SNOW

Winter sports are obviously influenced by the fact that they cannot be practiced unless snow is abundant, which is not usually a problem with most other sports. In the case of hockey, ice skating or any other ice-related sports, the conditions can be reproduced inside a closed stadium, but it’s not very feasible to reproduce an entire mountain, unfortunately.

SNOW is a ski simulator that allows you to enjoy the sport regardless of season or the weather outside, while also encompassing realistic gameplay mechanics and a refined physics engine. However, the game’s greatest feat is the fact that it allows you to free roam around an entire mountain, which means that there’s nothing to stop you from just taking joyrides and admiring the scenery.

On the other hand, various challenges and events are included as well, just in case you decide to hone your skills and compete with other players. Speaking of which, multiplayer is included as well, and you can even use it to take your friends for a run down the slope whenever you feel like it. The challenges include a variety of races and trials, depending on what you feel like doing.

Like in every other sport out there, gear is important, but maybe not as important as who sponsors you with it. Hence, the game includes a shop from where you can buy new equipment from the most recognizable sponsors out there. This is actually the only part of the game that involves money of any kind, but it should be more than clear to everyone that a free-to-play game usually turn a profit with cosmetic items.

In the same regard, the graphics are actually quite impressive and the physics are more than believable when it comes to how the character builds momentum and moves around. On the other hand, the ragdoll effects for accidents and falls are hilarious and pretty awful at the moment. There are also many bugs and crashes you have to live with, mainly because the game is still in early access at the moment.

SNOW is certainly on the right track, but it needs more work before it can be called a complete and functional game. Hence, even if it enjoyable right now as well, the bugs and various gameplay issues have the power to ruin the mood every now and again.