Backbreaker on ice: NaturalMotion brings Icebreaker to iOS next week

Oxford and San Francisco-based developer NaturalMotion understands that the best elements of American sports are the short bursts of action and the potential for violence.

Its previous release Backbreaker removed all that pesky waiting around during a game of gridiron, focusing instead on the brief explosions of hard tackling and athletic dodging.

The game went on to sell over 3 million copies, picking up a Pocket Gamer Silver Award along the way and spawning an equally impressive sequel. Now it’s hoping to repeat the feat with a different sport: say hello to ice hockey-themed follow-up Icebreaker.

As in Backbreaker, you take on the role of a single player facing several opponents as the rink stretches out in front of you. Naturally, instead of attempting to score a touchdown, you’re asked to slap the puck into the goal.

On the way you’ll need to spin and dodge to evade other players, and as the difficulty ramps up you’ll need to use more advanced techniques, like building up powerful charged shots as you aim to find the net from tighter angles.

It should certainly look the part, with extensive motion capture sessions allowing NaturalMotion to live up to its name and provide realistic player movement on the ice.

Icebreaker is set to launch across all iDevices on June 2nd, and will cost $2.99/£1.79.