Summary
Beyond the Ice Palace 2has been announced for a 2024 release.Beyond the Ice Palacewas released on the Commodore 64 in 1988, two years after the originalCastlevaniagame was released on the NES.Beyond the Ice Palacetook inspiration fromCastlevaniaand its sequel appears to continue to take inspiration from the Metroidvania genre that the game helped spawn.Beyond The Ice Palace 2features combat and traversal reminiscent of popularSteamreleases likeHollow Knight.
Reviews of the originalBeyond The Ice Palacewere mixed. Players were critical of the game’s level design and difficulty, highlighting frustrating areas that were too challenging to continue and a lack of variety. Despite its flaws, plenty of gamers enjoyedBeyond The Ice Palace’s music. Nowadays, players seem to enjoy that difficulty, and some search for thehardest Metroidvania gamesto play, trying to find a satisfying balance between punishing and rewarding gameplay.
An announcement trailer shows offBeyond the Ice Palace 2, coming to PS4, PS5, and Steam. Some in-game dialogue is shown in the trailer, highlighting that it has been a long time since the Cursed King, this game’s protagonist, was last seen, potentially a reference to a long time between releases.Beyond The Ice Palace 2’s trailer showcases the Cursed King using the chains he was imprisoned with to fight off enemies and grapple through obstacles. Players will navigate through the kingdom, unlock secret passages, and take on bosses with intricate appearances. With the emphasis the trailer shows on bosses, fans of thebest Metroidvania boss fightsmay be interested in seeing whetherBeyond The Ice Palace 2is able to deliver a similar experience.
Beyond The Ice Palace Returns 35 Years Later
Compared to its original game,Beyond The Ice Palace 2appears to be updated significantly to match the standard that newer Metroidvanias have set.Beyond The Ice Palace 2seems to emphasize the combat while offering players different ways to explore and improve to become ready for the next challenge. The Cursed King appears to have an action-oriented, abrasive personality, mainly shown screaming and fighting. Depending on how much dimension and atmosphere the game delivers with the character, there is a chance he could join the ranks ofthe best Metroidvania protagonists.
The Metroidvania genre has ballooned in popularity since the 1980s release ofBeyond The Ice Palace. The seminal releases in the genre have inspired a wave of indie and AAA games alike.Games likePrince of Persia: The Lost CrownandHollow Knightare popular modern releases in the genre that take inspiration from the format while making stylistic, tonal, and gameplay changes to distinguish themselves, andBeyond The Ice Palace 2has a chance to do the same for itself.
Steam
Steam is a digital video game storefront and program developed by Valve that allows gamers to purchase, play, and mod their titles all through one convenient program.
