Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage

Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage, alternatively known as Ice Breaker iOS (when it was going to only be on the iPhone/Apple platform), is a puzzle physics game released for iOS devices on June 20, 2013 and released on the Android Google Play store on May 7th 2014, with an Android Amazon Appstore release on June 12th 2014. The game's iOS version was published by Rovio. Icebreaker A Viking Voyage is the fourth installment of the Ice Breaker series, retaining its core gameplay.

On May 14, 2013, Nitrome published an article, where Rovio, a Finnish entertainment company, announced that they were going to help Nitrome publish their iOS game, Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage, by featuring it in their new mobile game publishing initiative, Rovio Stars.

The game's Amazon Appstore release was delayed due to issues with that particular app store. Nitrome has not declined the possibility of porting to the game to other devices.

Controls
Drag finger - Slice. Drag a viking (when "Finger of the Gods" God Power is active)

Double finger tap - Zoom in on screen.

Tilt device Tilts level (when "Gravity of the Gods" God Power is active)

Hammerfest
Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage begins with the main character, Icebreaker. Icebreaker is the main character in the game. He wishes to be like his idol, The Cutting Master, the person who he wants to be. Icebreaker then joins the annual Hammerfest Icebreaking Contest created by the village chief; that will soon turn him into a 'professional' icebreaker. After completing the contest, Icebreaker got his first chance to see his idol.

Proving that Icebreaker was able to complete the contest, the village chief gathered other Vikings and The Cutting Master to his ceremony taking place at the dock's windmill, awarding Icebreaker his trophy of completing the contest. As the village chief went into the windmill to get Icebreaker's trophy, a strong snowy wind blew the Vikings off the dock, throwing them into some place else. (places like Troll Marsh and Under Dwell) Icebreaker grabbed tightly onto his hammer, rooting him onto the ground so he dose not get blown away. By the time the village chief came out of the windmill, he saw that all Vikings except Icebreaker was left. The village chief then chose Icebreaker to save the Vikings blown away by the wind, starting his quest of the game.

Troll Marsh
As Icebreaker docked his ship at one of the coasts of Trollmarsh, he firsts gets to know about the 'Man-Eating Trolls' as one of the Vikings hanged onto a glacier told him, posing a possible threat to his quest. As the quest goes on, Icebreaker will stumble into different kinds of obstacles, such as side quests and toll gates. Upon reaching various toll gates owned by the Gate Keeper, who demands a fee for letting players into different levels.

Gameplay
The objective of each level of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage is to rescue all the Vikings by safely bringing them back to the Drakkar. Scattered throughout levels are coins, which can be paid to a Gate Keeper on the overworld map in order to access other levels.

Some levels contain certain interactive objects that appear only in that level - called "Set Pieces". Along with levels mostly comprising of ice, the player has to make use of other objects in the level in order to get the Vikings safely to the Drakkar. Each level of Icebreaker contains a par number. If the player completes the level with a certain number of cuts that is equal or less than the par number, they achieve par, pars going towards accessing new levels in the Hammerfest level pack.

Level navigation
Level selection will be done on an explorable map, with a boat icon as a marker for the player's selection. Tapping a location on the map causes the boat to make its way towards the selected location. Tapping the same area or the "Play" button initiates the start of the level. When a level is accessed, the name of the level is displayed along with a few indicators below.

The map is designed to be integrated into the Icebreaker gaming experience, based off map systems from 16-bit platformers such as the Super Mario Games.

Completion
If a level is locked, its icon blends in with the background of the map as a drawing. It is coloured in only when the player completes the level corresponding to that icon.

Completion of a level unlocks the level on the current path that comes after the completed level. Some paths of the map split into two separate paths that will unlock two levels simultaneously.

Completing sidequests gives a golden puzzle piece, granting access to another part of the map that is attached to that level. This part of the map is only accessible through the completion of this part of the sidequest.

Level packs
Nitrome revealed in their first Developer Diary that Ice Breaker iOS/Android will consists of level packs, each pack containing levels for the player to play. Three packs were included with the first release of the game, with more free level packs to come.

When a level is selected, the screen will transition to show the name of the level and its "indicators".

There are currently four available level packs, these being:
 * Hammerfest
 * Troll Marsh
 * Under Dwell
 * Kraken

Sidequests
Some levels have multiple objectives, called sidequests. These levels will not only have the objective of getting the Vikings back to a longboat, but also secondary objectives, such as also getting a Goat Herder's lost goats back to the Goat Herder's longboat. Completing the sidequest is not necessary to proceed to the next level, however, a golden puzzle piece will be awarded if the sidequest's alternate objective (the actual sidequest) is completed. This golden puzzle piece will only be kept if the player completes the level's sidequest and regular objective (rescue all vikings).

Some levels themselves are sidequests, though they are not presented on the map with this title. The only way the player would be able to complete the "sidequest" is to experiment with the game's given environment and "[solve] puzzles that might not initially be apparent"

Achievements
Nitrome announced on August 7 2013 that achievements would soon be added to Icebreaker A Viking Voyage. Achievements are earned by completing challenges set by a new character, the Watcher. The watcher sets challenges by placing sign posts that are scattered throughout the levels. The signs have a balloon on them and, when sliced, will reveal a ringing bell and a new challenge. This system can be used across multiple levels, or in one level alone.

The achievements will be recorded in Game Center (iOS) or Google Play Games (Android), but they are also integrated into the game. This means they will still function even if Game Center or Google Play Games is not used. The achievements will be recorded in the game by the Watcher, who operates an airship the player can visit at any time during the game and check on the list of achievements they have earned and ones they have not yet earned.

Set Pieces
Set Pieces are placed within levels as a sometimes crucial part of the game. These are essentially a type of interactive object designed for use in a single level.

Due to the word choice, there was some misunderstanding of the words' definition. Nitrome said that in the fourth update, set pieces demonstrate their ability to make puzzles more engaging to players with the use of graphics designed specifically for each stage.

Bosses
Icebreaker A Viking Voyage will feature bosses found at the end of each map pack. Bosses will appear in a level, and have to be defeated in order to complete the level, as the level is usually configured in such a way that the rescue of a Viking is tied to the defeat of the boss.

The Mountain Troll is the boss of Troll Marsh, while the Serpent is the boss of Under Dwell.

God Powers

 * Main article: God Powers

God Powers are a premium feature of Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage that allows the player to manipulate levels in unnatural way. They can be bought as an in-app purchase from the Shopkeeper with monetary value. Currently, three gods powers are known: Finger of the Gods, Magnet of the Gods, and Gravity of the Gods.

Interactive objects
This is a list of all the currently known interactive objects in Icebreaker A Viking Voyage.


 * Troll snot - an object that debuts in Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage. Troll snot is a slimy object that attaches itself to ice. Ice that passes this will cause a gooey strand of the snot to attach to the ice, this strand being able to be cut
 * Cannons - objects that fire spherical objects that come in contact with it - including Vikings. Two types of cannons exist, although it isn't apparent what is different between the two
 * Chains - holds on to objects
 * Goats - does absolutely nothing, but dies if exposed to hazardous objects. Goats can be returned to the Goat Herder's Longboat in order to complete a sidequest
 * Crows - holds up objects
 * Gondolas - objects for a Viking to sit in. These structures are sometimes used by the player for traversal, and sometimes held up by crows
 * Ice bombs - explode when cut, can kill Trolls and destroy some structures
 * Pressurized stone - causes actions proportional to how much weight is on the stone
 * Chicken eggs - although probably no use to the player, chicken eggs will kill Trolls upon impacting them

Hazards
This is a list of known hazards in Ice Breaker: A Viking Voyage.
 * Fist blocks - spiked blocks that punch down and can kill Vikings via this move. Fist blocks are operated by chains
 * Runes - deadly ground that kills a Viking on contact
 * Giant head - giant faces cut out of rocks that are capable of opening their mouths.
 * Spiked objects - objects that have spikes on them. These objects are harmful to the player and kill a Viking on contact.

Enemies

 * Trolls - stationary enemies that kill Vikings on contact. Trolls can be killed via being caught in the blast of an ice bomb, crushed to death, or by chicken eggs
 * Cave Trolls - Enemies with the ability to move and fly

In app purchases
There are two types of in app purchases: God Powers and early level pack unlocks, which cost money outside of the game. God Powers can either be bought in a single pack with a certain number of one type of God Power to use, or in a pack with a certain number of all three god powers.

In order for all Nitromians to test out the God Powers, there is a level in the game for each God Power where the player is given a free God Power to use in the level.

Early level pack unlocks allow the player to unlock a level pack before completing the last level of the previous pack.

Game versions
Nitrome released two versions of Icebrekaer A Viking Voyage: an iOS version (which has two versions) and an Android version.

Nitrome has denied the possibility of making a free version of the game that had fewer levels and just ads, explaining the negative impact this would have on paid downloads and the high volume of downloads necessary to make a profit from the in-game ads.

iOS
The iOS version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was the version that Nitrome began developing Icebreaker A Viking Voyage for. This version was released on June 20th 2013, and was originally released in two versions: a regular version, and an HD version. Achievements for the game are connected to Game Center.

The regular version is the regular version of the game, while the HD version is priced higher, contains visual tweaks and is optimized for iPads.

iPhone version
The iPhone version, previously the regular version of the game, was made for iPhones and iPod Touchs, compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and also and iPod Touch 5th Generation, iPod Touch 4th Generation, and iPod Touch 3rd Generation.

The iPhone version of the game contains the full game with nothing special added. The iPhone only version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage is still present completely for compatibility with updates, as removing the iPhone only version would result in purchasers of this version to not get any free updates.

Universal version
The Universal version of the game, previously referred to as the HD version, was initially created for iPads, compatible with iPad 1, iPad 2, and the New iPad, though it was later made Universal.

This version contains more detailed sprites, no borders, the ability to transfer the game to other iOS devices along with its saves , and a higher price.

When the game was first released on June 20 2013, a regular version (now the iPhone version) and HD version (meant for iPads) was released. On April 8th 2014 Nitrome updated HD version with Universal compatibility, allowing the game to be playable on both iPhone and iPad devices. Along with this, the HD version had compatibility added that allowed for it to transfer it saves to other iOS devices.

Version 1.0.0
Version 1.0 is the first version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage, this version released on June 20th 2013 (the day the game was released for iPhone). This version contains the game's first three maps (Hammerfest, Troll Marsh, and Under Dwell), and ninety five levels.

Version 1.1.0
Released on October 15th 2013, this version adds Achievements to the game. Along with this, during start of level or end of level dialogue, the skip button completely skips all dialogue for that part of the level.

Version 1.2.0
This version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was released on May 7th 2014. Released in this update was the Kraken level pack, eight avatars which can be unlocked in the player's Nitrome account, and bug fixes. Cloud saving was also added, but only for the HD version.

Version 1.3.0
This version saw a release on September 25th 2014. This updates rewards players with free God Powers daily, as an added thank you for downloading the game. Also, for those who downloaded the game when it was free for Apple's Free App of the week, ads are displayed.

Along with this, a few minor adjustments were made to the game. One of these adjustments was for Kraken level 3 Caviar, where the par limit was increased from 2 cuts to 3 due to complaints from many Nitromians regarding the precision required to to get par, which was in some cases impossible to get on some iPhones due to the size of the screen.

Android
The Android version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage is a port of the iOS version, this Android version compatible with a large array of Android devices. The game's achievements are connected to Google Play Games.

Android on both Google Play and the Amazon Appstore have one version.

Purchase
With the exception of the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HDX, Icebreaker A Viking Voyage is purchasable on the Google Play Store. For the Kindle Fire version of the game, it will be purchasable from the Amazon App store.

Compatibility
In order for the Android version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage to run, the Android device that runs it has to have three things. These specifications were spoken about by Nitrome in a blog post on the Nitrome blog. These specifications are: Icebreaker A Viking Voyage will work on the following devices, and has been tested by Nitrome to work on the following devices:
 * The device has to have a screen resolution of 480 x 320 pixels or higher. A device with smaller dimensions than this will not be able to run Icebreaker A Viking Voyage.
 * The device has to have an Arm7 processor. A device that does not have this will not be able to run Icebreaker A Viking Voyage.
 * The device has to have Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher . A device that does not have this will be unable to run Icebreaker A Viking Voyage.
 * LG E610
 * Samsung Galaxy s2+
 * Samsung Galaxy s2
 * Samsung Galaxy s3
 * Samsung Galaxy s3 Mini
 * Samsung Galaxy s4
 * Nook HD
 * Nook HD+
 * Kindle Fire
 * Kindle Fire HD
 * Kindle Fire HDX
 * Nexus 4
 * Nexus 7 (2012)
 * Nexus 7 (2013)
 * Nexus 10

Version 1.0.0
This version was released on May 7th 2014, and is the version all Android versions of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage will have. It will contain the map packs Hammerfest, Troll Marsh, Under Dwell, and Kraken, along with achievements and the ability for those who have the game to get eight avatars in their Nitrome account.

The Amazon Appstore version was delayed due to technical problems with the said store, being released on June 12th 2014.

Version 1.0.2
Released on May 14th 2014 for non Amazon Appstore devices, this update fixed common bugs.

Version 1.0.23
This version was released only for Amazon Appstore devices. This update fixes some bugs.

Free downloadable content
Nitrome has stated that they will be able to release free content for players of Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage, if they get enough money from sales of the game. Nitrome has stated that this "free content" will be extra level packs, more achievements (which have not yet been revealed), and "any other cool stuff we [Nitrome] can think of".

The following content was released for free to buyers of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage for iOS, and included for free in the Android version.
 * Achievements
 * Kraken level pack
 * Avatars

Avatars
Eight Icebreaker related avatars were included in the Kraken pack update on May 7, 2014 as an appreciation gift to fans who have purchased the game. An option to receive the avatars is on the main navigation screen after the Kraken option. This icon shows a Viking avatar emerging from a pink gift box. By selecting the icon, the device's browser will load, displaying a screen with the profiles module. The user can then log into their account to receive the eight avatars. Only users with access to the app can obtain the avatars.

Android release sale
The release of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage for Android on May 7th was celebrated with the game being on sale for an undetermined amount of time, this sale meant to allow Nitrome to appear on charts that track app sales and for people to impulse buy. The very next day, Nitrome put the iOS HD version on sale as well.

The Amazon appstore version was also put on sale.

Events when free
A few times Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was made free to tie in to a promotion.

iOS
Icebreaker A Viking Voyage on iOS was made free from August 27th 2014 to September 5th 2014 by Apple (with Nitrome's consent) as Free App of the week. Although users who downloaded it got the premium version free, the next update for the app caused advertisements to appear to those who had downloaded the free version.

The game was again made free for a limited time starting on December 28 2014, as part of App Turbo's "App of the Day".

Amazon App Store
Sometime in 2014 the game was made free for three days as part of the "Free App of the Day" promotion.

iOS
On June 20th 2013, Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was released for iOS. Nitrome also created their first special announcement to accompany the release.

Android
The Android version was released on May 7th 2014, and was celebrated with the release of the Kraken skin. Along with this, a pop up image very similar to the one in the iOS version appeared for those who accessed Nitrome.com. This image remained mostly the same as the iOS version, only with art from the Kraken level pack, links to the game's Google Play and Amazon Appstore page, and a slightly green coloured ribbon and medal.

To celebrate the game's Android release, Nitrome put the Android version on sale for $0.99 US instead of the regular price of $2.99. Due to technical problems with the Amazon Appstore, the Amazon Appstore release was delayed. Similar to the days leading up the iOS release, the upper left advertisement spot of the site sometimes displayed an advertisement that featured the Android robot, with a number stating how many days are left until the game is released.

The Amazon Appstore version was released on June 12th 2014, and despite this release of the heavily delayed Kindle version, there was no update whatsoever from Nitrome about its release.

Previews
"Main article: Ice Breaker iOS website"

Throughout the course of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage' development, Nitrome has revealed various features as well as screenshots through entries on their site specifically created for A Viking Voyage. Each of these are logged in two categories: Developer Diaries and Updates.

Previewed levels
The levels showcased in the two trailers for Icebreaker are the following:

Hammerfest (Nitrome trailer)

 * Cinematic 1 - 0:05
 * Level 4: Mind the Gap - 1:04

Hammerfest (Rovio Stars trailer)

 * Level 5: The Cutting Master - 0:24
 * Level P3: Between the Lines - 0:27

Troll Marsh (Nitrome trailer)

 * Level 18: Checking In - 0:19, 0:53
 * Level 1: Troll Cave - 0:22
 * Level 6: Do the Barrel Roll - 0:24
 * Level 13B: Crow's Nest - 0:25
 * Level 5: Cliffhanger - 0:26
 * Level 4: The Big Sneeze - 0:28
 * Level 15: Big Boned - 0:32
 * Level 21B: Skywire - 0:40
 * Level 23: The Chicken Coop - 0:43
 * Level 3: Chip off the Old Block - 0:49
 * Level S1 The Secret Path - 0:50
 * Level 16: The Sacrifice - 0:58
 * Level 24: The Mountain Troll - 0:59
 * Level S3: Afterparty - 1:01
 * Level 11: Cutting Master Returns - 1:02
 * Level 20B: Boulderdash - 1:02
 * Level 9: Swingers - 1:04
 * Level G4: The Wicker Goat - 1:12

Troll Marsh (Rovio Stars trailer)

 * Level 7: Isle of the Goat - 0:25
 * Level 16: The Sacrifice - 0:37
 * Level 23: Chicken Coop - 0:47
 * Level 24: The Mountain Troll - 0:49

Under Dwell (Nitrome trailer)

 * Level 19: Da Bomb - 0:34
 * Level 16: A Link to the Blast - 0:35, 0:56
 * Level 7C: Hot Air Joyride - 0:37
 * Level 9: Sounds of the Sea - 0:42
 * Level 10: Power Up - 0:47
 * Level 7B: Love Triangle - 0:52
 * Level 15: Troll Nest - 0:54
 * Level 22: Squash Blocks - 0:55
 * Level T2: The Fortress - 0:57
 * Level 13B: Kill a Troll - 1:00
 * Level 17: Ready the Cannons - 1:01

Under Dwell (Rovio Stars trailer)

 * Level 7C: Hot Air Joyride - 0:29
 * Level 1: My First Cannon - 0:32
 * Level 19: Da Bomb - 0:35
 * Level 22: Squash Blocks - 0:39
 * Level T2: The Fortress - 0:42
 * Level 16: A Link to the Blast - 0:44

Differences from the Flash series
Nitrome revealed in Update 6 on the Ice Breaker iOS website the transitions they had to make from the flash series to the mobile Icebreaker game. Changes include:
 * The ice breaker in Icebreaker A Viking Voyage holding the hammer end in his left hand instead of in his right hand
 * The noticeable difference in graphics, mainly due to Martin Wörister handling the game's graphics instead of Markus Heinel
 * Sprites given more detail, such as the helmet of certain Vikings appearing more shiny
 * The classic Rat being replaced with a Troll
 * The addition of more background objects
 * The game's levels navigated via a map instead of a level select screen
 * A Viking Voyage features green water instead of the blue water found in the flash Ice Breaker series

Graphics
In terms of graphics, Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage features graphics superior to that of regular Nitrome games.

Resolution
As covered in update 3, the resolution of the game differs from Apple tablet used. iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4th Generation, iPad 1, iPad 2, and iPad 3 all have retina display.

Older iPhones will not support retina display, and neither will the older iPhone 3S and iPhone 3rd Generation.

The iPhone's with retina display (iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPod Touch 4th Generation, iPod Touch 5th Generation, iPad 1, iPad 2, and iPad 3 ) will display detailed sprites for characters and images, and shows sprites at 1 to 1 pixel ratio. The iPad's considerably larger screen allows for more of the screen to be seen.

The game's levels are viewed in landscape mode when played on the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch 5.

The iPhone's lacking retina display (older iPhones, iPhone 3s and iPhone 3rd Generation) will show the game with the less detailed sprites than the retina supporting versions (sprites such as scenery, characters, etc.). These sprites will be scaled down for the non-retina iPhones. As some sprites did not look very good scaled, Nitrome has "purposely redrawn" some of the sprites for the scaled down tablets.

The sprites used for the "scale down" tablets are used on the map of the game, regardless of what Apple tablet is is played on. This is because smaller sprites are needed for the map icons. It is not known if there are any sprite changes for the Android version.

Art
Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage features much greater art than the previous three games in the series. The art is noticeably more detailed and shaded, and introduces elements such as shiny helmets. Update 6 on the Ice Breaker iOS website was about the transition Nitrome made. Nitrome talked about they first tried to develop an art style that was based off the existing Ice Breaker game (Ice Breaker, Red Clan, Gathering).

Nitromes early on aimed at trying to make characters and objects a certain size as to not affect the gameplay and environment, as these sprites would eventually make it into the game, where they may be go through tight areas. Along with this, they tried to keep the sprites interesting without becoming distracting.

As seen from concept art of the game, some objects went through many iterations, while others only a few. Notably the skull bird creature went through many different designs, evolving from a horned rock shaped beast to a Cave Troll.

Despite Nitrome's attempt to use all the characters they converted from their flash version to the mobile Icebreaker version, some characters that were converted were not able to make it into the game. An example is the Valkyrie, who, although being given a new look, was cut from the game.

Development
Development of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage started in 2012 for about eighteen months at a time when Nitrome.com was getting less revenue from advertisements. The game was created as an attempt for Nitrome to combat piracy of their own games, particularly illegal ports being uploaded to the App Store. Nitrome earlier stated Super Feed Me was taking a very long time, and starting a new project which Nitrome would be more focused on would allow them to more quickly get a game out on to the App Store. Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was unveiled to the Nitrome community on July 12th 2012, where it was 80% complete. Icebreaker reached 85% completeness on August 17th 2012, reaching 90% completeness sometime in December 2012.

Although Nitrome had originally decided to publish the game themselves and not rely on a publisher - and even turned down offers from other publishers beforehand - Nitrome accepted Rovio's publishing offer based off Rovio's reputation. This new partnership was established around a year into the game's development, and was publicly announced on May 14th 2013. On June 17th 2013, Nitrome announced that Icebreaker A Viking Voyage had been submitted to the iTunes App store and had been approved, and was scheduled for release on June 20th 2013. .

Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage was released for iOS a day early in the Finish app store (June 19th), for the purpose of checking for bugs. Upon the worldwide release of Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage, the site was updated with a new skin - Icebreaker.

With the release and success of the iPhone version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage, Nitrome later announced on July 23rd 2013 that an Android port of the game was in development. The start of an Android port caused Nitrome to form two teams for development of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage - one team (called the "iOS team" ) that would work on new features for the game, the game's level packs , and the iOS version of the game , and another team which would work on the Android version (called the "Android team" ), this team working on making the iOS version of the game and the game's features compatible with Android, coupled with working on the Android port of the game. Along with this, Nitrome hired a proper testing team to test the various builds of the Android port of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage for bugs

The Android port of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage took around 9 months to make, Nitrome having to deal with various problems the game would have across many type of Android tablets, some of these problems being adjusting the game to the various resolutions and screen sizes of Android, as the original iOS build of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage had only two levels of scaling, which would be insufficient for the large variety of Android tablets. Along with the game planned to be compatible with a wealth of devices that use the Google Play store, Nitrome also planned a version of the game for the Amazon App store that will be compatible with Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HDX , this version released on the same day as the Google Play version. August 7th 2013 saw the announcing of Achievements and that development of the next level pack had started, more information about the level pack announced the next day. These Achievements were released on October 17th 2013 in the 1.1 update for the iOS Icebreaker A Viking Voyage, this update fixing a few bugs present in the original game.

Nitrome announced on December 27th 2013 their plans for a simultaneous release of both the upcoming 1.2 update for the iOS version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage and the Android version. This update for the iOS version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage would contain the new level pack (Kraken), new missions for Achievements, and would also be released simultaneously alongside the Android version of the game , which would also include Achievements and all the content included in the iOS update. Along with this, the iOS version would be updated to support cloud saving (the Android version, due to being released at the same time, also having this cloud saving ). In April 2014, a decision was made between Nitrome and Rovio to transfer Icebreaker A Viking Voyage from the Rovio Stars' account to Nitrome's account, this allowing Nitrome to maintain and update the game at their leisure.

Transfer of the HD version of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was successful, and around this time Nitrome also made the HD version Universal, removing its iPad exclusivity and allowing iPhones and iPod Touches to download the game. Despite success transferring the HD version, technical problems were encountered with the iPhone version. Because one of the in-app purchase IDs in the Icebreaker A Viking Voyage game conflicted with an in-app purchase ID of the same name on Nitrome's account, the transfer for the iPhone version failed and inadvertently caused in-app purchases for the iPhone version to not be purchasable. Despite Nitrome's attempts to remedy the situation, they eventually had to reach out to Apple for help. During this unfortunate event, the Android build of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was completed and ready for submission to Google Play and the Amazon App store, along with the update for the iOS versions ready for submission to Apple.

Due to the current transfer problem, the iOS update would not be received by current owners of the game if Nitrome decided to upload a new build of the game to their iTunes account instead of waiting for the game to transfer. Because of this, and Nitrome still wanting to have a simultaneous release for both the iOS update and Android version, the Android version was deliberately held back from submission to Google Play and the Amazon App Store until the transfer problem was solved. Fortunately, this problem with transferring the game was resolved on April 17th 2014, and it was on this same day that Nitrome submitted the Android version of the game to Google Play and the Amazon App Store and the iOS update to the iTunes store. Both the Android version and iOS update were approved by April 25th, on this day Nitrome announcing the Android version and iOS update were scheduled for a May 7th release. The May 7th release saw Nitrome successfully releasing the Android version on Google Play, but due to technical difficulties having to delay the release of the Amazon Appstore version on the said appstore. Fortunately, this version saw a release on June 12th 2014, which caught Nitrome off guard.

Apple offered Nitrome the opportunity of Free App of the week, which Nitrome accepted. This promotion ran from August 27th to September 5th 2014, and allowed Nitrome to spread their brand to a new audience.

Beta elements
"Main article: Beta elements (Ice Breaker: A Viking Voyage)" Ice Breaker A Viking Voyage contains an enormous amount of content that did not make it into the final game. Most of this is usually content relating to early images of a level, although sometimes complete characters were renamed, unused, or taken out of the game.

Reviews
Icebreaker A Viking Voyage has received positive to universal acclaim, garnering on Metacritic an average "Critic Score" (average score determined by several professional reviews) of 87. John Bardinelli of Jay is Games described the game as "polished and easy to play" and "an absolute juggernaut of a game", praising the game's dialogue, art, and level diversity.

Rob Rich of 148 Apps awarded the game an "Editor's Choice" award, also praising the game's humour and art, along with the diverse gameplay and clever level design, awarding the game an overall score of 4.5 out of 5, concluding his review stating "I’m not entirely sure that I could be any happier with Icebreaker. It’s an incredibly fun, incredibly diverse, and incredibly clever physics puzzler."

Icebreaker A Viking Voyage has been praised for its graphics, Andrew Koziara of Appolicious describing it as "fantastic, with a muted color palate and a somewhat pixelated look that adds a retro feel to the otherwise modern 2-D visuals." , John Bardinelli of Jay is Games commenting how the pixel art "looks gorgeous on an iPhone/iPad's screen.". A few reviewers have likened the game's graphics to looking similar to that of graphics on Nintendo's SNES.

The game has also been praised for its humour, Slide To Play stating in its conclusion how the game can be "uproariously funny at times", Pocket Gamer also highlighting game's humour as being "Not occasionally-laugh-out-loud funny, but constant-smirk-on-your-face funny.". The most praised part of Icebreaker has been its gameplay, which has consistently been praised for its diversity as well as it managing to fit so much into a single game mechanic.

Criticism of the game has been mainly aimed at the game's occasional inconsistent physics, Trevor Sheridan of Apple'N'Apps describing this as "many levels miss fine tuning to the point that boulders can get stuck, ice can fall through gaps, and Vikings can slow down on a slide...you have to replay a level with the same technique, and just hope one of these stumbles doesn’t happen". Erik Carlson of Slide To Play called the physics "a tricky widget to overcome sometimes", citing how a single strategy for a level can be drastically altered by one's finger being off by a very short distance, and also how one's finger can "very easily cover up what you’re supposed to be doing in order to be successful".

Another criticism of the game was two finger scrolling, Nadia Oxford of Gamezebo calling it "very awkward at times" and Rob Rich of 148 apps stating that it was "problematic at times" when trying to avoid going over par.

Sales
Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was the #1 iPhone app in the US and UK on June 20th 2013, along with the #1 iPad app in the UK, and #2 iPad app in the US, along with being the #1 app in many other territories.

Nitrome has spoken about how the sales of Icebreaker on the Amazon App Store have been very poor, though they have said how the problems with launching it may have impacted sales. Later on, Nitrome continued to still not gain much revenue from its Amazon App Store apps - Icebreaker A Viking Voyage and 8bit Doves - which points to Icebreaker A Viking Voyage continuing to sell poorly on this platform. Despite poor sales on the Amazon App Store, when it was made Free App of the Day (on a day prior to December 13 2014) it was downloaded nearly 100,000 times.

Porting to other devices
Nitrome has not declined the possibility of porting Icebreaker A Viking Voyage to other devices. Nitrome has stated that the sales of the game from the Android version will influence whether the game gets ported to other devices, as poor sales of the Android version will severely hinder the game being ported to other devices.

Porting the game has been made difficult, as early on when the game was in development for iPhone, Nitrome did not anticipate they would be porting it to other devices. When porting the game to another device, much work has to be done to get the game working on a different screen size. New game assets have to be made, and some coding for the game needs to be rewritten entirely in order for it to work on that device , such as how the edges of ice are rendered.

PC
A computer version of the game in the form of a paid download will be considered in the future, though Nitrome has declined the possibility of making a free flash/HTML5 version of the game. Nitrome has previously stated that if making a port of the game, a PC/Mac port would next.

Other mobile phones
Although Nitrome will be considering porting the game to other phone devices, they have not specified which.

Nintendo 3DS
For a Nintendo 3DS port of Icebreaker A Viking Voyage, a lot of new content for already existing content would have to be made, such as having to resize the game's art for the Nintendo 3DS screen and reprogram the dimensions for both art and levels , as the Nintendo 3DS's screen has vastly different ratios than iPhone , along with a smaller screen.

A new way for scrolling through levels would have to be found, as the Nintendo 3DS has a resistive touch screen capable of only registering a single touch at a time, unlike the iPhone which can register multiple touches at a time. Another problem for a Nintendo 3DS port would be what the top screen would be used for, as the bottom screen would have to be used for the ice slicing.

In-game advertisements
The presence of advertisements in Icebreaker A Viking Voyage has changed over time. Originally, ads were included in exchange for advertizing in other Rovio games, though they were dropped once ownership of the game was transferred from Rovio to Nitrome, later being reinstated for those who downloaded the game during Apple's free app of the week.

Rovio published
Upon its release, Icebreaker A Viking Voyage was published by Rovio. Rovio publishing the game allowed Nitrome to put advertising for Angry Birds in the game (specifically, in the pause menu), in exchange for advertising in Angry Birds. This attracted criticism as Nitrome had previously said that there would be no ads in the game, however, Nitrome later clarified that their "comments about their being no ads" meant that there would be no "content unrelated to any party making the game" (Nitrome's definitions of ads ), and that what was considered "ads" by fans were actually "promotions".

Post Rovio publishing
When ownership of the game was transferred from Rovio to Nitrome, ads were presumably removed or replaced with Nitrome ones in the iOS version of the game. Because the Android version came after this ownership transfer, there was no change in the ads for the Android version.

Free app of the week ads
Icebreaker A Viking Voyage becoming Free App of the week from August 27th to September 5th 2014 allowed those who had not yet bought the app to download it for free. Though the free version was identical to the premium version, this was changed in the next update, which caused (among other changes) ads to appear for those who downloaded the free version. The presence of these ads was something Nitrome was trying out on those who downloaded the free version in order to test out the feasibility of free games with advertisements. Nitrome is currently undecided on what to do with these advertisements, as although they plan to put out an update that adds an in-app purchase to remove them, they have considered doing away with advertisements completely due to their initial experimental function.

Trivia

 * A few level names are a reference to other types of media, such as:
 * The Hammerfest level Bridge Too Far is a reference to the movie A Bridge Too Far
 * The Under Dwell level "A Link To the Blast" is a reference to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
 * Jon Annal served as the voice for some of the Vikings.