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Ice Climber

Ice Climber BoxIce Climber is a vertical platforming video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo developed an adaptation of the game for the arcade as part of their Vs. series known as Vs. Ice Climber. The arcade version differs slightly from the home console version by the addition of an animated title screen, a stage select menu, 16 additional mountains and incorporating occasional blizzard and wind effects.

Players take control of characters Popo and Nana in an effort to scale 32 ice-covered mountains to retrieve stolen vegetables from a giant condor. Each mountain has eight defined levels that players must scale in order to complete the stage. Atop of the eighth level is a bonus stage where players are provided 40 seconds to collect vegetables, climb to the top of the bonus section and grab onto the condor for bonus points. After the bonus round is completed the player will advance to the next, more difficult level.

The game was released as one of 18 launch titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. Japan received a release on the Family Computer in 1985 and a port of the Arcade version with the additional features was released for the Famicom Disk System in 1988. While the game was quite popular in the mid 1980s it is more well know today by Popo and Nana inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Ice Climber Logo
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)Nintendo
SeriesN/A
PredecessorNone
SuccessorNone
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Famicom
Media TypeCartridge
ReleaseJP: January 30, 1985
NA: October 18, 1985
EU: September 1, 1986
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer
Sales1.5 Million
RatingESRB: E
CERO: A
PEGI: 3
Rereleased Platform(s)Ports
Arcade – 1985
PC-88 – 1985
Sharp X1 – 1985
Famicom Disk System – 1988
Game Boy Advance (e-Reader) – 2002
Game Boy Advance (Classic NES) – 2004

Virtual Console
Nintendo 3DS – 2011
Wii – 2007
Wii U – 2013
Nintendo Switch (Online Service) – 2018
Nintendo Switch (Arcade Archives) – 2019

Game Screenshots:

NES Works - Ice Climber

 

Retronauts Video Works

Retronauts Video Works is a video companion to the Retronauts podcast.  The show is researched, written, edited, and created by Jeremy Parish.

ProfileNameRole
Hiroshi YamauchiHiroshi YamauchiExecutive Producer
Masayuki UemuraMasayuki UemuraProducer
Shigeru MiyamotoShigeru MiyamotoSupervisor
Kenji MikiKenji MikiDirector
Kazuaki MoritaKazuaki MoritaProgrammer
Toshihiko NakagoToshihiko NakagoProgrammer
Tadashi SugiyamaTadashi SugiyamaGraphic Designer
Akito NakatsukaAkito NakatsukaMusic Composer
Hirokazu TanakaHirokazu TanakaMusic Programmer

 

Famicom (Japanese Release)

Nintendo Entertainment System (North American Release)

Nintendo Entertainment System (European Release)

Famicom Disk System (Japanese Release)

Media & Promotional Material