is a
freeware
Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for t ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
created by Japanese developer
Daisuke Amaya, under the
art name
An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ''ho'' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by East Asian artists, poets and writers. The ...
Pixel. In the game, the player plays a squid named Ikachan, who swims through a cave, meeting and helping other creatures. The game was later released by
Nicalis for the
Nintendo 3DS eShop on January 31, 2013. On November 30, 2016, Japanese publisher Pikii released the game on the Japanese eShop.
Plot
''Ikachan'' takes place in Ironhead's realm, an underwater cave system. A series of earthquakes had recently caused cave-ins that cut off Ironhead's realm from the open sea. As such, the inhabitants of the cave ran out of food and were required to carry pearls marking their allegiance to Ironhead. Ironhead himself remains stuck in a private cave, spreading paranoia and encouraging violence against non-citizens to keep the population of the cave from overthrowing him as their leader. Ikachan wakes up inside the cave and swims around, searching for a way to escape.
Characters
*Ikachan is a squid-like creature who awakens inside Ironhead's realm. He is the main protagonist and playable character.
*Pinky is a young sea creature who helps Ikachan in his escape.
*Ironhead is a large fish with an iron helmet and the self-appointed leader of the caves.
*Storehouse watchman is the father of Pinky and guard of the remaining food supply.
*Carry is a large fish who guards Ironhead's cave.
Gameplay
Ikachan features unique gameplay; as opposed to using the arrow keys to move, the player uses the left and right arrow keys to tilt Ikachan in the respective direction. The player must then use the 'z' key to swim in the direction Ikachan is pointing. Thus, Ikachan cannot swim directly to the left or right at first, but he later acquires an item that allows him to charge horizontally. Also, while being unable to hurt enemies from the start, once Ikachan receives an item called the Dunce Cap, he can attack enemies by ramming them with the point of the hat.
The game contains
role-playing game-aspects, as Ikachan can
level up after attacking enough enemies or eating fish.
Promotion
To help promote the game and the
WiiWare
WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii ...
release of Cave Story, Pixel made a mini game based on Ikachan for the Nintendo DS game, ''
WarioWare D.I.Y.'' The game is available for download as a Big Name Game in North America since April 5, 2010.
After ''Cave Story''s success on WiiWare, Nicalis hinted at ports of ''Ikachan'' and ''Guxt'', other freeware games by Pixel, for
DSiWare
This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 201 ...
. Nicalis announced a
Nintendo 3DS version in October 2012, with plans for a DSi release, which was discarded. On January 31, 2013, despite the previous announcement only the Nintendo 3DS version released on the Nintendo eShop for $4.99. On November 30, 2016, Japanese publisher Pikii released the game on the Japanese eShop for 300 yen.
Reception
The 3DS version received "average" reviews according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
[ MTV's Jason Cirpriano stated that the game would appeal to fans of Cave Story, but also noted that it could be completed in about an hour.]
References
External links
Developers' website
English translation
Doukutsu Monogatari LiveJournal community
— site for news on Pixel's current endeavors
*
{{Daisuke Amaya
2000 video games
Freeware games
Indie video games
Metroidvania games
Platform games
Video games developed in Japan
Fictional squid
Nintendo 3DS eShop games
Windows games
Video games about animals
Video games with underwater settings