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Episode 660: Gaming's Chillest Snowscapes

🕑 Added 2024-12-23 12:00:13 +0000 UTC

Comments

haughty garbage

Thank you for the mention of this I was punching the air a little waiting for it to be mentioned

Sebastiano Gerace

Finally got around to this episode and it the talk of how winters are captured in Scott Pilgrim made me so nostalgic. The first stage perfectly captures Toronto winters.

CitizenMeh

Loved this episode. One dark example: the ice cave in Terranigma with the goats. If you know, you know.

Jason J

+1 for Narshe; the atmosphere and music has stuck with me for 30 years. When I have trouble sleeping I imaging being in a cozy bed by the the fire in one of the houses in Narshe. While not retro, Kona (released 2017) also has a great snowy atmosphere. Finally, please give us more of the Northernaughts crew. Winternaughts?

Tom James

Normally for a topic like this, I'd encourage people to play EX Troopers, the unlocalized (but now fan translated), cel shaded Lost Planet spinoff that's basically a very breezy version of Monster Hunter with guns largely played in snowy tundra level. Tremendously charming game that doesn't get nearly enough love; if you read this, PLAY IT! But instead, I want to mainly stump for what's probably an even deeper cut when it comes to wintery games that I love: Raw Danger on the PS2. Raw Danger, somewhat unintuitively, is the sequel to Irem's early PS2 survival game Disaster Report. But this time chaos breaks out in the middle of winter, which means that on top of navigating levels as they fall apart, you have to manage the individual heat reserves for both yourself and your partner character. Because the disaster in this game is also causing much of the city to flood as you try to escape it, you have to avoid prolonged exposure to water as much as possible, as your clothes will otherwise get drenched quickly and passively sap your heat. These mechanics make for a pretty uniquely harrowing game that, while not without its lighter moments, can be pretty emotional on your first run. You also play as six different characters whose paths intersect and you can also leave items behind to support other characters; BUT, because the story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, items you drop off will only be available to other characters when it's temporally correct, making for a fun added wrinkle to consider when planning out future runs. All in all, it's my favorite entry in a series that's very close to my heart in general, even if, like Disaster Report before it, almost all of the characters now have some very eyebrow-raising physical alterations to make them look "American." Definitely play the original Japanese version if you have the language chops for it, as that's the one I truly love, but the localization still has an enduring cult following for a reason. 😌

Guillermo Jiménez

I always liked the ice levels from DKC 2 better (and specially its gorgeous theme music) but the weather effects on the DKC snow levels are indeed lovely.

Guillermo Jiménez

Terrific theme track too. Two, as a matter of fact.

tromedlov87

Great episode! I know there are a lot of choices but I'm surprised nobody mentioned Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime. Still probably my favorite snow area and Metroid zone of all time. Coming out of that cave and seeing the snowy landscape blew my mind in middle school

Diamond Feit

chiming in to say Kat's memories of Japanese winter are spot on: the temperature doesn't get THAT low (compared to NY or Minnesota) but it FEELS very cold all winter long.

Rob S

The snow level on Bonk's Adventure is the best vibe. The music, the art. It's perfect.

TheLupineOne

Not retro, but the Nintendo Switch's 3D platformer tentpoles of Super Mario Odyssey and Kirby and the Forgotten Land definitely stand out in terms of snowscapes, both visually and musically. Go boot up Nintendo Music and take a listen to "Northeast Frost Street" from Kirby some time. Honourable mention to Super Mario 3D World for recontextualising the iconic Goomba's Shoe from SMB3 and introducing an ice skate variant of it.

littleterr0r

When Kat starting talking about sliding ice puzzles after Earthbound I thought she was going to bring up Undertale and Snowdin.

Andrew O.

As a Kirby fan I've always loved the snow stages. They usually have fun gimmicks and Shiver Star from Kirby 64 is one of my favorite songs. Many stages are sprinkled with holiday elements that add some Christmas cheer to what's usually a pretty cheerful game already. On a less cheerful note, 2024 marks only the third year without any kind of Kirby release! (Others being 1999 and 2021)