The folks at Chillingo were showing off Icycle 2 at GDC 2013, and it broke my brain just a little. The game mechanics themselves are very simple; the controls are ultimately the most basic ones you could have for a platformer game. The real trip is in the art style and storyline.
Players control the chilly and lovelorn Dennis, who, for whatever reason, is chasing the woman of his dreams naked on a bicycle. Eventually, her head turns into that of a fish, but I'm not quite sure why. My demo of the game ended with Dennis mere millimeters away from smooching this aquatic goddess. Players are ranked out of three stars for each of the positively surreal levels based on how many little icicle pellets they pick up along their twisted route. Over time, players can unlock new and ridicuclous outfits to make sure Dennis doesn't have to do all of his chasing in the nude.
Those of you that have played Wonderputt will be familiar with the level of graphical polish and left-field thinking that the developer, Damp Gnat, is capable of. I'll go so far as to say that Icycle 2 is the most interesting and refreshing mobile game that I've seen between GDC and PAX East. The Chillingo folks are being coy about a release date, opting for a "it'll be ready when it's ready" approach, but expect it to cost about a buck in the App Store.
