Read the ice. Read your rival.
How to play Ice Fissures
Two anglers. One frozen lake. A mallet each, and no auger. Ice Fissures is a browser strategy game where both players plan at the same time. It is free to play during the open alpha. Fish are worth points; thin ice makes every catch a decision.
Open-alpha save warning: River Journey progress and saved games may be wiped or become incompatible after changes. The game does not guarantee permanent saves during testing.
Join the five-minute tracked playtest if you would like private replies to your feedback. Playing without an account remains available.
Choose where to stand
Tap a lit space to move. Your blue space and your opponent’s orange space identify the seats, whatever the anglers wear. You can stay put. Both anglers commit before either plan is revealed.
Make your strike count
Hold a target to wind up your mallet, then release to strike. Slide off to cancel. Walking and striking share your energy: a long walk leaves less for the hammer. The preview shows what your strike can do.
Catch fish and watch the cracks
A fish carries its point value in white. Open its ice while keeping a viable place to stand nearby. Cracks can join, isolate whole sections, and put both anglers in the water. A stronger strike is not always a better one.
Keep both anglers dry
Causing a fall counts as your foul, including your own fall. Standard penalties scale with the lake's starting fish points and increase each time; the third foul loses. Deductions stop at zero, and fallen anglers raft back for the next round when free ice remains. Custom matches also offer fixed penalties and strict first-foul loss. The preview shows your strike on its own; your rival’s hidden strike can change the outcome. The result explains the ending, and its replay lets you review every round.
Choose your lake
Start on sheltered Mirror Pond, settle the rivalry on Frostmere, or take longer matches to Longwater and Glacier Reach. Choose your lake and practice opponent on Play. Advanced ice and rule settings are in Settings → Practice.
Play with a friend
Choose Invite a friend on Play and share its code. Your friend enters the code and joins. The public queue pairs you with another available angler. Guests can play everything; an account keeps your matches when you change browsers.
Keyboard and accessibility
Focus the board and use Q/W/A/D/Z/X to navigate. Enter commits your choice. During a strike, hold and release Enter; Space passes only when nothing is in reach. The match offers a strike energy slider, a list of legal cells under keyboard controls, and a board table. Settings include high contrast, reduced motion, and separate audio controls.
The game’s ice is make-believe. Real frozen lakes can be dangerous. Read the real ice safety note.