ICEY

ICEY is a fine video game, though not the 'metagame masterpiece' that some people may hope for or believe it to be. The visuals are fine (though not extraordinary), combat is well-paced and entertaining (though perhaps a bit too simplistic), and the 'story' content is moderately interesting (though somewhat heavy-handed and essentially not very novel). It is recommended to those who appreciate the genre (2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash) and an unusual story. Good but not great.
A few side notes:
1) The game is moderately challenging, but I have not found it especially difficult or unfair. I played the game on normal difficulty, and I have old-man reflexes. I understand that some casual modern-day players may find it too difficult, but playing on easy mode and grinding currency for unlocking better skills should allow anyone to complete the game.
Some people complain that you may easily get stunlocked by multiple enemies into a long recovery animation with little to no invincibility frames. It is not true. It can happen, but it's not common. Unless you do things very wrong, it mostly only happens with one particular type of exploding mob that purposely damages you while you are knocked down. It may also be an issue on some boss fights, but it is not gamebreaking.
Once you learn to dodge and to heal yourself (the game has a damage-the-core/heal-yourself mechanic similar to Metal Gear Rising), you are good.
2) I can't believe some people criticize the game for being too short. Yes, the game is not especially long, but that's not a defect. The game's length is fine the way it is.
3) The game bears an eerie number of similarities to Nier: Automata.
Enjoy, folks.

--Combat is fun, all kinds of little things to find and I am hardly an hour in.
--Movement is satisfying as well, as combat. Controller is best in my opinion
--I like how you get a pre-run level to decide if you would like to play the game on a more difficult setting.
--I enjoy the condor of the Dev narration in the game. You never know if he is fucking with you or not. They say if a DM asks you "are you sure?" about a decision you are about to make...don't make it. Yeah, well you never know here.
--At price point I am not sure how you could find a legit justification to be negative about the game. On flip side, at this price the game exceeded my expectations.
Werd to the Dev. Will be looking for more

ICEY is a 2D side-scrolling action game, with fast-paced combat, stylish visuals, and a fun narrative structure.
In it, you control the titular character, ICEY, a cyborg on a mission to defeat an evil AI known as Judas and to uncover the truth behind your existence.

I would call the combat system a highlight, with fluid and responsive controls, combos and special attacks. And you unlock more of them as you progress through the game. But, then again, I am bad at video-games, so take that with a pinch of salt.

What sets "ICEY" apart for me, and what first drew me to it, is its innovative storytelling mechanic. Throughout the game, you are guided by a narrator who provides instructions and commentary on your actions. You have the freedom to ignore the narrator's guidance and explore the world as you see fit. And in fact I highly recommend you do that. Someone might even teach you how hard game design is... or make you purchase another copy... idk

To me, ICEY offers a blend of engaging enough gameplay, visuals which I personally really like, and an intriguing narrative structure. Think Stanley Parable but side-scrolling beat'em up and instead of you being a silent office worker, you're a badass silent cyborg girl that fudges shit up.

Fun

not completed game yet but this game is very fun to play and to find the extras of the game is a really nice addition game play is fun and simple combos are cool and the general design of the game is really nice and for the price this game is worth it

Icey is not an action game.I repeat. ICEY is not an action game! Your goal is not to finish the game fast as possible but to find where and how to break the "default" narrative. Game is pretty short, but you know that most people doesn't finish they games? Even this game tells about this in one of the ending.
ICEY feels rather average. It’s a pretty easy to pick up hack n’ slash, with its difficulty being tied to its limited defensive options and sometimes unforgiving AI. The meta-narrative behind the game can lead to some interesting encounters and extras, but a lot of times it just ends up feeling like preachy messages on game design. The game is a bit on the short-side if you’re not into exploring, but uncovering every secret and extra boss presents a fun challenge, especially since some the better fights are not ones you’d encounter by just doing what you’re told

ICEY is a side-scrolling, hack-and-slash game with a meta twist. You play as the titular girl, trying to stop a group of transhumanists trying to change the world. But wait, it's not that simple. Not long after the tutorial, a narrator appears. He directs Icey where to go, but you can always ignore him. Most of the achievements actually are exploring side areas you can enter by not following his directions. Sometimes it ends with him throwing you back to the menu and restarting the map, but no big deal since the maps aren't that long.
I understand why some people dislike this game, maybe they were expecting a badass cyberpunk action game but gets a meta game with action. It's comparable to The Stanley Parable in the case of walking sims. But aside from that, the combat is actually pretty fun and satisfying, and not too hard if you play on Easy. The background artstyle is beautiful as well, and I kinda like how despite its genre, the level design is quite realistic and not too convoluted.
While I have no problem with the game being meta, I actually kinda wish they add a "Serious Mode" where you play through the game without a narrator, while getting new dialogues and documents to further expand on the world and lore since it does seem interesting. I can definitely see why people dislike this game being the way it is, a potentially interesting cyberpunk world "wasted" to become a meta narrative.
I bought ICEY because I miss the gameplay of BloodRayne Betrayal, and this game has managed to fulfill my expectations. If you like combat side-scrollers or mecha/cyberpunk stuff you'd probably enjoy this game. The story is however still pretty straightforward and serious if you just follow the narrator's directions, so if you dislike the meta stuff you could just do that.

Good on the Deck.
Not perfect but enjoyable, given the length. The meta side of things didn't do much for me, but the gameplay is serviceable for the four hours it took me to beat the game.