Icy Escort is a silly platform game about hopping penguins and ice cream. There’s really nothing much to this game other than jumping around, trying to rescue your baby penguins, all while eating ice cream along the way. It’s absolutely for the casual gamer who just wants a free app to kill some time with.

Even though this game seems quite silly, it does present some challenges. Your objective is to rescue all the baby penguins before time runs out. The faster you do it, the more points you earn. Your mother penguin moves around the map by herself. All you have to do is tap anywhere on the screen to make your penguin jump to the next platform. A short tap will result in a shallow jump while holding the tap will make your penguin jump higher. The game gets challenging when you have to start timing your jumps perfectly in order to get to the next platform above. If you miss a jump, you’ll fall and have to start all the way back at the bottom which will waste valuable time. You’ll find yourself restarting a level multiple times before you get it right.

The more points you get, and the faster you complete each level will determine your star rating. This adds much needed replay value by encouraging you to get a three star rating for each level. I say, “much needed”, because the game really isn’t that exciting or fun. Each level has the same goal in mind and the gameplay gets quite repetitive. The most frustrating part about it is the penguin’s automatic movement. You have no control of the penguin’s speed or direction, only the jump. However, this makes it that much easier for the casual gamer to pick up and play.

The graphics and sound are surprisingly good for such a simple game. However, that’s not enough to save the tedious gameplay. It’s fun for a short time, but definitely won’t retain your attention for long. Icy Escort is one of those games you’ll play once, and never play again. Being free, there’s no risk in checking it out.

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