Whack-a-Microbe: Ice one, son

"TESTS on water from a sub-Antarctic lake have shown signs of life, according to reports from the scene. Tests on water from Lake Whillans – located 2,600 feet below the surface of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – detected cells which glow green with the addition of DNA sensitive dye, according to reports."

Whack-a-Microbe: Ice One, Son™ is a fast-paced whack-a-mole game for iOS, Android, PS Vita, 3DS and Nintendo Icecube. As a scientist based at Lake Whillans in Antarctica, it's your job to bore down into the ultra-thick, ancient ice and then deal - physically - with whatever it is you discover!

The first level starts off with just one small hole to examine and document, but as you play, you'll earn more funding based on the discoveries you make. Successfully harvesting previously undiscovered microbes from the bottom of the ancient lake can earn you enough money to buy new drills to make more and deeper holes.

But that's when things get serious! Who knows what's lurking under the ice? It soon turns out microbes are the least of your worries as larger undiscovered creatures with venomous tentacles lash at you in protest at having their slumber disturbed. And then there's the problem of the local wildlife getting in on the act. Can you stop penguins and seals from venturing down into your dig site? Can you remember not to whack them on the head when they pop up somewhere else? Hilarity ensues.

With new dig sites opening up as you progress and fiendishly addictive 'just one more go' gameplay, Whack-a-Microbe: Ice One, Son™ is well worth the asking price. And it never gets boring when you're bore-ing.

Additional downloadable content includes: Tracking tags you can fire at the local fauna allowing you to see where penguins are before they appear, whether from above the sheet or from under it, the David Attenborough DLC pack providing narration from the iconic documentary-maker as you play and the BGM pack. This includes ice-based classics such as Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice, Cold as Ice by Foreigner and Under Pressure (Ice, Ice Baby) by Vanilla Ice & Jedward.

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.