Beyond the Ice Palace 2 Review
Pixelheart’s Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is a perfect game for classic Castlevania fans.
Beyond the Ice Plaace 2. Credit: Pixelheart / PQube
I love Castlevania. It’s one of my all-time favorite series, and I always want more, particularly 2D entries. Beyond the Ice Palace 2, from Pixelheart and PQube, scratched that itch for me admirably. Light on Metroidvania elements with its mostly linear design of levels isolated on a map, the game resembles Castlevania III or Super Castlevania IV more closely than it does later series entries.
Beyond the Ice Plaace 2. Credit: Pixelheart / PQube
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is a sequel to a 35-year-old Commodore 64 game, which you don’t need to have played to enjoy this new story. Players take on the role of the imprisoned Cursed King, betrayed by his advisors, who breaks free to take back his kingdom and punish the traitors who allied with dark forces. He wields the chains once used to imprison him; these weapons bear more than a light resemblance to the famous Belmont whip.
Beyond the Ice Plaace 2. Credit: Pixelheart / PQube
The gameplay feels like classic Castlevania, with a heavy protagonist who moves slowly and has limited agility. Memorizing enemy and boss patterns is crucial for survival because players won’t have much time to react to attacks with the game’s unforgiving physics and the precision required to use the dodge move during combat. Stamina is slow to refill, so judicious dodging is necessary. The game crosses Castlevania with Dark Souls, punishing the player for attacking rashly.
The Cursed King’s weapons are the chains attached to his wrists, a blend between a Belmont hero and Kratos from God of War. Players can strike in multiple directions, flail the chains to destroy projectiles, or charge up a strong attack at the cost of stamina. More attack options open up as you upgrade your stats and gain items. Some enemies require that you stomp them so they don’t revive; at first, this is irritating, but it quickly became one of the most satisfying moves in the game for me.
The chains can also grab rings or enemies that you can yank or launch yourself towards. This can destroy gates, stun enemies, or even open secret passages. The chains can also hook onto floating rings from which you can swing. Propelling yourself toward the rings once you hook them is also necessary for traversal, but it is tricky to pull off at first. Once you master swinging and leaping from these grapple points, aerial movement becomes really fun.
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is a challenging game. I died a lot, especially during mini-boss and boss encounters, but once I learned their patterns and fought them patiently, I persevered. Checkpoints didn’t appear as frequently as I would like, and sometimes, their placement would force me to fight a mini-boss repeatedly. Checkpoints should always be placed after such fights, or the mini-bosses shouldn’t respawn.
Beyond the Ice Plaace 2. Credit: Pixelheart / PQube
The game features fantastic pixel art graphics that rival the classic sidescrollers it is inspired by. The background and environment art is visually rich while clearly defining platforms and points of interaction. Enemy designs are creative and grotesque, especially the massive bosses the player must face. The art perfectly fits the game's tone and the world the developers have created.
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is an engaging, challenging adventure that isn’t for everyone. Those looking for an experience akin to classic Castlevania will be satisfied. As a fan of dark sidescrolling action games, I had a blast.
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 will be available on March 11, 2025, on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One / Series X|S.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: Steam Deck
