Review: Warm Snow

“Warm Snow’s greatest positive achievement is the design of the enemies” | Warm Snow is an example of how addictive fun a roguelike can be. Hades is widely known to be one of the best in the genre but this game from Microids comes awfully close to knocking it off the throne. It is an exceptionally good release coming out at a time for Xbox where there are an abundance of gems. I recommend buying Warm Snow in spite of a Forza Motorsport, Alan Wake 2, Call of Duty, Starfield, Jusant, Assassin’s Creed Mirage releasing. I could list more, but you get my point…. Xbox gamers are in a time of great games. The advantage of Warm Snow is that a run takes about an hour, so perfect for a short gaming session. And with Xbox Quick Resume you are right back in that run while playing one of the other mentioned games.

Beware though, Warm Snow is a very difficult game. Frustratingly difficult, everyone will undoubtedly need dozens of tries to finish the game. But the satisfaction of getting one step closer each time is a nice feeling.

My annoying neighbor is also in the game

Things I liked!

• Classes that play different | Nothing new in the genre, but you have different playstyles that you unlock. You start as a basic melee class and gradually you unlock new classes. A ranged warrior who keeps throwing knives or ice and electricity warriors. This is done with worshipping a statue at the beginning of a run. Here you also choose two different play styles per class, there is huge replay value. My favorite is the Infinite Arhat, which can throw an unlimited number of swords at enemies. It also made the game a little easier because you could keep your distance. Anyway, keep in mind that you will have to make quite a lot of attempts to beat the final boss. But the fun part is discovering classes and getting further along in your run each time.
  
  
• Each run is different | What I explained above about the classes is not the only thing that makes each run different. After surviving a short level, you have a choice between two paths. These have different rewards. You can increase your health, obtain a new weapon or one of many extra skills. You can also fill four slots with powerful gems that also customize your character. Skills change the game tremendously, for example you can do 300% more damage but also lower your defense by 300%. You also have basic things like armor penetration or health increase. Also your weapons make a lot of difference, depending on your play style you should always read carefully the content and benefits of a weapon drop.
  
  
• Monsters en boss fights | Warm Snow’s greatest positive achievement is the design of the enemies, especially the boss fights. Piece by piece, they are memorable. Even the regular frequent enemies are beautifully made. Each of the five main areas has different enemies, totaling over fifty! From animal, robot-like to zombies. Super much attention has gone into designing and also attack movesets. Battles with bosses are full-screen, with great animations. Also present is plenty of gore, especially with the monstrous zombie enemies. I would have liked to have taken out one specific design, namely the spider-like Cursed Tome. That’s good for a few nights in sweats from the nightmares it gives you.
  
  
• Visual and audio | A pleasing and unique visual style assisted by a nicely themed sound. Clear and crisp graphics guide your way in Warm Snow, each area looks stunning with nicely detailed environments and effects. Animations of your main character and enemies are well rendered so combat does not confuse. The music and sound effects help you stay in the game, even though you replay it often the audio does not fall into repetition. The highlights are the memorable boss fights, but there are also a few visual setpieces you won’t soon forget.

My annoying neighbor’s bad breath can also be seen in the game

Neither good nor bad

• Mandatory investment in failed attempts | Unfortunately, you do need some time and especially replay to get everything out of Warm Snow. It does take an equally long time to get enough (lasting) tokens to make your character stronger. You have three areas you can upgrade, each time you manage to defeat a final boss of an area you get a permanent upgrade. To make your attack stronger, improve your health or relics that provide additional help during play. Problem here is that it takes a bit (too much) time to see an impact. Roguelite games always do have that impossible for players, the more you play the more powerful and more likely you are to beat the game. Not everyone will appreciate this, but that’s kind of part of the genre. Personally, I find it somewhat unfortunate that you are always required to play the prologue and that you cannot skip cutscenes .I can now replay the cutscenes perfectly for a Tiktok video…

Pigs are not what they used to be. They are tired of us eating their ribs so much.

Things I disliked!

• Nothing to mention | Always nice that I can’t say anything bad!

How long did I play the game before publishing? 10 hours
How long to beat the story? Depends on skill
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 180 Gamerscore
How long to achieve 1000G | 25 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Hades