Beyond the Ice Palace 2 Review: 35+ Years Later a Retro Action Sequel!

Ole Gamer Joe

3 days ago7 min read

Beyond the Ice Palace 2

PC/PS/XBOX/SWITCH

4/10/25 (4/11/25 consoles)

STORYBIRD Studio/PQube/PixelHeart

What’s old is new again! The gaming world is witnessing a massive resurgence in retro games—not just being recreated for modern audiences, but also receiving full-fledged sequels years later. One such revival is the topic of today’s video: a sequel to the Commodore 64 classic, Beyond the Ice Palace, which dates back to 1988. But how do you take a long-forgotten 2D platformer from 35 years ago and create a sequel in 2025? Developer STORYBIRD Studio aims to answer that very question. So, does Beyond the Ice Palace 2 succeed in keeping things cool, or is it destined for a frosty reception? Let’s find out in our full review! Brr…

As I mentioned during my intro, the original Beyond the Ice Palace released over three decades ago and was available on multiple platforms, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, and ZX Spectrum. Like its sequel, it was designed as a challenging 2D scrolling platformer.

Often compared to Ghosts 'n Goblins for its sheer difficulty and weapon variety, Beyond the Ice Palace had a unique twist with the addition of spirit attacks. These could be summoned to give players a fighting chance against the game's brutal challenges. While not groundbreaking, it featured a dark story, impressive visuals for the time, and exceptional sound design. The game was mostly well received by critics for these elements.

With that said, creating a sequel to a niche product from decades ago is no easy task. STORYBIRD Studio certainly had their hands full from the start. So, what direction did they choose?

Well, Beyond the Ice Palace 2 maintains the essence of the original game but incorporates modern gameplay systems. It feels like a blend of classic 2D 8-bit and 16-bit action platformers with some more modern-day Metroidvania elements. However, it never fully commits to the latter, resulting in a game that often feels fairly linear, with level-based gameplay that includes light exploration and puzzles.

Our tale begins with the firing of a sacred arrow, one that bestows immense power upon its target. This arrow strikes our hero, granting him the strength needed to defeat an evil ice witch. His triumphant victory earns him the admiration of the people, and he is soon crowned king in honor of his great feat.

All is well until one fateful day, when the sacred arrow is stolen, cursed, and then shot into the king, poisoning him to his core. Stripped of his powers, our once-mighty hero succumbs, and a demonic army seizes control of the land.

The only hope lies in a ritual performed by mages, capable of resurrecting the fallen king with at least some of his former powers. Now, you are on a quest to reclaim your throne and restore your domain.

It’s a fun setup for a game, honestly, even if it feels a bit familiar within the 2D action platforming genre. The thematic tone is enjoyable, and you’ll encounter characters who have been suffering since the king’s fall, adding life and lore to the entire experience. While the story isn't literary brilliance, it’s engaging enough and provides decent motivation for your quest to regain the shattered arrow and piece it back together.

Of course, in this genre, gameplay is king (and in this case, so are you), but from a mechanical standpoint, Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is a bit of a mixed bag. Your lead character feels slow and weighty, an attempt to emulate the feel of older NES-style games. While this isn’t inherently a bad thing, the level design doesn't always complement the controls perfectly.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The King (or former king) has a standard attack, can slide, and needs to rely heavily on platforming. Thankfully, you can strike in different directions, adding a bit of flexibility to combat.

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 places a significant emphasis on grappling and swinging, alongside utilizing your weapon to pull open doors, throw switches, and even open treasure chests. The inclusion of a dash move allows you to evade enemy attacks, and like many Metroidvania games, you'll gain new abilities as you progress. These include a double jump and a more powerful dash capable of breaking through previously inaccessible walls.

You also have a powerful secondary attack for busting through enemy shields and walls, and a rage meter that fills up over time. When unleashed, this rage meter sends you into a frenzy, making you more powerful and enhancing your combat abilities. This variety in mechanics ensures the gameplay remains dynamic enough, even if not every element hits the mark.

The biggest flaw from a mechanical standpoint is undoubtedly our king's grappling abilities, or rather the lack thereof. In fact, the platforming feels generally lackluster. Even with the double jump unlocked, jumps often come up short. The former king frequently struggles to grab ledges, and swinging is an absolute nightmare. The animations aren't fluid enough, or perhaps the game is simply poorly designed in this regard.

It would be more forgivable if swinging and jumping weren't so heavily relied upon throughout the game. Unfortunately, the vast majority of areas feature these segments, leading to frustration and, quite frankly, a lack of enjoyment. Even worse, certain boss encounters require you to hang from rings, which only adds to the frustration.

This is a shame because the boss encounters themselves are otherwise entertaining and challenging. In fact, I greatly enjoyed the ground combat overall. Attacking feels satisfying, and while the dodging could use some improvement, there's a decent mechanic where parrying at the right moment allows you to switch to the other side of your foe, leaving them open to attack. This adds a strategic element to the combat that makes those encounters much more enjoyable.

As I mentioned earlier, Beyond the Ice Palace 2 can feel rather linear, but it does offer some degree of Metroidvania-style exploration. Instead of a massive map with endless corridors, the game is broken up into sections that feel like contained stages. Personally, I enjoyed this approach, but if you were hoping for a more traditional Metroidvania map and exploration, you might find it a bit disappointing. Within these levels, there are different paths to explore, often leading to treasures such as gold for purchasing upgrades at shops and power crystals for upgrading at king's thrones scattered across the lands. You’ll also find no shortage of candles and crates to smash which contain everything from gold to health restoratives. So while it’s not the largest game in the world, it is big enough where a handy fast travel system that is built into the game still comes in handy.

Upgrading in Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is straightforward. At designated thrones, you'll use your power crystals to improve five basic stats, including health and strength. It's easy to understand but requires a good amount of effort to fully upgrade. While there is some customization in how you want your character to develop, the upgrade system isn't particularly deep. Finding five shards of power crystals can also be beneficial, as they can be crafted into a complete piece, allowing for further upgrades. Outside of that, you’ll purchase a piece of equipment here or there, but don’t expect any deep RPG mechanics.

Between exploring, fighting off skeletons, demons, and the game's massive bosses, you'll occasionally encounter puzzles—though I use that term loosely. These puzzles often involve straightforward tasks like pushing or pulling blocks, or filling carts with flaming hot coals to light a path forward. While they may not be particularly challenging, the variety they provide helps break up the action and keeps the gameplay from becoming too monotonous.

Which brings me to the difficulty—at the time of this review, there were no options available. That said, the default setting is manageable, although the game is filled with cheap hits from enemies, questionable level design at times, and bosses that present a drastic difficulty spike compared to the rest of the game. It’s tough overall but not overwhelmingly so. Difficulty options would certainly be welcome in a future update.

Mercifully, checkpoints are available at a decent rate, saving your progress and also storing any gold you’ve collected up to that point. This system is much appreciated and helps to balance the overall challenge.

Where Beyond the Ice Palace 2 truly shines is with its classic pixel art style. The animations can be a bit jerky in spots, leading to some timing issues, but the character and creature designs are quite impressive. There’s a good amount of creepy enemies whether they be of the undead or demonic sort, and the game’s different areas are well varied and have a dark tone that fits the vibe well. The bosses, in particular, are jaw-dropping to behold. It’s colorful in its own grim way, vibrant, and generally a visual delight.

The soundtrack is another highlight, featuring a gothic vibe reminiscent of classic Castlevania OSTs. While it might not quite reach the same heights, there are some excellent orchestral tracks, and the overall sound design is solid. All of the crunchy sounds of a retro game have been emulated wonderfully and effectively. Overall, the visual and audio design in Beyond the Ice Palace 2 are lovely and add to the enjoyment of the game.

During my time with the game, whether on PC or Steam Deck, I didn’t encounter any major performance issues either. There were some hit detection problems, where my attacks seemed to pass through certain enemies, and vice versa. Other than that, I didn’t experience any crashes, major framerate dips, or bugs.

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 might be an unusual (and late) sequel, but it gets a lot right while making a few significant stumbles along the way. While I wish the game were as fun to play as it is to look at and listen to, it still has its merits. The combat offers some entertainment value, and the upgrading and exploration are decent. However, everything is severely held back by questionable level design and poorly executed grappling and platforming mechanics.

Even with those flaws, I had a pretty good time with the game. With a runtime of 8-12 hours, depending on your skill level, it’s certainly worth a play at some point, even if it isn’t the best in its genre. Hardcore players can aim for a no-death run or a 4-hour completion time to earn some truly insane achievements, giving it a bit more replayability. So, while it's not quite a great game, it is a good one that wasn't far off from achieving greatness.

GOOD

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