Why Is This Dude Naked On A Bike?
Icycle: On Thin Ice is an indie gem. You play the last human on Earth - a naked guy on a bike riding through a post-apocalyptic world looking for a companion. Making this already unique platformer stand out even further is the trippy level design, inspired by retro album covers, Russian propaganda and iconic movie intros from old James Bond and Alfred Hitchcock films. And all for just 99c! Not only did the game make our 50 Best Indie iOS Games of 2013 awards, but we featured it in Grab It Magazine with a detailed analysis and in-depth making-of interview with creator Reece Millidge of developer Damp Gnat. (It joins 14 other exclusive interviews and 22 in-depth reviews in Issue 1.)
Grab Icycle: On Thin Ice here.
Grab Issue 1 of Grab It here.
Of course the most obvious question to ask Reece was about his naked protagonist - why no clothes? Here is a snippet of his response:
Technical limitation! That’s what the idea came out of. Eight years ago when I started the first Icycle, Flash couldn’t really handle smooth moving vector backdrops, so a static frozen theme was perfect. The character design emerged from this post-apocalyptic ice age environment quite naturally in my search for maximum empathy. If you witness someone suffering the cold, the environment is going to look colder, so it’s best to pick someone vulnerable. Being naked started a snowball of humiliation rolling so it made sense to continue making him suffer with inappropriate clothing and unsuitable vehicles, like a child’s BMX.
For the full interview and over 15-hours more of interactive entertainment, Grab It now.
