After its intial release on PC last year Snezhinka makes its way to consoles. Is this worth your time or should it have been laid to rest in the wastelands?
Authoritarian, Dystopian, Oh My!
In the era of innovation and exploration in video games, Snezhinka attempts to take things back to a simpler time, with some mixed, yet interesting results. Developed by Hinyari9, Snezhinka is a sequel to 2021’s Marfusha: Sentinel Girls. In this follow up, you take on the role of Snezhinka, who is the younger sister of the first game’s titular role, Marfusha. Set in Kazormia, a fictional country that has been ravaged by war with a mechanized army, the story begins with Snezhinka losing contact with her sister who just so happens to be a member of an elite fighting squad. Fearing for her sister’s safety, Snezhinka decides to enlist in a private military company known as the Blue Peacock Company, to find out what has happened to her sister and hopefully save her. That is the meat and bones of the game’s plot – by having set the emotional weight for the protagonist, it becomes easier for players to understand the stakes at hand.
It’s a servicable story with some interesting conversations which take place after each day you play, but it’s also a story that deliberately limits itself due to the gameplay style and constraints. It’s a short yet interesting tale due to the two main focuses: the challenges and struggles of a authoritarian government at war with an enemy, together with a focus on the bond between two sisters and how much a sister would sacrifice to find her sibling. I do wish more focus had gone into making the game feel cinematic; barely any real cutscenes appear, apart from conversations, thus making the story feel stale. Depending on which characters you choose to fight with throughout your journey affects the game’s ending, leading to some replay ability, but overall it’s a tale that frustrated me because it could have been so much more. A real shame.
Wave After Wave, Day After Day.
Whilst I had my issues with the story and the overall narrative design, the same cannot be said for the gameplay. Snezhinka essentially boils down to being a roguelite since each level is described as a day defending the base from wave after wave of the robot mechs swarming you. It’s a 2D shooter format so you stand and wait for the enemies to appear on your screen and you blast them down. It’s so simple but it’s very addictive. The aiming and controls are straightforward but satisfying and the game does a great job at increasing the speed or variety of each wave that you face. After each wave is complete, you are awarded your pay from the government you defend and this allows you to spend money on new weapons or buffs for your character, such as reload speed or fire rate. This mechanic works extremely well and allows you to morph your arsenal and style to whatever you so choose. Along with the buffs, there are certain consumables to purchase, such as barricades and special weapons which help you to stay alive. As in most roguelites, lose all your health and it’s game over.
Another interesting component to the gameplay is the ability to recruit other members to help your cause. Each colleague you can recruit has a different weapon such as a sniper or a shotgun which helps you on the battlefield. It’s fun and interesting to try and recruit each colleague to see which one fits your style most effectively. Once you have fought off the waves on that chosen day, you return to your barracks, where you can eat food to gain more buffs or talk to other characters to learn more and add context to your journey. It’s an enjoyable way to break up the chaos of the gameplay. Along with the main story, the game also released with a challenge mode, which is simply an identical version of the main game and has not much else to offer. In effect, it’s a streamlined version of the story with no cutscenes and goes at a frenetic pace. Overall, I would say that gameplay holds up supremely well and is the main reason players will find enjoyment in Snezhinka.
The Beauty In the Desolation
In terms of its visual presentation, Snezhinka really does deliver. The use of 2.5D pixel art works beautifully as it encapsulates the gritty war torn environment the game is set in, perfectly. Everything is grim and bleak which gives off this hauntingly beautiful dystopian feel to all of the surroundings. Destroyed buildings in the background stand out, whilst you blast your way through the mech enemies who also look superb in their simple design and animation. Colour in the environments also looks stunning, depending on the area you are in and really helps set the tone for fights to come. Smaller touches like explosions look superb and are animated fantastically to shake the screen upon detonation. This is really a great showing in visuals and design.
Similarly, sound design and musical score are top notch. Bullets blast across the screen with ferocity and sound powerful, whilst the mechs slowly lumber towards you. Explosions sound great and heighten the tension for the player as they fight to see another day. However, the real standout for me in sound (and in fact in the whole game) is the musical score in Snezhinka. It’s a classical track mixed with electronic beats that has no right to work so well but it really does fit seamlessly into the game. Whilst you’re fighting for your life, this track bops along like something akin to a rhythm-based game, yet it feels blood pumping and heart racing; it’s simply superb! I would recommend trying this game purely so you can experience the soundtrack. The one minor downside to sound design is the lack of voice acting which affects the already muddled story, but thankfully the rest of the sound design makes that a forgettable mistake.
Verdict
Snezhinka overall ends up being a truly mixed bag. It has a muddling story that tries to make things emotional and serious but fails to achieve this, but it also has some fantastic gameplay that keeps you invested enough to see out the short tale. Coupled with fantastic visual design, and truly superb sound design and score, there’s enough here for the player to sink their teeth into for a few hours. I’m just left wondering what truly could have been if everything had come together. See you on the battlefield!
