Skábma: Snowfall
- April 22, 2022
- Red Stage Entertainment
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"Skábma: Snowfall" is a narrative-driven puzzle adventure game set in the Arctic. Players will explore a breathtaking world inspired by Sámi culture and folklore, uncovering secrets and solving puzzles to reveal the truth behind the endless winter. Through its immersive atmosphere and captivating story, "Skábma: Snowfall" offers a unique and enriching gaming experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
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Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a rich atmosphere that immerses players in Sámi culture and mythology.
- The soundtrack, including the unique drum mechanic that syncs with the ambient music, adds a delightful touch to the overall experience.
- The story is engaging and educational, providing insight into Sámi traditions and beliefs, making it a meaningful experience for players.
- The platforming mechanics are often frustrating, with unresponsive controls and poorly designed level navigation that can lead to confusion and repeated deaths.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including camera problems and performance drops, which detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Many players found the gameplay repetitive and lacking in challenge, with a significant portion of the game spent walking and watching cutscenes rather than engaging in meaningful gameplay.
- story82 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is praised for its rich exploration of Sámi culture and mythology, with many players finding it engaging and beautifully presented through visuals and audio. However, some reviews note that the narrative can feel incomplete or rushed, leaving players wanting more depth and resolution. Overall, while the storytelling is a highlight, the execution and pacing may detract from the overall experience for some players.
“The story is where the game truly shines, as it dives deep into sámi culture and mythology to deliver a compelling storytelling in an educational manner.”
“It was really fun to play, with beautiful environments, a rich story, fun mechanics, and a warm introduction to sámi culture - I loved finding all of the yoik locations in the game because the vocals were really moving.”
“Beautiful sámi game with a great story!”
“Conclusion: no complete story, no recommendation.”
“The story is odd; it goes from being decent to going downhill like an avalanche.”
“I can't really recommend a game that doesn't explain the depth of the story, which it obviously had at some point in time but for some reason left out.”
- gameplay50 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the unique mechanics and engaging environments, particularly the drumming feature, while others found the platforming controls clunky and frustrating. Many noted that the game becomes increasingly challenging and janky as it progresses, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction, especially with the lack of clear guidance and interaction. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments and a rich narrative, the gameplay mechanics may require patience and could benefit from further refinement.
“The gameplay is overall extremely fun and I really hope there is a sequel coming at some point.”
“I love how the drum blends into the soundtrack at times, and the gameplay mechanics make sense, without feeling too flashy or detracting from the tone of the game.”
“The gameplay is really fun in and of itself, but more so it's a really creative format to (virtually) explore Sámi territory, introduce yourself to Sámi mythology and spirituality, and get a feel for the material culture.”
“Unfortunately, as you progress further into the game and the platforming mechanics become more involved, skábma ultimately becomes too janky for me to recommend, with some very clunky controls and readability issues that make it difficult to tell which paths are intended to be traversable.”
“That being said, my biggest disappointment is found within the gameplay, as the second half of the game is a slog to go through.”
“Unfinished game :(, lack of guidance and interaction, and proper rewards makes gameplay very boring.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning environments and intricate lighting effects. While the art style blends semi-realistic backgrounds with cartoonish characters, which some found jarring, the overall visual presentation is considered impressive, even on lower settings. Despite minor optimization issues on PC, the game's visuals, combined with its music and cultural themes, create a captivating experience.
“Characters, scenes, and art style are all very well done!”
“The visuals are beautiful, especially the atmospheric shifts throughout the game left me in awe.”
“The game's graphics and atmosphere were really enjoyable and beautiful, and I appreciate the amount of effort put into the ambiance.”
“I wish they had gone with a more stylized aesthetic, because the semi-realistic backgrounds with cartoonish characters is a little jarring.”
“The difference in the quality of visuals from high to low was barely noticeable.”
“The game's lighting is pretty intricate, but the graphics and level of detail aren't meant to be lifelike.”
- music28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and atmospheric qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the seamless integration of the drum mechanics that sync with the soundtrack. While some noted that the music can loop quickly, the overall design is considered fantastic, enhancing the game's cultural representation and immersive experience. The combination of traditional elements and calming scores contributes significantly to the game's enchanting world.
“A refreshing experience with boundless soul; I would recommend this game mainly for the beautiful world, lovely soundtrack, and unique cultural representation.”
“From the distant mountains and forests to the comforting nomadic camps, and even the soft pounding of Ailu's drum which dynamically changes to match the music in the background, so many small atmospheric details combine to make this world a joy to explore.”
“The soundtrack is very fitting and pleasant to listen to - big thumbs up for having traditional Sámi singing throughout the game.”
“The music did tend to loop a tad quickly for my taste, but overall, great musical design.”
“Also, where can I find the soundtrack?”
“Where is the soundtrack, huh???”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive sound design, and rich worldbuilding, creating a cozy and dreamlike experience. However, some players noted that low visibility in certain levels detracted from the overall enjoyment, turning exploration into a repetitive chore. Despite these criticisms, the unique art aesthetic and dynamic music contribute to a captivating ambiance that many find enchanting and magical.
“From the distant mountains and forests, to the comforting nomadic camps, and even the soft pounding of Ailu's drum which dynamically changes to match the music in the background, so many small atmospheric details combine to make this world a joy to explore.”
“The visuals are beautiful, especially the atmospheric shifts throughout the game left me in awe.”
“The atmosphere of the game is very dreamlike and magical with a little twist of creepiness involved.”
“Only in the dialogs do the characters show remarkably few facial expressions, so some of the atmosphere is lost.”
“Most of these levels have very low visibility; I understand that we're trying to build a dark and heavy atmosphere, but in this case, it amplifies how the whole thing feels like a repetitive chore.”
“The atmosphere of the game is very dreamlike and magical, with a little twist of creepiness involved.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with players reporting severe performance problems such as stuttering cutscenes and frequent frame rate drops, even on low settings. Overall, the lack of optimization detracts from the experience, overshadowing the otherwise appealing visuals and setting.
“As someone not exactly familiar with Sámi culture, I enjoyed the novel setting and mythology depicted here, and the visuals are generally nice (though optimization isn't what it could be on PC).”
“Unfortunately, it's entirely let down by its lack of optimization and nightmarish controls.”
“Yet, the second I started playing this game, the opening cutscene was stuttering like I was trying to run it on a potato.”
“Definitely some major performance issues causing FPS drops.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for its buggy controls and various glitches, which hinder gameplay and make progress difficult. While some players appreciate the story and graphics, the overall experience is marred by these technical issues, leading to a perception of the game as unfinished.
“I really wanted to love this game, but the controls are super buggy, making progress all but impossible.”
“Unfortunately, this is an unfinished game with annoying playability and various glitches.”
“I liked this game for the most part: the story and the Sami language delivered what I bought this game for, the graphics were good (some glitches with the characters, and sometimes the levels were hard to read because of the details).”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its unique cultural perspective and the strong familial connections players are encouraged to develop, creating a heartfelt experience. However, some players find the narrative lacking and the gameplay tedious, which detracts from the overall emotional engagement.
“Interesting and unique educational game from the cultural perspective of the Sami people (indigenous people of Nordic/Northern Europe) and their mythology. Despite being laggy at times and having some bugs, I'd still recommend this warm-hearted and unique game experience.”
“It feels like an RPG in the early days of video gaming where every NPC has two or three lines of dialogue just to add flavor. In this game, it's your family who you're supposed to develop strong emotional connections to, not a forgettable stranger.”
“Just a boring walking simulator, where you don't know where to go and the story is uninteresting.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-executed, with the protagonist acknowledging its presence, which enhances the overall experience and adds significant flavor to the gameplay.
“Funny enough, even the protagonist agrees.”
“They are actually nicely done and add a lot of flavor and humor to the game.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly in the latter half, where the challenges feel repetitive and lack urgency despite their potential to create tension. However, the game's unique qualities and positive message help mitigate some of the frustration associated with the grinding experience.
“They manage to give a bit of a sense of urgency, but they're also surprisingly not very harmful (very easy to fool and evade), which makes the underlying challenges (running places mostly) a tad tedious.”
“There are a few important elements that almost made me not recommend the game (the tedious length of the later half of the game most of all), but it's unique enough and sends a globally positive message.”
