In Ice Climber one or two players need to climb their way to the top of 32 different mountains. Each mountain is broken up into eight levels of platforms along with a bonus stage at the top. Attempting to stop the player from making upward progress are different creatures ranging from polar bears to condors, as well as treacherous landscapes with falling icicles, moving platforms, and icy floors. To help out, the players have a weapon, a mallet, which can be used to knock out enemies as well as bust away bricks in the platforms to provide some room to jump up to the next level. When the player finally reaches the top, it's time to move on to the next, more difficult level.