Do you love fishing games? How about penguins? I found a winning combination of fishing and penguins in the fun game Ice Pond. You should give it a try too.
The Backstory of Ice Pond
I played as a cute penguin who lives in an igloo. I was late on my igloo rent, so I went to see Bernie, my landlord, to see if we could do anything about that. He told me that fishing was a good way to raise money (so I could pay him his rent!) and he agreed to give me a fishing rod, some supplies and instruction. The rest is penguin history.
The Look and Feel of Ice Pond
The world of Ice Pond is bright, colorful and whimsical. It’s a very cozy place. It’s also cold, with snow and ice everywhere! The soundtrack is a jaunty, peppy one and matches the feel of the game perfectly. I played with a controller, and I could feel when the fish start to nibble on my line, because my controller vibrated. Lastly, I can hear my character’s penguin feet slap the ice as he walks on a frozen pond. It’s a feast for all senses.
A really unique thing happens to my penguin character in Ice Pond when no fish are biting. He very slowly starts to fall asleep. He has such a hard time keeping his eyes open; first one eye closes and then the other. Before long, he’s asleep. He doesn’t actually snore in the traditional sense, but he whistles through his nose as he breathes, and it’s obvious he’s fast asleep. It’s charming. When a fish bites his line, he immediately wakes up and springs into action.
Even if he does not fall asleep, it’s really interesting to watch him stand there and breathe in and out. It’s kind of zen. Little details like that mean a lot to me.
The Gameplay in Ice Pond
Ice Pond has three modes of play – Cozy, Normal and Pro. I chose cozy mode. It also has three save spots, so you can easily play all three modes. Clever.
Ice Pond begins with a nice tutorial, which you can choose to skip if you are just creating a second or third save file. The tutorial lasts for three in-game days, and I had goals I had to reach each day. I found it informative.
Once I completed the tutorial, I learned about all the various screens I can use to orient myself. I can choose to look at the map and teleport to various locations, look at my inventory, go to sleep, learn about the fish I’ve caught and more.
There’s also a calendar that I can look at every day to see if there are any fishing tournaments I want to participate in. Those are timed events, and the winners get prizes. They are a lot of fun! It’s ok if I choose not to participate in some tournaments, though; there’s always another one happening soon.
There’s a shop in Ice Pond where I can buy upgraded rods, different baits, maps and fish charts. Each fish chart gives me valuable information about one species of fish, information like what bait that species likes and the depth of water they are found in. It’s all good to know.
As in many games, more sophisticated tools are available as the game proceeds.
Tips for Playing Ice Pond
I was glad to learn that the game autosaves often. It basically saves when anything happens, for example, when I catch a fish, buy or use an item, and spend or earn money.
There are little side jobs that can be done to earn extra money. In the demo, I was able to babysit and deliver newspapers. These side hustles are not always available, so keep an eye on the map for them to show up. They have cute little cutscenes which I could choose to skip if I wanted, but why would I want to?
I learned to talk to the NPCs because they sometimes drop a bit of valuable information, like where a certain type of fish likes to hide out. There are a variety of NPCs, and they are all different, unique critters.
I learned that you lose your bait when you catch a fish (of course), but also if you decide to move to a new ice hole, you lose your bait then too. I wasn’t expecting that, so it’s good to be aware of it.
There’s an instruction manual in the “info” section of the main menu. That manual contains a wealth of information. It took me a minute to find it, so I am pointing it out to you.
Last I learned that even though fishing experiences are timed, once I hook a fish, the timer stops. Even if it was just one minute from running out. That was valuable to know; I learned I should fish until the very last second.
And of course, there’s the Fishing in Ice Pond
As in many fishing games, there’s a skill involved in catching fish, especially the rarer varieties. In Ice Pond, you have to watch your energy, your fish’s energy and the strength of your fishing line, balancing between all three. It’s a fun challenge to successfully catch fish and each one you catch increases your XP level. There are multiple locations to fish, and not all fish are in any one pond.
As the game advances, Bernie would ask me to find certain species of fish for him. He said he’d pay me extra when I did. Using the more detailed charts, maps and the great info from the NPCs, I was able to hone in on just the fish he wanted. The longer I played, the more I learned about various fish and their preferred habitats. Just like in real life!
Final Thoughts
I ran into an issue playing Ice Pond, so I reached out to the devs on Reddit. They got back to me quickly and offered a lot of helpful advice. I’m always impressed with game devs who are very responsive to players. To me it indicates that they are committed to developing an excellent game and want to make sure the players have the best possible experience with it. So bravo to Snails Arcade, a small studio of 2 individuals, located in Quebec.
I was able to fish in two different ponds in the demo; the full game will have at least 7 ponds to explore. There are a lot more game details and fishing strategies that I did not get to discuss here. It should be a very full game when it’s completed. It’s expected to provide over 15 hours of game time. I spent over 2 hours on the demo.
I had a nice time playing Ice Pond. I like the fishing aspect of other games, so this was a good fit for me. Maybe for you too? The demo is available on Steam, and the full game is scheduled to release in November 2026. It’s a very sweet game; you should try it!
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