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It's been a little while since we talked about Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage's Android plans so we wanted to give you a little update.

To recap we currently have a team working on the Android version and the iOS team have been working on two updates for the game in the form of an Achievements/Challenges based update and the next level pack!

All areas are progressing smoothly but this time we want to let you know a little more about the Android side of things.

The basic port of Icebreaker was up and running on Android in about a week but even then we knew it was going to be hard work to get to the point that we could actually release it. There are many, many small differences that have an impact on the Android build. The most obvious is the screen sizes and resolutions available on Android compared to iOS. The game has two set levels that it scales to and it does not follow a character so getting this working has meant a lot of adjustments and testing...Peter literally has a pile of Android devices on his desk covering all the major variations we are supporting. Beyond this there is a proper testing team hired that go through everything we do with a fine tooth comb so even more devices are tested on beyond what we have in the office.

We have (touch wood) sorted out everything for the screen sizes now and it's been tested to verify this. There are however still more things we need to do. By the time this is out we expect the iOS version to have received an update and we want at launch the Android version to be every bit as good as the iOS one. Currently the Android build does not include any of this so we need to merge the more up to date iOS game data and Android data to make a build that contains updates and Android specific elements. We also plan to hook the achievements to Google Plays achievement system!

If you missed the previous news we're pleased to say that we also plan to launch the Android version on the Amazon App Store. There is a little work to hook a few things up here too but we felt it was worth it to get it on as many devices as possible!

Finally we want to best set peoples expectations correctly for which devices you can expect us to support. We built Icebreaker on iOS to run on a 3GS and it took some optimising to make that run well. With that in mind your phone would have to be a better Android equivalent device. The same goes for screen dimensions...if you have less than 480 x 320 pixels then it was too hard to cater for sorry. To give you some real life phone examples we have tested it personally on a Samsung Galaxy S2 and it runs fine. For those interested here are the full list of devices we tested it on internally at Nitrome:

Full list of devices tested by Nitrome:

*Please note that the list of devices used by the actual testing team Rovio supplied is far, far greater!

The other things that affect the support of your device are the processor. We only support arm7 devices (which is the same as the iOS build).

Operating system wise we require 2.3 (gingerbread) or above in order to run.

We know you're going to ask about price but we're not revealing that until release I'm afraid but I wouldn't expect any nasty surprises.

So that's it for now. Unfortunately it is still impossible to say when we expect it to be ready but we're making good progress!

It's been a little while since we talked about Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage and we're currently planning some updates to give you news on how the various areas are progressing. There is one little bit of information though that we couldn't keep to ourselves until then!

So people know we're working on an Android version right? But everyone expects that this just means Google Play store. We are of course bringing it to the Google Play store but those of you out there with Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD need not fret as we have you covered too! That's right we will also be bringing Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage to the Amazon App store at the same time as Google Play!

We have also got a photo of the game running on those devices! Click here to see the photo

Icebreaker Update: Kindle News - Click Here!

We're going to have a full Android update about the progress next week so expect more then!

Hey, Nitromians.

We were both surprised and pleased today to see that our game Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage has been featured in two category's on the App store.
It is listed in both the "what we're playing" and "Huggable Heroes" sections. (Who wouldn't want to hug a smelly hairy Viking?)

If you haven't had the chance to check out our first iPhone game then you can check it out here:
http://www.icebreaker-game.com/get-app/choose-version/

For those of you patiently waiting in the wings for an Android version. Don't worry... it is still going full speed ahead. We really don't want it to be a buggy sloppy port. And with literally dozens of devices to work with its a LOT of work and this takes time.
We will set a release date for this as soon as we feel that its finished. Hopefully you will all find that is is well worth the wait.

As a lot of you are probably hoping or assuming, we are indeed working on more levels for Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage which will be contained in a swanky new pack!

We hinted at what the level pack will be in the initial release and as you can see from the pack shot, it will be to do with a giant sea beast with tentacles and all that sort of cool stuff! Actually taking it a step further it will be set 'inside' the body of the huge beast which will consume you in a very cool and hard to program cut scene at the beginning! ...excited yet?

Read the Full Update: Click Here!

Exciting news Nitromians!

We have not one but TWO updates currently being worked on for Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage. One of those is the next level pack, which is coming along very nicely (more news on that later). Before the pack update however we have another update which is pretty special in its own right. There will be various little tweaks to the main game in the update, but the major element we are adding is achievements. However in the usual Nitrome fashion, we are approaching it slightly differently to everyone else.

The Achievements will be recorded in game centre (and Google Play Games when the Android version hits), but the actual system is much more integrated into the game world. Meaning if you don’t want to use game centre for any reason they’ll function fine and you can still collect them all.

Read the full update: Click Here!

So in this wonderful world wide web of ours Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is still getting some lovely reviews and comments.

We came across a review in the Entertainment section of metro.co.uk and also this in the Big Fish Games blog page.

We are very grateful for the positive reviews and comments. Every little bit helps us to achieve success in a highly competitive market and rewards us all with a little bit of glee every time we find something new!

Those lovely people at GamesMaster Magazine have included a glowing review of Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage in their latest edition that hit the UK newsagent shelves a couple of days ago.

GamesMaster magazine is a well respected multi-format videogame magazine that has been running for over 20 years now. We all have fond memories of first buying the magazine in our younger years and continue to do so now. So we are really chuffed to see Icebreaker receive such a favourable review.

So if you fancy it, (and you live in the UK) pop down to your local newsagent and pick up a copy.

For all of you that have Android devices, we wanted to let you know that we have been working on the Android version of Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage!

Check out this exclusive video!

Teaser Trailer: Click Here!
Icebreaker iOS Version: Click Here!

Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is getting it's fair share of coverage as of late and we are very happy to see it so well received!

Here are some cool quotes from recent media coverage:

"Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is solid physics-based puzzle game packed with content. The stylized graphics and humorous moments add charm, but this game would work based on its mechanics and level design alone."
- digitaltrends.com

"The graphics are an interesting combination of retro and modern. It's slightly pixelated, but all the animations and gameplay are super-smooth. Icebreaker is a bit like a high-resolution SNES game."
- pcmag.com

"Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage reinvigorates the physics puzzle genre, and is a definite chip off the old ice block that is Angry Birds."
- applenapps.com

"More than anything, I love this charming world they've built. These aren't the raiding and pillaging Vikings of history, obviously, but I love how full of personality each character is. Heck, even the mountain goats are full of charm."
- appolicious.com 

And for all of the Nitromians fluent in French:

"The lifespan (of Icebreaker) is absolutely huge, considering that the game is rather challenging"
- jeuxvideo.com (Roughly translated quote)

Thanks again to everyone that has bought Icebreaker!

Get Icebreaker: Click Here!

Why did Nitrome take so long to move into mobile gaming? Find out in this Pocket Gamer Feature.

Pocket Gamer Feature: Click Here