Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab If you were to ask my family what it is I like, there are a few main things they will tell you about. Video games is obviously number one, but they’d also reveal that I like plants, blankets, and snowmans! (Snowmen?) I’m not sure why, but I’ve always like snowmen. I enjoyed building them in the winter, and my mom always decorated the house with them during Christmas time. So maybe it is because of her I love them so much? But either way, I’m always drawn towards the same types of decorations when I see them. Our living room is decked out in snowmen every single year, and I’m always adding more to the collection. ROMSLAB.COM Best Switch Games

Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

So when a little indie developer known as Odencat announced their narrative adventure game Snowman Story was coming to Nintendo Switch, I had to reach out to them to express my interest in it. How could I not? It is a video game about a snowman! Well, the kind people over at Odencat wished me a Merry Christmas and provided me with a review copy of the game, and now here we are! Of course I didn’t fully know what to expect going into this one, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of that familiar white winter fairy-tale however.

Chris must embark on a long journey to a paradise far to the north, where it’s said that snowmen can survive even the coming of spring.

Snowman Story is a journey of self-discovery about forming connections with others, of hope for a better future, and of what is really important in life. This isn’t a storybook, but as a character-driven adventure where the narrative is advanced mostly through the conversations the protagonist has with others, it is naturally dialog-heavy and light on puzzles. Which is good, because the story is superb while the puzzles are limited and repetitive when they occur. Together they make for a laidback adventure perfect for an afternoon by the fire (or the pool, depending on your hemisphere). Windborn – Concrete Jungle Switch NSP

Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Chris, our protagonist in this delightful adventure, is a snowman built by a young boy. Complete with twisted branches for arms and a carrot for a nose, Chris is conscious of the world around him. Early in his life, Chris learns that when winter ends and spring begins, he will melt away. However, there is a ray of hope. He has heard, from a crow who seems to revel in the misery of Chris, that there is a place in the far north where it is always winter so he will never melt away. It makes sense, then, that Chris decides to travel to this mythical world of eternal snowman life.

Along the way, he’ll encounter a host of friendly woodland critters who’ll guide him on his trek, and help him tackle tricky ice puzzles whenever things get slippery.

This journey to the north is the core of Snowman Story, a linear adventure that takes you through snow-filled forests, across rivers both frozen and flowing, and even on a reindeer driver sleigh ride. In his travels Chris meets a lot of other creatures, mostly animals like a squirrel, fox, crow, and rabbit, all of them with their own tales to tell. Each story, unique to that character, usually involves dealing with a bigger issue or trauma. There is always a variety of choices in dialog, ranging from abrupt and sarcastic to kind and gentle, which will allow you to reveal their story and hopefully allow Chris to learn from them the lessons he needs to know. Windborn – Echoes of the Night Switch NSP 

Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Without spoiling the ending, there is an emotional payoff that you’ll feel more deeply due to particular choices you’ve made and the information they provided. However, it appears that the game can be completed regardless of the decisions you make along the way. There is a theme of regret and an acceptance of life that permeates all the characters here. The journey of a sentient snowman travelling to the north to save himself from inevitable death by melting seems like a pretty simple premise, yet this story unfolds not only through Chris’ experiences and conversations, but through the unique plot device of a magical ring.

Snowmen who tried but failed to make the very same pilgrimage, and gain the ability to read the memories embedded in their melted remains.

One particularly poignant vignette is revealed when Chris takes a blue scarf that belonged to a snowman made by a brother and sister. However, once finished, they moved on to building other things in the snow and the snowman was left behind. This scene brilliantly showcases the emotion of feeling alone and forgotten, without actually telling you that is what the developers are trying to convey. There are many similar occasions throughout Snowman Story where you uncover another character’s memory, and all of them, while at first glance seeming self-contained, build together to form a larger picture of shared experiences.

Snowman Story Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

If this game was a lot shorter, it would have had a lot more impact. I was reading the game out to my son (three years old) as I played, and he was initially invested in the story, but as it went on…and on…we both lost interest. It wasn’t so much a case of ‘Oh wow, which animal will we see next!’ as ‘…how many animals are left to meet?’ because the game recycles so many story beats that it wears itself out, which is a shame as the well-meaning narrative and presentation is the perfect setup for a snappy Christmas tale. I can’t help but feel that the ‘rule of three’ would have been enough here. Windborn – Journey to the South Switch NSP 

Add-ons (DLC): Snowman Story Switch NSP