With it being the 1st December todayI thought I would wish all you Scorum readers and writers a Merry Christmas! Searching for a fitting mobile game to play during the festive period is harder than you think, the Play Store is littered with cheap trashy Christmas themed games with little substance beyond the superficial.

But thankfully Draknek decided to buck that trend in 2015 when he released 'A Good Snowman' on to handheld devices - a game that serves more purpose than just a 'that time of year' itch to scratch, this title will also strain your brain offering a healthy collection of puzzling challenges to overcome. The game still to this date serves up a deliciously sweet xmas treat.

Everyone is Unique Even Snowmen You Know!

Just like people, no two snowmen are exactly the same. Maybe there are several who have carrots for noses or rocks for eyes but they wouldn't be placed on the same spot. Each carrot itself is unique and so is each rock. The amount of snow used for their plump, white bodies is another factor. How can two snowmen have the same snow belly? Unless snowmen are to be produced in a factory, each one has its own personality.

So indeed a good snowman is, certainly hard to build. If the balance is off or the snowballs aren't packed tightly enough, it won't be long until your creation is turned to mush. Created by Alan Hazelden under the handle "Draknek", this cute and heart warming title is a charming puzzler that is available on Steam as well as both the iOS and Android platforms. Here, you play as an adorable yet lonely monster who just wants to build some snow buddies. Master the art of manoeuvring around small spaces to roll perfect snowballs for your pals to be. Bring the parts together and voila! The world becomes a little less lonely. From the wizardly William to Kate the scholar, each snowman you create sports different accessories to emphasise that they are one of a kind, just like you!

A Whole Park to Play In

It may not look like it at first but A Good Snowman is Hard to Build will take a good chunk of time to finish. Not only are there 30 main puzzles (or, to be more precise, snowmen) to complete, there's also a lengthy dream sequence waiting for you after you've finished the main game. As if it wasn't cute enough, the map you'll be playing on is actually a giant park filled with little snowballs that you'll need to roll across the ground to create bodies for your new, icy friends. As each area is blocked by hedges, there's no way to mix and match the snowballs. The whole point is, after all, to think outside the box, find paths and bring parts of the snowmen together.

As we've mentioned before, each snowman has it's own traits. In fact, each one is given a name even before you start. Enter an area and the adorable monster will call out to each snowman or snowlady to be. While it is a creative way to name stages, it would have been nice to be able to name at least one of them or have the ability to give them your choice of accessories just to add to the game's interactivity. Or, even if this weren't an option for the main game, it wouldn't have hurt to add it as a bonus mode for completing the levels.

Master the Space

A good snowman may be tricky to build but at least the game controls aren't hard to figure out. They're quite intuitive, in fact. Basically, you are restricted to straight movements in a cross pattern so there's no way to roll the snowballs diagonally. Just like in real life, you can push the gigantic balls of icy mush but you cannot pull them. The point of the puzzles is to see how you've mastered the art of manoeuvring around a limited space without pushing any snowballs into dead ends. For some, it just takes a little patience. For others, it will take some creativity to be able to get around corners.

Not every element in A Good Snowman is Hard to Build is programmed to make things hard for you. There are a few basic things you can try when you've come across what seems to be an impossible task. For starters, you can roll snowballs on top of each other and then push on the one sitting on top to separate them again. Another trick is to roll snowballs across icy trails to keep them from shrinking. These little details aren't always obvious when you're busy scrambling to finish a puzzle but they can help you expand your range of potential solutions.

Monster + Snowmen = Cuteness Overload

All right, although there's surely something out there that has featured this combo before, I just can't name one off the top of my head at the moment. But a monster and a bunch of snowmen? Just how adorable can it get? It also helps that the graphics look to be a cross between those found in Adventure Time and Monument Valley. To put it simply, the art style is whimsical and polished. Without solid outlines, they're kept from looking overly cartoony. Greens, whites and blacks dominate the colour palette and the illustrations can only be described as sophisticated-looking doodles. Two thumbs up to Benjamin Davis for making the game look so desirably charming.

As for the game play, well, it's as you'd expect it to be. It's not exactly mind-blowing or new but it's challenging enough for both newbies and veterans of the genre. The controls are intuitive and the movement limitations are reasonable enough not to make anything too frustrating. For its price, the number of levels are worth it. We did like the dream sequence which not only adds another eleven challenges to conquer but keeps to the theme of giving snowmen their own unique personalities. Perhaps the only thing we would have liked to have more of is dialogue or some nicely timed text tidbits. A couple of Easter eggs or even a virtual snowman creator would have added a special touch as well.

 

If there's something you can take away from this review, it's this: A Good Snowman is Hard to Build is fun, somewhat touching at times. Even if you're not entirely sold on the idea of cutesy characters but you do have a weakness for enjoyable puzzle titles, it most definitely deserves a spot in your game collection.

Download on Android at Google Play | on iOS at iTunes | on PC at Steam