A Dance of Fire and Ice is a strict-timing single-button Rhythm Game developed by 7th Beat Games. It was first released on itch.io on August 25th, 2014, and later released on Steam on January 24th, 2019, including many additional level packs and a more polished experience. The itch.io version remains playable with a free three-world browser demo, and can be purchased, though this version does not have Steam Workshop support like the full Steam release does.
In the levels of A Dance of Fire And Ice, the player takes control of two solid-color planets orbiting each other, moving along a path of tiles. The player must input at the same time the currently-orbiting planet lands in the middle of the next tile, which will then switch the other planet to orbiting. While there is room for error, the timing is strict, and failing to press in time will cause the planets to lose their equilibrium, colliding with each other and exploding.
A DLC for the Steam release, titled Neo Cosmos, released on May 30th, 2022, adding in a sort of "story mode" for the game that includes five additional level packs with unique gimmicks, as well as introducing a few new characters.
The game is well known for its easy-to-learn, hard-to-master mechanics and it's soundtrack, which features songs by Jade Kim, Hafiz Azman, and guest artists such as DM Dokuro.
This game provides examples of:
- Advancing Wall of Doom: In World T5 of Neo Cosmos, there is a part where you must navigate a Free Roam section as fast as possible while a laser wall follows behind you.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: After beating the first six levels, the player will unlock an area of the hub world where they can change the colors of Fire and Ice. Beat Neo Cosmos, and you unlock the ability to make them shiny as well.
- Anti-Frustration Features:
- If a player cannot get past a level due to the Hold, Multi-Tap, or Free Walk mechanics, they can be toggled to not be required in the settings.
- The game features an extensive practice mode that allows the player to select any specific part of a level and even slow it down. If a player hits a checkpoint in a stage, practice mode can still be used without resetting progress.
- T5-X contains cutscenes when first played, and (partially) does away with the One Hitpoint Wonder gameplay to keep the narrative tone. Later playthroughs can be done without cutscenes and with standard rules.
- Brutal Bonus Level:
- World B-X, "Thanks For Playing My Game." While the layout is simple compared to some other levels, it has a lengthy high-speed section that requires very fast pressing with high accuracy to pass.
- World XI-X, "It Go." The developers themselves state that it's meant for high-level players seeking a challenge, and it delivers, with many loops and extremely fast sections to test the resolve and key-pressing speed of anyone who's made it so far.
- The Cameo: Oskari and Princess Mimi, two characters from UK Sight Reading Tournament's minigame medleys, make background appearances in Neo Cosmos's own medley No Hints Here!.
- Checkpoint Starvation: While many levels do have checkpoints, playing a speed trial of them will remove checkpoints altogether, which can be especially tough on longer levels.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Midroll tiles in the main Neo Cosmos levels, which require you to tap them between the main tiles, will be color-coded to show when you need to hit them; they'll be red if they need to be hit directly after the last tile, blue if they need to be hit directly before the next tile, and yellow if they're in the middle.
- Crossover: There are some extra world levels with songs from other rhythm games. Rhythm Journey and Project Arrhythmia each have their own levels, while Muse Dash has an entire world to itself.
- Developer's Foresight:
- If you have already beaten Extra World PA-X, which includes Midroll Tiles, the character that introduces them in the DLC will comment on this and ask that you "let him have this."
- Dying in some very specific spots of "No Hints Here!" causes the usual game over hint to be replaced with "(I'm sorry)".
- Dialog During Gameplay: A minor example occurs during Neo Cosmos' T5-X, where the dialog occurs during the level while the player is still moving as opposed to just a quick interaction before or outside of the level.
- Downloadable Content: The Neo Cosmos DLC, as well as any levels downloaded from the Steam workshop.
- Eastern Zodiac: The base game's stages loosely follow the Eastern Zodiac, with most Worlds being associated with one or more of the animals (and also the cat). World XI-X follows it more overtly, with robotic versions of each chasing after the player before combining to form a dragon.
- Final-Exam Boss: The final level of World T5 in Neo Cosmos uses all of the gimmicks introduced in the DLC, some sections even being identical to those introductions.
- Interface Screw: Some levels use this to distract you and make hitting beats harder, wildly rotating the screen or shifting your vision.
- Level Editor: The game includes one for making and sharing levels.
- Made of Explodium: Fire and Ice will explode if they miss a tile.
- No Plot? No Problem!: The base game can be considered this, though Neo Cosmos adds a small storyline exclusive to its levels.
- Only Smart People May Pass: Out of nowhere in T3-X, "No Hints Here," you have to select the correct answer to a math equation to continue. The equation and the position of the answers are one of the few things that have a random element, so muscle memory doesn't help, and you have to read and solve them quite quickly.
- One-Hit-Point Wonder: A single missed tile will end your run and send you back to the last checkpoint.
- Playable Menu: The player can move around in the level select area the exact same way as they do in the levels themselves, with the first level's song playing in the background to give them a beat to follow.
- Punny Name: The sketchy individual the Overseer ropes into ridding Neo Cosmos of the player is, naturally, named Charla Tan.
- Rhythm Game: A difficult one, with strict timing.
- Shout-Out: Worlds XT-X, XC-X, and MO-X have visuals directly based on the original animations for their songs.
- Stealth-Based Mission: A very brief one in World T3 of Neo Cosmos, where you must hold on a tile to avoid being spotted by ominous goat heads from World 12.
