If you happened to be in school in the early 2000s with access to a computer, or were simply a huge fan of freeware games, it's possible you might have heard of the arcade-style platformer Icy Tower in the past.
Developed by Free Lunch Design — a Swedish company comprised of Johan Peitz and Anders Svensson — it quickly became a viral smash hit when it was made available online in 2001, with players falling in love with the simple yet addictive gameplay, which focused on a skater named Harold the Homeboy (and his friends) navigating a slippery tower full of precipitous drops.
In the following years, it eventually made the trip to other platforms (including mobile phones) to try and capitalize on this success a little, and even got a sequel called Icy Tower 2 in 2012, introducing the game to a newer audience.
According to developer Johan Peitz, though, that isn't all she wrote for the series, as next year will see the original game get a "from the ground up" remake for Steam, just in time for its 25th anniversary.
This new version of the game will see Peitz and Svensson returning to work on it, but will also include fresh character art and animation from Rudy Flores (Scott Pilgrim EX/River City Girls 2), environment art from Franek (Arco), and some new key art from Lu Nascimento (Moonglow Bay/Wargroove/Assemble With Care).
On Steam, the game promises "a diverse cast of characters with unique styles", "live-recorded music", as well as "crisp pixel perfect, handcrafted graphics". It also appears players will be able to share their best replays, letting you brag to your friends about your tower-climbing skills.
Here's a description from the developer:
"Icy Tower is back! A fast-paced platformer where you play as Harold the Homeboy (and his friends) trying to climb as high as possible in an endless tower.
Chain impossible combo jumps, bounce off walls, and risk everything for insane scores. But one mistake and it is back to the beginning! With its simple pick-up-and-play appeal Icy Tower delivers a pure and compelling gameplay experience like no other. As the difficulty ramps up, Icy Tower will put your timing, precision, and nerves to the ultimate test.
Brought to you by the creators of the original Icy Tower, this brand new game is remade from the ground up with a lot of love and passion. Expect silly smooth gameplay and an irresistible feedback loop that will keep you trying again and again.."
If you fancy keeping tabs on the game, you can wishlist it here.