You wake up in an underwater cave. Near the bottom of an enormous abyss, there’s only one way out. Swim in a dark world under attack by frequent earthquakes and famine. This vast undersea kingdom is filled with both dangerous and hamless denizens. Its fearful inhabitants are led by a reluctant fish who has no answer to the impending disasters. Take to the sea and help your new friends flee their home and find a new one. Their fate rests with you, Ikachan. You must help them find a way out before it’s too late. Use whatever tools you can and try to escape. Swim, Ikachan, swim.Graphically it all looks nice, though the 3D effect contributes nothing except placing a nice backdrop further into the distance. It implies a scope and depth to the game world that the game itself doesn’t quite support, with its small amount of cramped rooms and corridors. The music is understandably great, but the fact that one single song plays through nearly the entire experience hinders enjoyment a bit.Ikachan is not a bad game, but there’s very little to recommend it apart from its pedigree and connection to Cave Story. There’s not much to explore, no real challenge, and no reason whatsoever to come back. It introduces concepts that depart almost immediately, and does not provide optional objectives, and its lone boss fight is criminally easy. It may be worth taking a dip, but don’t expect much depth.
