In the list of trending video game livestreams on YouTube, after PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Minecraft, and Fortnite, there is an indie game with a humble seven thousand viewers. Since the promo art faintly resembles another famous title – Five Nights at Freddy’s – and it’s free on the App Store and Google Play, I was intrigued enough to give it a try.  

The Ice Scream series was developed by a small Spanish company, Keplerians. The limited movements and graphics as well as a few mistranslations in the text constantly remind the player of the studio’s circumstances. Despite the minor flaws, the developers announced the release of Ice Scream 3 on March 13. By May 15 the game reached 10 million downloads. A popular gaming channel on YouTube, FGTeeV, raked in over 15 million views on their Ice Scream 3 walkthroughs. Granted, when I downloaded and played the game, I had done none of this research. 

I started with Ice Scream 1. The masked ice cream man, Rod, pops up in the start menu while an eerie yet strangely 80s synth music plays in the background. Let it be known that I am a jumpy person. How jumpy? Right when the first cut scene ends, the player is asked to leave the bedroom and step outside where the cannibalistic ice cream man just captured a child. That’s when I handed over my iPad to someone else. When I gathered the courage to actually start the game, I realized in Normal mode the player walks faster than Rod, which is so comforting. Also, if the player gets captured, it’s not as terrifying as Outlast. Then again, few things are more terrifying than Outlast. 

Ice Scream is one of those game series that is a completely different experience with and without music. An unnerving, high pitch crescendo plays every time that Rod is near, even if you can’t see him onscreen. Without the sound on, it’s a lot more likely for him to sneak up on the player and take a life. The problem is the music is the exact same in all three games and it becomes incredibly annoying after a certain point.  

The player’s movement resembles walking on ice; there’s a lot of sliding that makes precision very difficult. Needless to say, meticulous actions and selections are a matter of life and death, since a sing-song-y cannibal is nipping at your heels every minute. In a way, this fault might be intentional. The weird controls make the game more unsettling – and I daresay spooky – because they make it harder for the players to defend themselves and escape. The scariest moment I had while playing Ice Scream 3 was like that. I was on the treehouse as Rod climbed up my only exit. I had to be very precise in order to stun him for a few seconds and then flee, but I couldn’t go down the ladder. The next few seconds were agonizing as I tried to force the controls to get me down before dying.  

Then, there’s the puzzles. What took the most time was not necessarily solving the puzzles but rather eluding Rob while solving them. It felt like an escape room but with a predator. If the puzzles take too long to figure out, there are many videos online to help – since the in-game hints are almost useless. Even with outside help, however, the answers are not always the same. Every time you restart the game, the items change places and the puzzles shuffle. For example, the rope in the first part of the first game is rarely found in the same place twice in a row. This quality encourages players to come back a few times but it gives speed runners a disadvantage. It was a little frustrating whenever I wanted to skip ahead to a certain point in the game but had to repeat everything as if it was the first time.  

Overall, from the point of view of a jumpy, screaming newbie, the Ice Scream games are amusing yet infuriating. The day I grow accustomed to the weird controls is the day I stop twitching whenever a 2-D ice cream man approaches. For a series of free mobile games with no ads (unless you choose the easiest mode), Ice Scream is surprisingly entertaining. Between the chase and the mystery surrounding the characters, the player has a lot to enjoy. If you have time on your hands and you’re in the mood for a spooky game that won’t give you nightmares, find the Ice Scream series on the App Store or on Google Play. If you’re a savvier, more experienced gamer that needs horror games like Silent Hill, The Evil Within 2, or Dead Space, then Ice Scream is probably not for you.

Written by: Isabella Massardi | Instagram

Art by: Meg Cabras | Instagram