Review: Ice Cool

Review: Ice Cool

Review: Ice CoolIn the board game Ice Cool from Brain Games, you’re an adolescent penguin running the halls of their frozen school. From the moment you open the box, you can tell this is a very special game. There are 5 boxes of different sizes that stack inside one another to create the structure of the penguin school. Will your penguin be able to collect their three fish before the “catcher” takes away your ID card?

Players choose their colored penguin and one of the players starts the game as the “catcher”. This player will try to catch each of the other players by running into their penguin and taking their ID card. Players take turns flicking their penguin through the 5 rooms that make up the school.

Any players that are not the “catcher” will attempt to pass through doorways with their wooden fish tokens clipped above the door frame. Passing under one of these will capture their colored fish. The player then draws a card off the top of the deck of cards with a chance to win 1, 2 or 3 fish (points).

Ice Cool - Components

The round ends when the “catcher” takes all the other players ID cards or when any other player collects all three of their colored fish. Each player gets a chance to be the “catcher” then the game ends. Players count up the cards they gained throughout the game to see who won.

A Great Game for Families

We originally played Ice Cool back in October during Atlanta Game Fest. The game was a lot of fun and a really solid fit for all ages. If the player can flick the penguin, they can play the game.

We found a deal on the game at a local game shop and knew we had to pick this one up. The game is very accessible and the theme is a lot of fun. I was really impressed with the quality of the components from the sliding plastic penguins to the cardboard rooms that connect together to form the school. Everything was well done and definitely built with families in mind.

As players get used to flicking their penguins around the school, they will get better and start adding tricks to their shots. After playing a couple matches, I was able to flick the top of the penguins head to make it flip over a wall and get away from the “catcher”. Little things like this get a big reaction from everyone playing the game.

Ice Cool

I would say the only drawback to the game is the amount of space the game takes up. It fits nicely on a normal dining room table but it can get a little tough to line up a great flick while you’re sitting in a chair. I think standing around a square or round table to play this game is probably the perfect situation.

Our Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, we hope that our reviews can help you make a decision on whether a game is worth purchasing. In the case of Ice Cool, I’m really glad we picked this one up. The game won’t come out when we have a game night with our friends. I can guarantee that it will hit the table when the kids have sleep overs or when we have family gatherings.

The game is really simple and a lot of fun. It’s fun being the “catcher” and trying to take away all the other players ID cards. It’s awesome running away from another player and doing a perfect flick to grab two fish tokens at once. We’ve had some great laughs playing Ice Cool and we think this is a perfect fit for a family with kids.

You can grab your copy of Ice Cool on Amazon today

Highs

  • Simple to learn and fun for ages 5 or 6+
  • Great components that seem like they’ll really last
  • Solid game for kids and adults

Lows

  • The game is best with 4 players
  • Game takes up a large space

Ryan Gutowski

I'm a huge fan of strategy games and pretty much anything that involves "city building". My love of board games goes back to my childhood and passion for building relationships with others.

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