Much like Pac-Man in the 1980s, Toaplan’s platforming mascots Nick and Tom – aka the Snow Bros. – never had a uniform design, with their looks changing depending on which publisher had them under their wing.
We’ve seen the duo several times since the Toaplan treasure chest of classics was unlocked for plundering, and it’s 2024’s Snow Bros. Wonderland that gives us the best rendition yet, casting Nick and Tom as playful and childlike heroes with an air of innocence. Now they can be kitted out in winter attire of your choosing, too, from gloves to goggles.
Snow Bros. Wonderland is something I’ve kept an eye on, hoping to bag a physical release on PS5 once the price fell to around £15, but after spotting it for a mere £3-odd on PSN a few months ago that plan went out the window. December seemed like the perfect time to play something with more than a smattering of snow, and so like an advent calendar purchased in October, it laid in wait until the first of the month.
Snow Bros. Wonderland takes many ideas and mechanics from the arcade original – a single screen platformer not unlike Bubble Bobble – and translates them into a modern 3D platforming experience, adding new puzzle elements and local four-player co-op. It retains enemy designs, pitting the titular duo against a variety of imp-like creatures, along with the need to collect score-boosting items before they vanish.
As before, Nick and Tom pelt enemies with snow to turn them into large snowballs. These can then be kicked into enemies to rack up a combo, and now used as makeshift platforms or pushed onto spikes to make a safe passage. Progress usually involves collecting keys from far flung locations, opening portals, and defeating marked enemies. After reaching the third world, things become a lot more puzzle focused, flicking switches, moving platforms into place, and kicking snowballs at wall mounted targets.
The new top-down viewpoint can make platform jumping tricky, skewing the perspective. One tower climb took me dozens of attempts, due to being tricky to judge the height of the platforms. Another downside to Wonderland is that every continue requires 100 coins, which eventually makes a dent in the grand total – with coins also used to purchase upgrades, such as stronger snowballs. As the difficulty level rises, the coin count diminishes, making it impossible to invest in the upgrades needed to beat the last world easily.
There is still much to enjoy here, though, from the coin stashes hidden in the hub worlds to the hazy dreamlike visuals. The music isn’t bad either, even though it doesn’t change a great deal.
I would even say I enjoyed Snow Bros. Wonderland more than another, more recent, game based around rolling a giant ball around – Bandai Namco’s long awaited franchise revival Once Upon a Katamari. While it mimics the look and feel of earlier entries, the heart and soul are missing. It might be time for that franchise to gain its ‘Wonderland’ treatment.