Ice Hockey

Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

Ice Hockey is a sports game for one or two players. Start of by selecting a team and customizing your players. Each team member can be one of three player types: small and skinny (very fast, but not good at checking or shooting), very large (slow, but with a strong body check and outstanding shoo...

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Developer
Nintendo EAD

Released on
1988

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Famicom Disk System

Requirements
Nintendo Famicom Disk System

Downloads
Sports

Publisher
Nintendo

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Ice Hockey is a sports game for one or two players. Start of by selecting a team and customizing your players. Each team member can be one of three player types: small and skinny (very fast, but not good at checking or shooting), very large (slow, but with a strong body check and outstanding shooting strength) or average (medium speed, with average checking and shooting strength). After the teams are set up, it’s time to play some ice hockey! Gameplay features a scrolling screen to follow the action, and lets you choose which of the players you wish to control when on defense (on offense you always control the player with the puck). Fights can break out between players, and the loser may end up in the penalty box. There are five different speed settings for the game, and periods can be either 7, 10, or 15 minutes long.

Ice Hockey

Overview & History

Originally launched in 1988 for the Famicom Disk System (FDS) before making its way to the NES, Nintendo’s *Ice Hockey* is a seminal title in the sports genre, born out of Nintendo Research & Development 2's golden era. Utilizing the rewritable floppy disk medium of the FDS for its initial Japanese release, this title stripped away the complex, simulation-heavy rules of professional hockey in favor of pure, arcade-paced kinetic mayhem. Rather than offering an intricate storyline or licensed NHL rosters, the game focuses entirely on intense international matchups between stylized national teams, introducing a revolutionary character-selection framework that permanently altered how sports video games balanced team composition.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard sports titles, *Ice Hockey* allows players to custom-build a four-person team by choosing from three distinct body types: the nimble, lightning-fast skinny player who excels at breakaways; the well-rounded, versatile middle-weight player; and the massive, hard-hitting fat player whose ferocious body-checks can physically launch opponents across the ice and whose slap shots pack terrifying momentum, though at the cost of sluggish mobility. Matches unfold across a top-down perspective where controlling the puck requires mastering rapid-fire passing, deceptive dekes, and perfectly timed stick-lifts. Fights break out organically after overly aggressive checking, triggering a chaotic brawl where players mash buttons to win a penalty box advantage. The controls respond with snappy precision, demanding quick reflexes to manage fatigue, goalies, and breakaway defensive maneuvers.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move skater / Aim shot and control goalie
Action Keys: Pass / Shoot puck, and deliver body checks / Switch active skater
Enter: Start / Pause