Winter Games
Winter Games
Where I’m at in Colorado, it snows quite frequently and in some places, all year round. In fact, I’ve been around more snow in the last year of being here than in about a decade.
This makes me remember all the best snowy levels + stages from videogames I’ve played across time, with some being fully set in the Winter and others having some seriously memorable single areas set in the coldest season or around the holidays near the turn of the year.
I wanted to touch on some of these because many of these contained such joyful memories and mysterious allure for a kid who grew up in South Florida by the beach, a place with no real Winter. These games allowed me to experience a season I could only dream of through the magic medium of interactive art.
Then I figured, let’s talk about all the other great Winter games and snowy segments across gaming’s many eras and platforms!
*potential spoiler warning*
Freezeezy Peak from Banjo Kazooie
(N64, 1998, RARE)
One of my favorite memories of late 90s gaming was this gorgeous level from one of the best 3D platformers of all time.
I would literally just leave the game on hangout in this area for hours and watch the snow fall, fly around or sneak away inside the giant Xmas tree for the paired down music remix by Grant Kirkhope.
This was a virtual holiday for me and I’ll never forget my first snowball to the face or the legendary Ice Key. Props to RARE for not implementing a time limit ❤
Borderlands 2
(PS3/Xbox360/PC, 2012, Gearbox Software)
A good chunk of this excellent FPS takes place in a frozen wasteland on the planet Pandora and there’s never been a more fun and frantic, freezing romp through an endless Winter than with your friends in whatever combination of split-screen/online you can manage to put together.
Stay warm while you rack up loot, take down huge monsters and maniacs while amassing an ever-growing assortment of weapons and accessories!
Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams
(Sega Saturn, 1996, Sonic Team)
Literally THE definitive XMAS game, this short hike through a small, holiday promotional sampler disc was one of the most, if not the most prominent representations of Christmas existing in videogames, it’s essentially DLC for the original NiGHTS Into Dreams with extra story cutscenes, remixed music that sounds like Jingle Bells and a rehaul of the first level + first boss, decked out with holiday cheer!
What other game literally wishes you a Merry Xmas?
You can also access this easily via cheat code in the excellent Nights Into Dreams HD remaster.
Degrees of Separation
(PC/Switch/PS4/Xbox One, 2019, Moondrop)
What a fantastic co-op experience this is for either local or online players.
You and a friend or lover take on a wide world of physical and elemental puzzles using the powers Winter and Summer, heat and cold, fire and water to work together in solving problems + overcoming obstacles.
The catch is that you both exist on the screen simultaneously and the entire screen you share is seamlessly split into both seasons in real time, so it’s always Summer and Winter all at once, making clever use of this dichotomy to proceed.
Snow Barrel Blast from Donkey Kong Country
(SNES, 1994, RARE)
What a great first snow level to grace this already masterpiece of a game! Gorilla Glacier greets you with slippery surfaces, barrels that you can chain together, baddies scattered across snowbanks and even a blizzard near the end!
I’ll never forget my first go through this stage and it still hits that sweet spot between fun + challenge today with co-op included!
Winters from Earthbound
(SNES, 1995, Ape Inc. + HAL Laboratory)
I’ll never forget the feeling of suddenly being whisked away to a frozen, foreign land known as Winters after spending the first few hours of Earthbound (or Mother 2) in your safe, warm home town of Onett.
You’re introduced to Jeff, the university he’s attending and it almost feels like a completely different game until you meet up with Ness + Paula later on.
It’s a small part of a truly epic 16-bit adventure, but it’s stuck with me all these years later because it really did feel like Winter come to life through my TV where I first got a taste of this incredible RPG.
Surface 1+2 from Goldeneye 007
(N64, 1997, RARE)
There are only 2 levels in Goldeneye covered in snow and both take place in Severnaya, a frigid, fictional region of Siberia, Russia.
Despite both being in the same landscape, you’ve got different objectives and regardless of these, a whole crowd of Siberian Special Forces camouflaged in gray will hunt you down as you scramble to find what you need to do and carry out your mission.
Oddly enough, while neither of these stages appear in multiplayer, the unlockable Siberian Special Forces character skin really comes in handy for the ever popular Complex stage as it’s mostly silver/white/gray so it’s easy to sneak around and take shots without your opponents immediately clocking you.
The Final Run from Halo: Combat Evolved
(XBOX, 2001, Bungie)
One of the most memorable snowy areas in gaming, The Final Run sees Master Chief emerging from endless corridors and underground facilities to a frozen valley, teeming with Covenant forces and allowing you to finally take hold of an airborn vehicle-the Banshee-letting you soar through the air to rain down hell on your foes from above.
This was so exciting at the time, particularly in co-op with a friend because it gave players that sense of flying freedom after hours upon hours of grounded FPS gameplay in an era where vehicles were still new + rare in any shooter.
Ice Hockey
(Atari VCS/2600, 1981, Alan Miller/Activision)
This might be simplest version of hockey ever released, with later versions by different developers building upon the idea.
For what it is, it’s a great time with a few buddies and was my first experience of the genre, as well as the concept of controlling more than one character, depending on who is closest to the puck.
Amazingly, even this basic of a game nails the feeling of victory every time you slam the puck past your opponent and into the goal!
Snow Globe from It Takes Two
(PS/Xbox/Switch/PC, 2021, Hazelight Studios)
Having just played this game, I’m impressed with just how much fun the tiny world inside the snow globe is, providing such a great take on a Winter wonderland.
Already one of the best co-op games out there, the snow globe stage lets you gather snowballs to throw at each other…just for fun!
You can grind on snowy pennant strings, ice skate at high speeds down hills and destroy even snowmen.
Snow from Journey
(PS/PC/iOS, 2012, Thatgamecompany)
This is such a pivotal moment in Journey and anyone who’s played it knows how incredible it feels to reach the heights of the great mountain peaks you see in the distance at the start of the game.
After trials and tribulations, ups and downs, flight and depth, you finally make your way to the top…only to have your sense of freedom sapped by slow movement, your energy sapped and your vision blurred by a huge, blustery blizzard, unsure if you can make it to the end (?) or even if you’re going the right way.
I won’t spoil what happens but this is one of the most effective Winters in the entirety of gaming, standing in stark contrast to the usual fast + slippery movement of ice-theme levels and instead, robbing you of mobility, leaving you with only faith to push forward.
Kickle Cubicle
(Arcade/NES, 1988, Irem)
What a charming, clever and bubbly game this is!
Calling back to the days of seemingly endless single-screen puzzle games, typically with a clear goal of removing all the enemies to proceed, this one stands out by taking the simple mechanic of creating ice pillars to block enemies or using your freezing breath to use enemies as walkways across water.
There’s a lot of fruit, catchy music, and surprising depth to the design of all the frozen islands and I honestly wish there had been a sequel, don’t miss this one!
Ice levels from Kid Chameleon
(Genesis, 1992, Sega Technical Institute)
Several ice levels exist in my personal favorite 2D platformer (and yes, there will be a future post about KC) including The Crystal Crags, Caves Of Ice, Frosty Doom, Diamond Edge and of course the fearsome and brutal Final Marathon, to name a few.
All of these stages have slippery cliffs, spiky edges, rockin music, progressively damaging hail storms and a vibe that suggests a landscape at the ends of the Earth, despite the entire game taking place inside a holographic chamber.
They paint an unforgiving, frozen atmosphere that managed to give me a taste of Winter years before I’d experience a real one for myself and to this day, provide a challenge I still need to break out the lip balm for 😛
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
(Xbox 360/PS3/PC, 2006, Capcom)
Easily one of my favorite Capcom games, the first entry in this series really hit it out of the park in terms of atmosphere, mobility, action and variety of both stages, enemies + mechanics.
Taking place on the frozen planet of E.D.N. III in the midst of a brutal ice age, the temperature plays a big part in your journey as it’s so cold that your Vital Suit’s energy constantly trickles down even as you stand still and faster when you move or attack, threatening to take your life at any moment, pushing you forward to complete your missions.
You battle huge monsters, pilot mechs and take on anime-level bosses as stakes get higher and higher over the course of your adventure, always on the brink of freezing to death.
I only wish both the sequels were designed as well as this first entry and I’d personally love a remaster/remake.
Sniper Wolf Fight from Metal Gear Solid
(PS1/GameCube, 1998/2001, Konami)
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget this intense boss fight, despite MGS having so many other moments like these.
You’re in a critical standoff in a large, snowy field with a Woman you’ve been building an emotional connection to via codec who’s lured you there by wounding an ally
While most of the game is seen from a top-down view, the only way to attack is to quickly pull out your sniper rifle, forcing you into a first-person view, seeking to attack her before she can shoot you down.
Thing is, after hearing her story and understanding her motivations, you really don’t want to kill her and feel guilty when you have to as your allies yell into your earpiece with conflicting messages.
It’s unforgettable and though much of the game it set in snow, it never feels quite as cold as the moments after you take Sniper Wolf out.
Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime
(GameCube/Wii/Switch, 2002, Retro Studios)
Going from 2D to 3D for the first time was a revolutionary step for Samus and though many were skeptical, it became the best selling Metroid game for nearly 20 years and just recently got a great remaster.
That said, the first time I reached Phendrana Drifts, all at once I was taken in by the bright sun, frosty blue tint, shimmering edges, subzero ice flows and alien, thermal technology that really felt foreign, bringing me fully into the Wintery region of Tallon IV and sticking with me even now, years later.
Shenmue
(Dreamcast, 1999, Sega AM2)
This game needs no introduction, being the costliest videogame to produce at the time of it’s release and completely breaking the mold of open world, narrative, multi-genre adventures; influencing nearly every game of its kind to this day.
Operating on its own timeline, but with the actual real weather patterns of 1980s Japan, you do actually get to go through a “real Winter” as it happened back then and the town, characters and realtime weather all reflect this, creating a unique sensation of seasons that never really occurred in gaming prior.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
(Wii/PS2/PSP, 2009, Climax Studios)
I’m not typically a fan of horror games that don’t allow you to fight back but the way this title literally uses cold + frozen weather to tell its story, create suspense and instill terror into the player is quite incredible.
In dead silence, you’ll explore an abandoned city looking for your daughter with only a flashlight and a few clues, only to hear the crackling, splintering sound of ice forming across the entire landscape, warping your sense of direction and calling out monstrous creatures to chase you until you find shelter.
SkiFree
(Windows 3.1, 1991, Chris Pirih)
Talk about a throwback, this might have been my first memory of snow in a videogame and I remember playing it in the school library way back before Windows 95.
You ski down a pixelized, snowy mountain around flags trying to get the best time and though simple, I recall many fellow students and teachers enjoying this short experience for awhile before the inevitable shriek of horror as the abominable snowman/yeti chases you down and eats you near the end, watch out!!
Snow Bros.
(Arcade, 1990, Toaplan)
While not necessarily a “classic” to most gamers, I have very fond memories of this game and it’s unique take on the Bubble Bobble/Tumblepop/Rainbow Islands formula of single-screen co-op platformers.
You play as Nick & Tom, two snowmen on a quest to save their princesses like so many other games of the era, but the hook of stunning your opponents inside snowballs and pelting bosses at the speed of your button presses really never gets old and remains one of my favorite representations of Winter in gaming.
Snowboard Kids 2
(N64, 1999, Racjin/Racdym)
One of, if not the best snowboarding game of all time, this title expertly fuses the genre with kart racing into a supremely satisfying blend of technique, luck and just…FUN!
Like Mario Kart, you try to race to the finish with a host of silly weapons but well before that series explored a greater depth, you also get an array of upgrades, outfits, items, stages and other racers with a level of demand for mechanical skill that few other games implement, even now.
You don’t just pick up items, you “pay” for them as you pass through them with the coins you earn by doing tricks and the more you do, the more chances you have to grab more items.
Being a snowboarding game, there’s a ski lift at the end of each lap with a special spot you must coast into to be lifted back up the mountain that only one racer can board at a time, causing a brief, intense squabble to get on the lift before the other boarders with a lot of intentional sabotage that will have you laugh-screaming at your friends.
Honorable mentions go out to 1080, Cool Boarders, Rippin Riders, SSX, Amped, Steep and some others but Snowboard Kids 2 is still my favorite and deserves a remake/remaster far better than the one we got on Nintendo DS.
Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3
(Genesis, 1994, Sega Technical Institute)
I can’t talk about Winter without mentioning this banger of a stage, soundtrack and mid-90s experience that was Sonic 3.
This particular stage stands out among it’s contemporaries with a burst of energy as you enter the mountain, flipping a snowboard wildly into the air and landing on it just in time to zoom down a snowbank and into a cave before getting buried in a pile of frigid dust.
It’s song, sampled from The Jetzons’ Hard Times was composed by Brad Buxer, a member of that band and remains one of the most iconic tracks in 90s gaming, not to mention the Act 2 remix among the ice flows in the background.
Way past cool.
Ice Land from Super Mario Bros. 3
(NES/SNES, 1990/1993, Nintendo R&D4)
We can’t talk about any large list of games without mentioning one of the most iconic games of all time and of course; its frozen, slippery + challenging World 6!
I still recall the map music from this and how it was used in the cartoon show as a way to convey the shivering tension of the frigid wastelands of the Mushroom Kingdom.
I remember skipping this world quite often with the use of magic whistles and so even after decades of playthroughs, I’m still not as familiar with it as some of the others but it remains as mysterious and intimidating as the season of Winter always did for this Florida native 😛
The Battle of Hoth from Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire
(N64, 1996, LucasArts)
The first, true 3D experience of the battle of the frozen planet, Hoth fully brought us into the Star Wars universe in a way no other game had before.
With a true 3D environment, a short but authentic sample of John Williams’ iconic movie score, and for the very first time, the ability to manually take down the AT-ATs with the tow cable just like the movies; this experience has never left my mind.
I’m honestly grateful you start the game on Hoth because it makes it easy to jump back in again and relive the excitement of defending the base from the Empire again and again.
Later games may have done it better and earlier games may have simulated it, but this launch title for N64 pioneered this sequence and even allowed you to take them down slowly with blasters if you really wanted to do it that way, lol.
Videogames allow us not only a window into worlds of fantasy but a chance to experience ideas, places, creatures and seasons that we may never reach in our life, despite their presence in the world we inhabit.
This isn’t a complete list as I only included games I’ve actually played and I know my experiences aren’t going to be the same as anyone else’s but I hope to pass on my exposure to Winter as a notion of digital creation long before a physical one and how important all of these were to me, particularly as I stare out of my window now at the snowy streets of Colorado.
Stay warm, friends.
See you next game…
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