Snowtopia: Ski Resort Builder
- December 14, 2022
- TeaForTwo
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamIn Snowtopia: Ski Resort Tycoon, players build and manage a ski resort by designing ski runs, constructing facilities, and managing staff. Create a fun and safe experience for your visitors by balancing the needs of different skier types and adjusting the difficulty of your slopes. With various tools and cosmetic options, customize and expand your resort while ensuring profitability and guest satisfaction.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Fun and relaxing gameplay that allows for creativity in building ski resorts.
- Good UI and helpful tutorials that make it easy to understand the game mechanics.
- Charming graphics and soothing music enhance the overall experience.
- Game is buggy and crashes frequently, especially with larger skier populations.
- Lack of an economy system makes the game feel shallow and reduces challenge.
- Many features are missing or poorly implemented, such as slope editing and skier AI.
- gameplay100 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by simple mechanics and enjoyable building elements, particularly in constructing ski lifts and slopes. However, it is marred by numerous bugs, including non-functional mechanics and frustrating AI behaviors, which significantly detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a relaxing atmosphere and good visuals, many players find it lacks depth and becomes repetitive after a short period, with essential gameplay features still needing improvement.
“With very good performance, nice visual effects, and good gameplay, I can certainly recommend this game for all those who want to build their very own winter resort.”
“The tutorial does a good job at setting you up, progression feels well balanced, and there's a bunch of nice emergent gameplay like having to demolish old runs and lifts to make room for new, better ones.”
“There are some weird restrictions and AI quirks that can cost you some time and decrease the quality of life, but all the core mechanics and construction options are there, and they are great!”
“The gameplay mechanics are frustrating to the extreme.”
“Broken, broken, broken. Bugs cause the skiers to get stuck in place sometimes, too many in one area causes massive lag, and there is a game-breaking bug where your ski lifts break down and the mechanics don't fix it at all.”
“The main problem is a bug where mechanics may or may not work on a map, which kind of dooms your save because all of the lifts break down.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in Snowtopia receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the cute and calming art style, while others criticize the visuals as unpolished and lacking detail. Many users note that the game has potential but suffers from minimal animations and placeholder graphics, leading to a feeling of incompleteness. Overall, while the graphics can be charming, they are often described as simplistic and in need of improvement to match the game's ambitions.
“The graphics are great, the feel and vibe of it are great.”
“The graphics are smooth and enjoyable, sound effects are good, and the music is a perfect fit for the relaxing pace of the game.”
“Snowtopia is a fun ski resort building game, with charming graphics and a very chilled out vibe.”
“For example, look at the fonts: some mediocre default choice that does not fit the art style.”
“Snowtopia: ski resort builder is a somewhat unfinished and unpolished business/tycoon game that has you running a low fidelity, low poly ski resort with bad graphics.”
“The unfortunate thing is that I see a lot of potential with the art style and the actual run building, but the rest of the game is an absolute mess.”
- stability34 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting severe bugs, game-breaking glitches, and a lack of updates from the developer. Many players describe it as feeling unfinished and abandoned, leading to an overall unplayable experience despite its potential. Overall, the game is perceived as a buggy mess that detracts significantly from enjoyment.
“Sadly pretty buggy, breaking the game (e.g. mechanics not fixing the lifts).”
“The state that the game is right now is extremely buggy and is missing a lot of features you would expect the game to have.”
“It is very buggy, to the point it becomes unplayable a few hours in, and thus feels like it shouldn't be out of early access.”
- optimization26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, especially in late-game scenarios and when running at higher speeds. Frequent bugs and crashes further detract from the experience, leading to frustration even on high-end systems. While some improvements have been noted post-release, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization and polish to reach its full potential.
“The game needs optimization and a lot of polish; however, it was fun to play.”
“It does have a few performance issues - lag - but I haven't had a single crash like what the other reviews say.”
“While at release the game did have some bugs and performance issues, over the week of release they were fixed allowing me to really enjoy the game.”
“Many bugs and terrible optimization.”
“The performance is very poor (no optimization?).”
“The main con is performance and bugs; for example, in the late game, on the fastest speed, PCs with high-end specs drop frames.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized, with many users noting the absence of a compelling narrative or structured objectives. While there are hints of a backstory regarding its development, players find the current experience lacking in depth, resembling more of a sandbox than a fully realized game with missions or a career mode. Overall, the story is seen as underdeveloped and in need of significant improvement to enhance gameplay.
“Very bland at the minute, needs a bit of work in terms of career/story mode; it's almost just a sandbox game right now, but is very promising.”
“If the game had missions or a career mode plus a plethora of buildings and decorations and activities to build other than just ski slopes, I could see this being a fun, little management game, but right now, you can experience all the game has to offer in just a few hours.”
“There does seem to be a backstory to why this game has stopped development, but it doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day, you’re paying for a product, and the product isn’t that good.”
“Hardly a success story; gamers just weren't all that interested in the game.”
“There does seem to be a backstory to why this game has stopped development, but it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, you’re paying for a product, and the product isn’t that good.”
“Very bland at the minute; it needs a bit of work in terms of career/story mode. It's almost just a sandbox game right now, but is very promising.”
- music12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall experience and complementing the gameplay's calming pace. Many players appreciate the enjoyable soundtrack, which contributes to a sense of immersion, although some find it repetitive after extended play. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, providing a pleasant backdrop for players.
“I like the soothing music.”
“Relaxing with a calming soundtrack.”
“The music is calming and I can see myself getting lost in this game for hours on end.”
“Sound is just okay; at first, you can get into the song that comes with the game as it feels akin to a Two Point Hospital tune, but after about 20 minutes, I was sick and tired of it and just turned down my volume.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its low replayability, with players noting that maps do not offer significant differences in difficulty or interest after completion. Suggestions for improvement include adding currency systems, varied environmental events, and more engaging mechanics to enhance replay value.
“Currency and being able to create areas with jumps would add a ton of replayability.”
“Some random events (weather, avalanches, powder days, and getting shut down for bad safety) would help with the aforementioned stakes and enhance replayability.”
“Good game, concept-wise, but lacks polish and replayability, although it is released.”
“One map doesn't actually feel any more difficult or interesting than another, and there is little replay value in a map once complete.”
“Some random events (weather, avalanches, powder days, and getting shut down for bad safety) would help with the aforementioned stakes, and the replayability.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the funny ski mechanics and amusing visuals, others feel that the attempts at humor can detract from important gameplay elements and lead to frustrating bugs. Overall, the comedic aspects are present but inconsistent, with some players finding them enjoyable and others viewing them as a hindrance.
“Funny ski game”
“The music is nice and the skiers look funny enough.”
“Fun game, runs a little funny once you have a bunch of lifts on faster speeds which in a sense slows down your research.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for effectively capturing a winter ambiance that resonates with players, enhancing their enjoyment. However, some users feel that the characters' lack of engagement detracts from the overall immersive experience.
“This game is incredibly enjoyable and captures the winter atmosphere I've been longing for this season!”
“I want to start off by saying I love the atmosphere and the general concept of the game.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling exploited and abandoned by the developers. While there are advertising campaigns and sales aimed at attracting visitors, many users express skepticism about the game's future development and advise potential players to avoid spending money on it.
“This game was a cash grab and most of us got stuck in it. The owners gave up creating the game and then just basically said 'sorry.' Steer clear, and do not waste your hard-earned money here.”
“Last news end of January, I hope it's not just another cash grab and we see actual development happening.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic commitment akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a mix of disappointment and frustration regarding the emotional engagement of the game, indicating a desire for more depth and variety in gameplay features. The mention of potential refunds suggests a lack of satisfaction that detracts from their overall emotional investment in the experience.
