The Iconoclasts (15Mb)
The Iconoclasts is an action/ exploration platformer, as a much enhanced remake of Ivory Springs (both by Joakim Sandberg).
The artwork is amazing and gorgeous, as you explore a very colorful world. There are enemies to engage and the boss fights can be very difficult! One of the boss fights is in a cavern, where the floor tilts sharply either way or buckles in the middle and the boss jumps out on top of you unless you are very careful! This boss also evades most of your shots! As well as vanishing and reappearing!
I’m posting this specifically because Joakim is somewhat disillusioned and struggling to make ends meet at the moment , in common with many independent games developers, but The Iconoclasts is immense graphically, with absolutely outstanding artwork. As it is of now, it’s incomplete and fairly on the short side, but fully playable, nevertheless. If anyone can help Joakim by donations it might help get development of the game forward and on the go again!
Along with other games and Indie games reviewers, we’re all very much hoping Joakim can recover and fully complete The Iconoclasts. It’s a game that thoroughly deserves our support as it would be a very great shame indeed, should Joakim not be able to work to finish the game. If many of us visit his site and download/play Iconoclasts, it might just do the trick!
“What a fantastic game, not only is the art looking fantastic, but the gameplay is a lot of fun and throws some new (at least to me) mechanics in there as well. I really (as in really) hope that Joakim pulls it together to finish”- this superb game that has a huge, in fact colossal amount of promise about it! It would be absolutely marvellous of Joakim if he can get round to completing it for us! Finished it would be an outright masterpiece of a game!
The platform world is a great deal of fun to explore, and the music is great/adorable too.
It's similar to Metroid, with a Zelda bit in the middle where you run about and talk to people. There are signs to read (press ‘down’ arrow key to start reading them, then the ‘S’ key to read on/ exit sign dialogue) that provide very useful information, acting as a tutorial.
Without giving too much away this is super cute, but has surprisingly dark overtones. In the game you play as Robin, a young mechanic who lives in a world where machines around the world have been outlawed minus a few exceptions such as phones and whatnot. The moon is breaking apart and you are investigating and all the while have to avoid being outlawed for your helping to mend machines.
You move with the ‘arrow’ keys, including crouching, jump with the ‘S’ key (holding gives longer jumps) and shoot with the ‘D’ key. There are is a power-ups for greatly enhanced fire-power by holding the 'D' key until Robin flashes, then releasing it. You can jump and cling on to ledges using the respective ‘L/R’ arrow key while you jump, then climb up using the ‘up’ arrow key. 'Down' arrow key to collect items. Holding down the ‘A’ key can help you with ‘grapple-wrenching’ once you have found the wrench!
As said the artwork is brilliant and amazing and the gameplay is excellent; so do absolutely give Iconoclasts a try!
(If you get a message about needing DirectX 8 runtime files, don’t panic, simply download and install the latest DirectX Web RunTime file from Microsoft (no validation) - (needs 47.4Mb Hd space) - HERE. The game runs fine in Win 7, Vista and XP once the MS Web RunTime is installed.)
It's very well worth the download even in its unfinished condition! You won't be disappointed!
Download HERE (Scroll down to the Mar29 blog entry for the download link)
Video HERE
You can download the original Ivory Springs on which iconoclasts is based HERE though the graphics are hugely improved in Iconoclasts!
You might also like to try another of Joakim Sandberg’s games ’Legend of Princess’ posted by W.R. HERE Download Legend of Princess Here
