Mission in Snowdriftland humbly began as a flash game on Nintendo’s website many years ago and has been revived through Kickstarter. I heard about it from YouTuber Nick Robinson and became a backer of the project because I loved the story behind this game and believed in the devs. After playing the game in full, I’m glad to have supported the cause! It’s a cute, little advent calendar-themed platformer game. I’ve had a lot of fun with it, with this updated review marking my second playthrough.

While you can just blast through the levels right from the start, I enjoyed using it as an actual advent calendar, playing one level every day. Near the end, I got greedy and figured I might not have enough time to finish the levels amidst everything else so I binged what I had left. It plays well, the game seems to have a gradual difficulty curve with one massive spike at the end, but it’s a fun game. I particularly enjoyed the new inclusion of the mini-bosses this time around, which were fun to defeat.

Speaking of difficulty, as I mentioned, some of the levels are pretty tough but beatable, and this becomes quite apparent in the later stages. Using the game like an advent calendar helped me to not get burnt out from playing because I would focus on one level a day, regardless of how tough it was to beat. Playing daily also helped me get into the spirit of the holidays.

The one level I could not beat is the bonus level. This is also something I couldn’t complete on my first playthrough. Next year I’m going to screen record my play session here and send it to the devs because I’m just at a loss. The bonus level is comprised of several sections, where you must collect all of the snowflakes to continue to the next. If you die at any point, you return to the very beginning. If you read reviews, you see that it can take an hour to beat. I’d like to think I’m not a casual gamer. I have over 20 years of platforming experience. I’ve played this game, now twice over. But even in the first area alone, there are so many instances where you can instantly be killed, and sent back to the start, that I consider it borderline impossible. This, along with some downright unfair gaps to clear, where you need to make PIXEL PERFECT (not an exaggeration) jumps… It just leaves me scratching my head… who is this game for? Why the abrupt difficulty spike? If the bonus level is a celebration of my hard work collecting every snowflake, why is it punishingly difficult to beat, instead of something that rewards me with a fun play session?

The art and the simplicity of the first few worlds tell me that Mission in Snowdriftland is for a younger audience. But I do not believe the younger audience could complete this. I have seen news that the devs are planning to make even more difficult levels to include in the game and I don’t understand why. Some levels are already so difficult that they are frustratingly alienating. I get it, you want players to feel challenged, and rewarded for overcoming the challenge. Of course, there is only so much you can do to increase difficulty when the player character can only move and jump. Call me crazy, but I believe I shouldn’t have to internalize wacky movement tech to be able to cross gaps to beat a platformer game. I think if you’re gonna insta-kill me in a level that takes an hour long, I should have checkpoints. Cut me some slack. Bring some fun back into the game.

My opinions about difficulty aside, the only other thing that would be nice would be a leaderboard to compete with friends for the best clear times of the current day’s level. I’m surprised there isn’t one because the game tracks clear time but does nothing with it. I think this could be a natural extension of including an option to turn the game into an actual advent calendar, by competing for the best times submitted that day by the community and your friends. And, while you can certainly still play it like an advent calendar, you have to restrain yourself with willpower, but having the level locked behind a time gate would be neat as a dedicated feature.

Overall I like Mission in Snowdriftland! The platforming mechanics and gameplay feel great, and I had a great time playing a little bit every day. It does get super difficult in the last few stages, but don’t let that stop you from picking it up and trying it out yourself. I’ll be looking forward to playing through it once again next year!

A niche, forgotten moment in Nintendo's history brought back to life to be experienced all over again by players of the original and new players a like! The slippery physics take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, Snowdriftland is a brisk and easy platformer reminiscent of quality, classic flash games that isn't afraid to challenge completionist (that final bonus level took me an hour to beat!)

If you haven't already, I'd recommend checking out the Nick Robinson videos covering the history leading up to the remake of this game. If you're here because of that video, then we are in the same boat.

Recommended for fans of old school flash games and Nintendo enthusiast!