Man and Ice Cream: The Eternal Struggle

Rule one: Know which scoops are your friends.

The ‘powerup’ scoops and special items are fairly easy to spot, and once you have them memorized gameplay becomes much easier. Don’t run around willy-nilly picking up every scoop that’s not out to get you killed. Some of them are beneficial, some of them aren’t.

Size changes: Blue scoops with large Chia silhouettes on them will make Adee bigger, which is bad. The bigger the Chia, the harder it is to avoid the murderous ice cream being fired at her. Purple scoops with small Chia silhouettes will shrink Adee, making it easier for the player to maneuver her around tricky patches of ice cream. Size changes can be ‘stacked’ or ‘accumulated,’ in the sense that the player can make Adee as big or small as he or she desires.

Bonuses: Cherry ice cream, Fish ice cream and the rare Ollie ice cream has bonuses of 100, 250 and 1,000 points respectively. Some players are afraid of resetting Adee’s size and the movement rate of the ice cream by collecting bonuses, but as long as Adee’s life isn’t seriously endangered by reaching for the bonus in question, I encourage all the players out there to go get them. Speed decreases and size can easily be recollected, and a truly skilled player won’t have to rely on them.

Speed changes: Red scoops with minus signs on them will decrease the movement rate with of the murderous ice cream. Green scoops with plus signs on them will increase the movement rate of the ice cream. While there’s almost never an occasion to need a speed increase, if the player is bored and wishes to move through a level faster, go right ahead. While a speed decrease is almost always handy, be careful not to stack/accumulate too many of them. When the movement rate of the ice cream is too slow, the scoops form giant groups that are nearly impossible to escape.

Strawberry Bombs: A bomb in the guise of a strawberry. These bombs get rid of every scoop on the screen. Since they slow down gameplay, I wouldn’t recommend them unless you’re staring at an impenetrable wall of ice cream.

Shields: Grey scoops with shield silhouettes on them. These powerups protect you from all non-powerup scoops for a few seconds. Unless Adee’s life is put to serious risk by getting them, there is never a point in time when these are not useful. I advise players (especially those that have trouble dodging scoops) to pick them up whenever they can.

Extra Life: A cute pink scoop with a heart on it. Does exactly what its name suggests. I myself have gone to immense lengths to get these. Pick them up whenever it’s easy too- They are often bait for nasty ice cream traps. Don’t lose a life in the process of trying to gain an extra.

Rule two: Pay attention!

There are thirteen levels in Ice Cream Machine, each requiring the player to dodge more scoops than the last. If a Neopian was to play through all of those levels, it would require them to dodge over 2275 scoops of deadly, deadly ice cream. Now, a normal person couldn’t get poor Adee through that if they weren’t paying attention, right? Getting distracted almost always ends with a certain Chia getting hit with a gigantic blob of ice cream, and the player losing a life. When playing Ice Cream Machine (or any game, really), remove or ignore all distractions. If you really need to talk to a friend/feed a pet/hit the restroom, you can do so after the game is over or between levels.

Rule three: Stick to the middle.

The middle of the game screen (slightly to the top) is the safest place Adee can be in the game. It’s easier to dodge from there, fewer scoops are shot there, and it’s aesthetically pleasing to position Adee precisely in the top middle of the playing screen. Clinging to the sides of the screen considerably lessons the player’s ability to dodge scoops, so mind Adee’s position while playing.

Rule four: Be a ninja.

You are one with the scoops. The scoops move and flow with you like schools of elegant fish. Avoid them, but do not fear them. They are part of your soul.

Rule five: Remember these tips/extras.

Tidbit One: If you pause in between levels for more than three minutes, you’ll hear a ‘ding’ sound and Adee will be temporarily replaced with an image of the famed ex-Neopets staffer Ollie (aka Phantom Orange Shirt Guy). Some players claim that going through this process will increase the amount of bonus scoops, but there’s no substantial proof to this theory yet. However, it’s an interesting little extra to experience.

Tidbit Two: Type “strawberryvanillachocolate” during the game (hopefully in between levels, or Adee might get hit with ice cream) to gain an extra life! This cheat only works once per game, so use it wisely.

Tidbit Three: Right clicking during gameplay will automatically end the game, so don’t do it unless you actually want to end the game.

Tidbit Four: Score enough points and get the famed Ice Cream Machine avatar!

Hope this game guide was useful to at least a few of you players. See you lovely people out and about in Neopia! If you’re reading this, it was my first time in the Neopian times. Have a nice day. :)