The clans of the Norse-themed world of Nitrome's popular Ice Breaker series are gathering, but they need your help to release their Viking warriors from their icy, impossible, Goldbergian prisons! Ice Breaker: The Gathering is not only a new entry in Nitrome's Nordic physics-puzzle franchise, but also Nitrome's first foray into episodic gaming. The "clans" in question represent collections of eight levels, and starting this week with the Elder Clan, a new clan will be unlocked every week until shortly into the new year.
Fans of the series will be familiar with the mouse-based, click-and-drag "slicing" mechanic, which is used to release itty-bitty Norsemen from their icy sepulchres, cut loose various contraptions from their hempen bindings, and otherwise interact with the game world. The goal as always is to return the prodigal Vikings to their Head Jarl's longboat, where there will be much celebration at their return. Somewhat paradoxically, there does not seem to be much ice breaking in this installment of Ice Breaker, as Nitrome endeavors to increase the sorts of puzzles they can create by introducing new puzzle elements. The Elder Clan in particular makes heavy use of bombs, which can destroy ice, stone, and wood (and Viking!) alike, and which are detonated with the same slicing mechanic used in the rest of the game.
Analysis: Despite these newer elements supplanting the marquee mechanic of the game, the puzzles are still quite fun and rewarding, and largely require a fair bit of thinking without being too taxing. The bite-sized portions of the installments mean that they can be played guilt-free during any break in the workday, though some may crave more. With a new clan every week, however, those with larger appetites will not have long to wait. Also, Nitrome has introduced a new feature which allows players who restart a difficult level three times to bypass that level and unlock the next. Players have to wait a full day before the new level unlocks, so there is still incentive to complete these stumpers on your own, but it is another way to feed your Ice Breaker fix, should you ever get stuck.
Ice Breaker: The Gathering provides short but succulent tidbits of new Ice Breaker levels for fans of the series. It will be interesting to see how Nitrome's experiment in episodic gaming develops, and if we will see other episodic games from them in the future.
Walkthrough Guide
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Ice Breaker: The Gathering Walkthrough (part 1)
For level 1:
Start by cutting off the end of the flame. Now cut the ice just to the right of the bomb. When to bomb hits the rock explode it. Cut the Viking loose
For level 2
Cut the first third off the ice so that it spins the wheel.
For level 3
You need to explode the 3 bombs so that they stay on the right of the hinge. This means that you explode the top one, then the one to the left and lastly the right one. No timing is necessary.
Level 4:
First explode the bottom bomb. When the rock has stopped rotating cut loose the top bomb. Explode this when it has stopped moving. Then, this bit requires some timing, cut loose the last bomb and the Viking at almost the same time. Viking first. You now need to explode the bomb before the Viking reaches the location of the bomb.
Level 5:
This level involves cutting loose the stones. You need to cut loose a stone and wait for the result to cascade through the switches. you will need to cut loose enough stones so that all the switches have been changed.
This is 8 stones
Then cut loose the Viking.
Level 6:
Cut loose the bombs so they land over the notched areas of the rock.(they will roll to the correct place if you are off by a bit)
Level 7:
Line the bombs up with the notches in the stone, then explode them.
Level 8:
Cut the bomb loose, explode it when it is between the two joints, make sure to leave the joint on the left intact. After the rock and wood have latched cut the ice the Viking is in free form the rock. Now cut the bird free.
Now:
Wait for the 21st of December
Posted by: hengehog
|
December 14, 2009 8:35 PM
Ice Breaker: The Gathering Walkthrough
Part 2 (First Clan)
Level 9
Cut off the top part of the ice on the left when the hand is all the way at the bottom. It should come back up and push the wood up so that the viking falls into the boat.
Level 10
Cut off one of the spokes off the ice so it is pushed up and tips the right viking into the boat. As soon as this happens, cut off the next spoke. The pieces of ice should align end-to-end, so they turn the cross on the right further and send the next viking into the boat.
Level 11
Make a cut sloping down diagonally between the two leftmost gray dots. Make a similar cut to the left of the two right dots. Cut off the left viking when the ice is all the way down, then cut off the right viking when the ice is just even with the boat.
Level 12
Make a cut so the frozen viking on the lower right slides into the boat. Then cut the two ropes so the unfrozen viking falls in. Cut off the upper right frozen viking, then make a sloping cut going down right under the remaining viking. Then make a sloping up right cut so it slides into the boat.
Level 13
Make a cut so that the left viking falls into the tray just as it is passing under. Then make a cut so the right viking slides in as the tray is coming up. This may take several tries to get right. Finally, cut the tray open as it is passing over the boat.
Level 14
Cut all the ice out from under the viking. Cut the viking off, leaving plenty of ice above the viking. Hopefully it should end up on the platform. Then cut all the rest of the ice off so the viking is lifted up. Make a sloping cut in the ice you saved so the viking slides into the boat.
Level 15
Cut off the lowermost piece of rock so that it slides into the sea without disturbing the vikings too much. Then cut the ice out from under the moving rock. When the moving rock is on its way to the left, cut the left rope off the rock holding the bottom right viking. Then cut the other rope so that the rock swings into the sea. Do the same for the lower left viking, except do it as the moving rock is on its way to the right and cut the right rope first. Then, when the moving rock is on its way to the left, cut the right rope on the middle rock piece, which may be holding two vikings by now. Cut the other rope so that it swings into the sea. Finally, cut the left rope on the top right viking so it falls into the boat. If necessary, cut the right rope holding the top left viking.
Level 16
First, cut all the ice on the left off. Then cut off the entire piece of ice in the middle, which holds both vikings, as the moving rock passes under the hanging rock. Cut the vikings off as they pass over the boat.
Posted by: J | January 28, 2010 7:55 PM