A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build

“A Good Snowman is Hard To Build” is a puzzle game that shares certain similarities to Sokoban, while being unique enough in its design, gameplay and mechanics to feel like a fresh spin on this specific type of puzzle games. Released in 2015, this game follows a black creature, controlled by the player, that finds itself in a grassy field covered in snow. Your main objective? To build all the snowmen possible at every level. With the main premise covered, let’s roll into a more thorough explanation.

Gameplay - 8/10: The snow in the floor goes 'round and 'round!

As previously stated in the quick overview, the game boils down to two things: Build the snowmen and find a way out of the place you’re in. The way you build a snowman is quite similar to real life, but if you haven’t had the pleasure of building a snowman IRL (like me), the process is quite simple: First, make three balls of varying sizes, one big, one medium and one small, to increase the size of a snowball, just roll it over a patch of snow. Next, use the biggest snowball as a base, piling up the rest of the balls from biggest to smallest. Finally, magically conjure decorations and voilà! You’ve made a proper snowman. Just repeat all steps until no more snowmen remain unbuilt.

The meat and gravy of the game are the different layouts and characteristics of the puzzles. Some are extremely constrained, others require multiple snowmen, and some require you to think outside the box. Each level requires a different approach, and their varied difficulty allows for a great learning curve that never feels like an unfair jump. Regardless of the praise, however, the game feels too short. So much so, in fact, that I felt it ended when it was beginning to get good, even considering the final extra puzzles.

Art style – 9/10: As pristine as fully white snow

Puzzle games in general, especially the greatest of their genre, pride themselves in designing characters and environments attractive enough to immerse the player into the story, world and characters. It works as an extra reason for the player to remember the experience and make them feel excited to continue playing after a challenging level exhausts them out mentally. This game uses a cheerful color palette and combines it with a cutely designed monster and simple art style that, while the combination might sound weird, makes for a perfect mix of tranquility, mysteriousness and cuteness that makes it as unique as it is charming.

The player character, while nameless and with no explanation as to who or what it is, has some fun and unique interactions that make it feel alive and somewhat relatable to the player base. If you move towards a built snowman, you will hug it; step towards a bench and you sit down, even going as far as getting sleepy if you wait a while. It’s in those small details that the game manages to make the character interesting, lovable, and most importantly relatable.

Music & Sound – 8/10: Chimes, snow, grass, amidst other (un)expected sounds

The rustling of the leaves in the wind, your steps on the snow, kicking items, resting on a bench while the music fades, or even going into your own mind to ponder about more snowmen. Honestly, this game covers all the bases in respect to sound, and the music is tranquil, making one feel at ease and thus more focused on the task at hand (Imagine solving a hard puzzle whilst listening to Black Sabbath. Based but a bit difficult). The ambiance made by it all makes for an immersive experience into this weird park you're in, and incites one to explore further.

Overall – 8/10: A good icebreaker for people beginning with puzzle games, and a favorite in my library

Despite a few minor drawbacks, it manages to provide a fun experience and some good final puzzles that put to test the skills learnt along the way. The simple to understand mechanics, combined with a great learning curve, some relaxing music, and a pleasing and calm art style turns this into a fulfilling game that feels rewarding to beat, doubly so when going for full completion.