one of the best indie titles I have ever reviewed.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“ICEY brings to the Nintendo Switch a fun and engaging mix of platforms and RPG along with a very compelling combat system. As if that was not enough, the interaction between the player and the narrator is nothing short of amazing and despite Icey's rather short lifespan, the bickering with the narration and its incessant instructions more than makes up for the game's length.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If you call yourself a fan of fast action games than ICEY is a must play for you. This game wasn't on my radar at all but it is one of the best indie games of 2017 that I've played. Fast, responsive combat mixed with a beautifully drawn world and a narrator who actually speaks to what the player is doing all combine to form a true gem.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“ICEY is a great, if short, game that you will most certainly remember once you have put it to rest. Its clever and interesting take on both the genre and gaming, in general, keeps the surprises coming long after you have finished it.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
Kinglink Reviews
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
Nintendojo
Bazimag
GameGrin
FNintendo
ThisGenGaming
Nintendo Insider…and 13 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- 2017.2.26 Update InfoFeb 26, 2017
- 2017.2.26 Update InfoFeb 26, 2017
- 2016.12.5 Update InfoDec 5, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- 2016.12.5 Update InfoDec 5, 2016