From the creative mind of comic strip artist Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, Icarus Needs is a drolly piquant story adventure in which you play Icarus, stuck a dream world in need of many things, but mostly in need of rescuing Kit and waking up. Gameplay is reduced to a minimum: use [WASD] or [arrows] to navigate through each panel of the comic until you encounter a needed object, then travel back to where it's needed so you may move on.
There are some ups and downs, but the environment is never too mazelike and the puzzles are never abstruse. Because of this and the simpler mechanics, you're able to relax and be entertained by the color block artwork, Icarus' amusing bons mots and the surreal encounters. Often something this basic doesn't work as a game, yet Goodbrey perfectly balances witty remarks with just enough imagination so that it isn't contrived or forced. Some players might wish for more challenge but I don't think it's needed here: both the gameplay and the story work seamlessly together so neither feels tacked on. Icarus Needs works well in all the ways a game should: it holds up as its own character, engaging players and providing a satisfying bit of entertainment. You can smile at the end and say to yourself "This was time well spent." And that's all we need to enjoy it.
Squeeeeeak! :D loved it
Possibly the single coolest thing I ever played!
And I completed it without any help.
bizaare... in a good way :)
Good reviews, encouraging comments-- I wish I could play! It's not loading! (firefox 22.0, flash 11.7.700.225, mac 10.6.8)
Infant Tyrone: Your flash version seems to be outdated. Download the new version from Adobe Flash site, and it should be working.
Besides updating Flash, you can also try playing in another browser... I recommend Chrome but you might want to also try your Mac native Safari. Lately Firefox has been giving me some trouble, too.
I can't start the game. It loads just fine, but just after the starting screen it shows two blue boxes, one with the figure in it, and it doesn't seem to react to any key I press. Am I doing something wrong?
Did you accidentally click outside the game screen? Trying clicking inside the game screen to see if that activates your keyboard controls.
First, A Duck Had An Adventure, and I decided I liked the cut of Daniel Goodbrey's jib. It was completely adorable and, although it didn't involve a lot of brain power, it had replay value in the form of 16 different endings (as well as a number of hats).
Now Icarus Needs to take care of some business. I like how there's actual puzzling involved (not to mention dynamic squares!), which is a definite increase in sophistication, so points for that. By the same token, though, the lack of branching and single ending make it feel rather short. And sadly, it really doesn't have much replay value, which is a pity because it was fun while it lasted.
I look forward to Mr. Goodbrey's next effort, and hope it combines the best parts of Duck with the best parts of Icarus. ("Duck, Icarus!")
I think you're right, ray9na: more endings would be fun. There is some chance for variation, though, if you grab a needed item before going where you need it, you miss Icarus' comments about that area. So it is good to go back and play, just in case, now that you know what to avoid so you can see the most stuff. For example...
If you don't climb the tree but go straight for the balloon to the tree top, you will miss the odd squirrel encounter.
Or, if you grab the net and dog before seeing kitty, then you miss Icarus' interaction with the cat.
...Icarus grows on me more as I consider his character, too. I do hope to see more of his adventures!
This was one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. Put a smile on my face.
Sorry Vile, it's not working on my mac either. I did update to the latest Flash 10.8 and am using Chrome. It's working on other sites. So, perhaps something amiss here.
Are you using adblock? If so, please try disabling it.
@elle: Thank you, but sadly, it's no use. No matter where I click, it doesn't start. :(
OK, that was just plain fun.
Cool
Update