Have you ever bought a game, set it on a shelf, and then forgotten about it? Well, that is what I did with Fire’n Ice. I have no idea when I got this game or how long I’ve owned it.
Fire’n Ice is a puzzle platformer where you can create chunks of ice. These are used to put out fires. There is an elaborate story for all of this, which I’ll get into later.
The only thing that I found interesting is that this game is part of a series. This was released as Solomon’s Key 2. It acts as a prequel to the first game, which was released six years before this game. I can only guess it was renamed because Tecmo assumed that no one remembered the first game, and it fits the game’s theme more.
TLDR: A fun and easy puzzle game.
Narrative
So, a big bad guy shows up and is threatening to melt some fantasy island. The queen gathers a bunch of heroes together and picks the least qualified one for the job. Sounds about right.
All of the enemies are fire-based creatures, and the main character is an ice wizard. The story is told as a story. Between each stage, a grandmother character is shown talking to two kids. Each stage has a boss, and they add a little to the story once you beat them.
This isn’t a game with a lot of depth to its story. You can simply ignore the story altogether, as it is the least important part of this game. The paper-thin plot is perfectly fine for a game like this, where the focus is on the gameplay.
Gameplay
This is a puzzle game where you create and kick chunks of ice at enemies. When the game starts, the enemies don’t move, and as it goes on, they have a few simple patterns. It isn’t a hard game to figure out, but it gets more challenging as the game goes on.
There are nine levels, each with nine stages. The game takes a while, especially when you start out and try to figure out what to do. This is one of the games where you don’t need the manual to play the game. It does explain the few power ups, but it isn’t needed (Link).
Your goal on each stage is to defeat all the enemies. Sometimes it is straightforward, and other it might take a few tries to understand how the game expects you to do it. There isn’t a time limit, but the game does keep track of how long it takes you to complete each stage. If you get stuck, it is easy to restart.
The boss fights are where some new things get thrown at the player. This includes flames creeping up the screen and moving enemies. It is cool that this is where the game gives the player some new challenges.
There is an edit mode, which is fun to mess around with. It reminds me of the design of a track mode in Excite Bike. This mode is a fun distraction from the main game.
I like the gameplay quite a bit. It is challenging enough to keep you playing. This is a very good puzzle game that does an excellent job of slowly ramping up the difficulty as you play. I was pleasantly surprised by this game.
Visuals
This is a good looking game. Fire’n Ice is a very cartoonish game, which has a fun and happy art style. The character sprites look good, and the levels are well-designed to make the game harder as it goes along. Graphics on those levels leave a lot to be desired, though.
Everything looks like a cartoon in this game. This is something that I like. The opening cutscene, world map, and the way your character looks are great. You can tell that the developer knew how to get the most out of the NES at this point.
The level design gets progressively better with each stage. Boss characters look okay, and the levels they send you to are fun to play. The animations on the enemies and your character look good.
While I like the level design, the graphics on those levels is lacking. It looks like a better version of Bubble Bobble, or every other puzzle platformer that I’ve played. They just look a little boring to me.
Graphics aren’t everything. I think most of the graphics in this game are wonderful. The stages aren’t as good as they could’ve been, and they don’t really match with where your character is supposed to be. There is no theme to these stages. The gameplay more than makes up for any of the faults in the graphics.
Reviews at the Time
Fire’n Ice received good reviews at the time it was released. Many of those reviews weren’t archived. The only usable quote from those archived on MobyGames was from EGM, where the reviewer called it “Easily the best puzzle game in years!”
From what I can see, the game was well received. With scores in the 7s, this was considered to be a good game at the time. I didn’t see a review from the 1990s that disliked the game.
8/10. This is a very good puzzle game. The gameplay is pretty addictive, and everything is set up for the player to succeed. It also looks good.
Pros
- Good Graphics
- Challenging
- Good Gameplay
Cons
- Can be a little repetitive
- Levels don’t look that great
Conclusion
Fire’n Ice is a fun little puzzle game. This is one of the games that is easy to learn but difficult to master. There is enough here to keep you entertained.
Having never played Solomon’s Key, I never would’ve made the connection between them. Now that I’ve played this game, I might go back and try that one. I’m not all that interested in this game’s story, which is fine because it isn’t necessary to enjoy this game.
The only thing I have to complain about is the graphics for the stages. They aren’t all that interesting to look at. The level design is fine, but the graphics are a little boring. The rest of the game looks great!
If you liked this game, please check out my other NES posts. Such as Friday the 13th or Air Fortress.