Racing games have always been about controlling, drifting and lay down traps to obstruct other racers. However, the more we experience this kind of gameplay, the more we lose interest in the genre that's seeing saturation now, both in realistic racing games and cartoon-like racing games.
So, indie developers like Bonsai Treehouse have to make something unique to earn some room in the genre. And now, we have Snowdown - a funny snow-sliding game about losing control. Instead of drifting your 'inflatable tube' like a real racer, you'll have to sit back and watch it slide on its own before being able to control it again!
Below is the trailer for this chaotic game, which you can have a look:
The concept of Snowdown
Unlike other racing games, Snowdown doesn't stand out for its ultra-realistic graphics or complicated controling system. In fact, its visuals still look quite shabby, and you only need one hand to control everything in this game. Instead, Snowdown is special for its unique concept - losing control.
Snowdown will put you in a colorful tube hurling down a snowy hill to the finish line. The special thing about that is you won't be able to control your tube every time, as you only have a limited control bar. It's on the top-middle of the screen, showing a timer-like bar that illustrates how long can you steering your tube to keep it on the track.
The bar will gradually drop, and the more you make corrections to your pathing, the quicker your controlling time will run out. Hence, making too many fiddles will leave you unable to change your route anymore, and you can't do anything else but just stand back, relax and rely on destiny.
But that situation doesn't last forever, as there will be some Time Gates scattering on the map to give you some extra controlling time. In short, you'll have to be both careful and careless at the same time - taking care of your main route somewhat carelessly while calculating your timer carefully. Or just forget what I said, and just enjoy playing the way you do!
Other features
However, the fun doesn't just end so easily. Besides the Time Gates, Snowdown features some Hazard Rings as well, which will trigger dangerous traps on the map every time you pass through. While it will probably not knock you out of the tube, it will surely cause mayhem by changing the path that you've calculated earlier, making the races much more frantic.
Even better, as all of these chaotic accidents will be captured and shown on your screen with a real-time cut. With that, you can enjoy leaning back and laugh at your opponents' fail while having no controlling time left. Powered by Unreal Engine, you can expect those scenes to be quite detailed and hilarious!
Last but not least, Snowdown allows you to play both solo and multiplayer. The multiplayer options vary from online competitive to split-screen couch racing, in which you can enjoy the game with your friends without any problems whatsoever. Together with over 50 kinds of silly tubes that you can choose from, the game is perfect for really enjoyable racing times with friends.
Snowdown is now available on Itch.io, which you only have to pay $3.00 for each copy of the game. The developer Bonsai Treehouse will continue to bring newer content to Snowdown in the future, so you can enjoy racing with your friends with new funny stuff again and again.
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