Icycle: On Thin Ice is a 2D puzzle platformer.
Basic Gameplay
The player controls Dennis, a man on a bicycle, and they are tasked with making him survive through the levels. Left and right makes Dennis speed up and slow down. Dennis is unable to move backward, so holding left will only make him brake. He is able to jump. While jumping, he can use his umbrella, which will allow him to float through the air.
The game is divided into many short levels. In each level, Dennis is tasked with surviving until the end of it. Doing this will unlock later levels and earn him more ice cubes. Each level also has three additional optional objectives, such as making it through the level without dying.
Survival
The world has completely frozen over, and Dennis must keep moving in order to stay warm. Coming into contact with any icicle spikes or icy areas of land will cause him to freeze instantly. Dennis can also die by falling into bottomless pit or by being crushed by falling objects. Pieces of the background will often break off, requiring the player to predict where they'll land.
If Dennis dies, he restarts from earlier in the section. A death counter at the bottom of the screen keeps track of his respawns. Special power-up items are scattered in some levels, and they will often make survival much easier if acquired.
Collectibles
Ice cubes are scattered throughout all of the levels. These serve as the game's main currency. These are collected by passing through them with Dennis. In addition, ice cubes can be earned by completing optional objectives for each level.
Acquired ice cubes can be spent in the Icebox, the in-game store. These will unlock both powerups to help with the levels as well as many cosmetic items. Cosmetic items don't change the gameplay, but certain ones can unlock hidden dream levels.
