SNOW Preview

SNOW is about fun. The principle is simple; allow the player to ‘freeski’ around an 8km² map, with the ability to perform tricks and moves to score as many points as possible. When I first picked up SNOW I didn't get it, I played it like an open world game and, as open world as it is, right now its design isn't intended for that style of play. Poppermost Productions, the three-man team from Stockholm who have created SNOW, are apparently aiming for an authentic ‘freeskiing’ experience. What they have up to now is something that plays less like a serious simulation and more like an indie arcade title.

The action can be short and sweet, yet rewarding. Being able to choose to start at a large number of checkpoints in ‘Sialia’, the mountain the game is based around, you’re tasked with just skiing to the bottom. There are plenty of issues with the gameplay and mechanics to be sorted out, the feeling of speed being an obvious absence in my play time, but the foundations are solid and I have every faith in the teams ability to implement these. The game offers no sound assets as of the time of writing but being a steam early access project, this is the kind of thing you can forgive.

The graphics are a completely different story. The world that the team has built is huge and gorgeous. Built with the CryEngine, the game takes advantage of this with stunning snowscapes and vistas of impossible wintery beauty. Going from snow-capped peaks to alpine forests to ice lakes is seamless, logical and beautiful. This is simply one fantastic looking game so far.

 There is still clipping, slowdown and frame drop here and also the player model not quite reacting how you would expect to certain textures. With the knowledge that three people made this, you can forgive the open alpha/beta state it’s in. I found the real fun to be had from starting at one of the many points available and finding the most fun and entertaining way down the mountain. At first I wanted to play the game by going everywhere and doing everything, but with not really much to do at this moment outside of skiing down the mountain, it soon became apparent there must be another allure to this game.

When I started to just explore a little, constantly restarting from my chosen starting point, I found I was starting to get a compulsion to just find an interesting way to the bottom of mountain. The load times are quick when you restart from a checkpoint and this just further helped with the short bursts of action. It almost plays like a non-isometric, winter sports version of Trials. The biggest problem is that there isn’t anything else to experience right now. The game world is wonderful and the gameplay is fun in short bursts, but I found myself aggravated and uninterested after any longer than 20 minute play sessions.

There is a store for you to outfit your avatar with items based on real world brands. This is a nice addition, but at the moment I feel like a lot of assets were spent on this. Had that money and time been spent on making this game more of a game, I would have no problem recommending this to anyone. In its current state, however, this is merely a great proof of concept. 

There is really little else to say about SNOW. It’s great fun for the small amount of gameplay there is on offer right now and has a lot of promise, once some real time has been invested on the gameplay. The graphics are already fantastic in this early state and it already feels far ahead of other games of it’s caliber and price. This is one to keep an eye on; it may end up a sleeper hit when it eventually launches.