Oh my glob, Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d you steal our garbage?! brings back memories… even though it’s not out yet. Yeah, that sounds strange, but WayForward’s Adventure Time game is essentially a homage to Zelda II: Link’s Adventure set in the Land of Ooo.
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! has a retro overworld map where shadows pop up and chase Finn. If one of them touches you, the game switches into a small 2D field where Finn (who starts the game without his sword) can jump around and punch worms. Jake is strapped to Finn’s back and uses hi stretchy powers to do a wavy punch. While Jake has longer reach, he does less damage than Finn. You can easily switch between attacks since Finn’s moves are assigned to the Y button and Jake’s are set to the X button. Defeat all of the enemies and you’ll get an item, perhaps Beautiful Wings that allow Finn to jump even higher, as a reward.
The game switches back into overworld mode until you run into another enemy or enter a dungeon. Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! has four worlds Grasslands, Candy Kingdom, Red Rock Pass, and the Ice Kingdom. Also like Zelda II, you enter new areas by walking and jumping through a dungeon to get to the other side. Usually, you’ll need to get an ability for Jake too, like a skill that makes him stretch out like a bridge, to complete one of the land changing areas.
I started playing Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! from the beginning and after B.M.O. gave Finn a tutorial I had to fetch an item for the Hot Dog Princess. I walked around Grasslands and accidentally went off route into a hilly area with lots of green worms. Finn could take these out with one hit while Jake had to use two squiggly punches to do the same. Worms often dropped apples which you can eat to restore one of Finn’s hearts. Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! has a condiment combination system where you can add honey, another item dropped by enemies, to an apple for a super honey apple. Salt, ketchup, and mustard were some of the condiments I collected in Grasslands. While Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! has some wacky and helpful recipes to discover, not all combinations are helpful. The ketchup apple I made actually damaged Finn and sapped a quarter heart.
After I brought the Hot Dog Princess a treat, I walked on the overworld to one of the game’s dungeons. Just like Zelda II, dungeons are 2D areas with monsters. Well, animals with hammers and other tools the evil Ice King tied onto them. That jerk! The first dungeon also had moving platforms hovering over lava to jump on and gusts of wind that shot Finn up in the air. The same wind blasts blocked Finn and Jake from moving them forward by pushing them away. Hidden in this dungeon is a shield ear ability for Jake which stretches his ear into a giant shield that can block enemy attacks and most importantly the wind.
A bear… with a chainsaw tied to its back was the boss at the end of this level. I started using the arsenal of items I stocked up like Spicy Serum which made Finn spit fire, Beautiful Wings that made Finn jump super high (great for dodging the Chainsaw Bear’s dash attack), and Stars of Frozen Rain which gave Finn a spread shot attack. I also had a dozen apples to restore my life, which made it impossible to lose.
To Candy Kingdom when Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d you steal our garbage?! comes out for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Aside from stereoscopic 3D, the DS and 3DS versions have the same content.
