Ice Climber

Did You Know?

• Ice Climber was the first video game programmed by Kazuaki Morita, who considered it a warm-up before working on Super Mario Bros.
• The game was directed by longtime Nintendo producer Kenji Miki, who also directed NES Open Tournament Golf.
• The arcade version VS. Ice Climber includes exclusive content such as an animated title screen, a stage select menu, 16 more mountains, blizzard and wind effects, more enemies and vegetables, and bonus multiplier items.

Gameplay

In Ice Climber, the first player takes control of Popo, a boy dressed in a blue parka, while the second player plays as Nana, a girl in a pink parka. Both characters rely on a single wooden mallet, which they use to break through ice above them and to hit enemies. Each mountain is split into eight layers of colorful ice, plus a bonus stage at the top. Most ice blocks are plain and dull, serving only as simple platforms or barriers that can be broken. However, some blocks are more detailed and square-shaped; these are indestructible, so players must find a different route. Hatched ice blocks act like conveyor belts, sliding the climber left or right. A few mountains also include cloud-like moving platforms that cannot be destroyed. The bonus stage appears at the peak, where players have 40 seconds to navigate trickier jumps and moving platforms with no enemies present. This is the only spot to recover stolen vegetables, especially eggplants. An extra life can be earned by collecting a single piece of corn from the fifth bonus stage. At the very top, the Condor flies overhead. Enemies include the Topi—a blue seal in the Japanese Famicom version or a short Yeti-like creature in Western releases—which fills holes in the ice by fetching icicles from its cave. The Nitpicker is a bird that swoops from caves at the edges and can cross multiple layers. The White Bear, wearing sunglasses and a pink speedo, appears if players are too slow, pounding the ice to force the screen upward. Falling icicles can form under any platform, and all enemies speed up after a few mountains are cleared.

Releases

Ice Climber first appeared as a North American NES launch title, and has since been brought to multiple Nintendo systems. The PC-8801 version features a reduced color palette and a redesigned HUD. VS. Ice Climber, released for the Famicom Disk System, drops difficulty options and updates some visuals, like swapping the bee and butterfly for a Nitpicker and blue Condor. The Arcade Archives Switch release removes the bee enemy entirely.

Reception

Critics have generally looked favorably on the Ice Climber series. In April 1985, Game Machine ranked VS. Ice Climber as Japan’s eighth top-earning table arcade cabinet that month. Finland’s former president, Mauno Koivisto, reportedly loved the game; his son-in-law confirmed it was his favorite. For the American version, Computer Entertainer gave graphics and gameplay 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it “addictive” for climbing-game enthusiasts and promising “hours of challenging play.”

Legacy

Popo and Nana appear as a two-in-one playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series, voiced by Sanae Kobayashi, starting with Melee in 2001 and continuing in Brawl and Ultimate. Their planned return for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U was scrapped due to technical issues with the 3DS version, with director Masahiro Sakurai citing low priority because the Ice Climber series was unlikely to have another installment. Band Brothers, and Super Mario Maker as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume.