Marvin's Mittens Demo

Being a child is the kind of experience you cannot relive multiple times, which is quite the shame, because it would be nice to revert into a child every now and again, to enjoy the freedom. However, you can at least remember some parts of it and even bring memories back into focus in the right atmosphere, which is exactly what the game at hand can help you achieve.

Marvin's Mittens is a beautiful platformer that may appear to be designed for children at a first glance, and this may very well be the case, but it has enough depth to be thoroughly enjoyed by an adult as well. In essence, nothing about the game is complicated or scary, but the atmosphere is just spot on when it comes to portraying the feeling of playing in the snow as a child.

To begin with, the entire thing starts with the main character trying to build a snowman out in the forest, without a care in the world. Suddenly, some kind of lightning-fast creature steals one of his mittens, which prompts an adventure meant to find the said mitten. Along the way, Marvin stumbles into a variety of beautiful landscapes, as well as many wild animals that can be sketched into a notebook to archive the encounter.

The game has a few simple, yet very effective and fun gameplay mechanics you have to make use of during the story. As such, although most of the time things evolve in the classic platformer way, with you jumping from ledge to ledge, trying to get to the end of the level, a few other actions are available as well. As an example, you can collect snowflakes and improve your ability to jump, which unlocks the way to previously inaccessible locations.

Some portions can be easily crossed using a sleigh, which allows you to make proper use of the steep valleys you stumble upon in your journey. Speaking of which, every once so often, Marvin’s mother calls him home and you have to begin the search again in the morning, although you get to save your progress while sleeping, which is quite the ingenious way to integrate the save game function.

All things being equal, Marvin's Mittens truly is one of the most atmospheric and well-designed platformers out there, especially when you consider the fact that it was designed with children in mind. However, adults can just as easily be fascinated by the adventure, especially if you happen to feel a tad nostalgic.