Ski Free
HIGH Racking up a massive combo by narrowly missing trees while sailing down a hill.
LOW Seeing that combo disappear after one mistake.
WTF Why does running over a rabbit net me a new parka?
SNØ Ultimate Freeriding is an infinite runner (skier?) with an emphasis on organic movement. Controlled from a third-person perspective, players steer a lone skier down a procedurally generated mountain with the sole objective of gaining the highest score possible.
Watercolor trees, glowing sunsets and purple nighttime skies compose a vivid world that is immediately appealing. The painterly flora contrasts wonderfully with the crisp snow and, despite my many runs, I never tired of simply observing the environment. A failed run almost became a treat in the sense that they were opportunities to see what vistas the next incarnation might hold.
Building on this artistic styling is the diegetic soundscape — with the exception of a wooden clap that signifies a scoring combo, all sound emerges from the world itself. The soft brush of the skis is only interrupted by the hushed winds as a skier launches from a drift, adding musicality and rhythm to the play.
These naturalistic aural elements marry nicely to the core mechanics. Controlling the skier is a flexible, almost imprecise process of leaning and carving through rocks and valleys. Players can crouch to gain speed, release to propel off a ramp and, once airborne, deploy a parachute to sail over rocky areas and tricky obstacles. Each movement is heavily influenced by momentum, and learning when to come out of a lean to thread a cluster of trees is a necessary skill for success.
There are two primary methods of gaining points — performing tricks in mid-air, and closely skirting obstacles. The more tricks and close shaves, the higher the point and combo multiplier. The real challenge is locking that score in, as several solid seconds must pass after the last scoring maneuver for the points to count. A single wipe-out ends a run, and this tension between building the biggest combo possible or being satisfied with a safer, smaller total forms the backbone of competitive play. There were many times I flew too close to the sun (or tree) only to see 50,000 points go down the drain.
Despite the score chase, finding the rhythm is the real joy of SNØ Ultimate Freeriding, and as the mechanics finally clicked I found myself more entranced by the grace of my skier spinning through the air than by the points I might earn. These moments of beauty became my motivation and, coincidentally, I began climbing the leaderboards. When I tried thinking tactically, planning my movements in advance, scraping by every tree I could to boost my score, I was rarely successful. Freeing myself from that drive allowed instinct to guide my slalom, and suddenly navigation became more natural, and the time between restarts got longer and longer. The developers clearly intended this, as an appropriately titled “Zen Mode” fully foregrounds the aesthetic play by eschewing the score chase altogether.
Unfortunately, my journey towards alpine enlightenment was ultimately cut short by a lack of content. SNØ Ultimate Freeriding bills itself as a minimalist experience, although this was a bit too literal for my taste. Evidenced most prominently in the courses themselves, there are only a handful of templates — rocky, forested and spacious. While this limited palette is leavened by the beautiful visuals, after a handful of runs I felt as though I had seen all that SNØ Ultimate Freeriding had to offer.
Though I was left wishing for more, this hardly condemns SNØ Ultimate Freeriding. The tactile control feels unique, and I found real joy in learning the subtleties of a successful descent. The moments where I could get on its level — wind whistling as my skier weaves around rocks and trees I was barely aware of — were singular, and this harmony between aesthetics and mechanics was more than enough to justify my time.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
— Ryan Nalley
Buy SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding on Steam
Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Gauntlet Games. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 6 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode. This game does not have an end state, but all modes were played. Outside of leaderboards, there are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: At the time of this review, this game has not been rated by the ESRB. The gameplay consists entirely of steering a skier through downhill, mountain courses. There is no violence, although every run ends when the skier crashes. When crashing the skier may spin or flop around in a ragdoll fashion, but there is no blood or gore. The visuals are highly stylized and not particularly realistic. Beyond the crashes, there is no other content that might be considered objectionable.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game has no dialogue and does not offer subtitles. All audio cues have an accompanying visual component. The majority of my time was played without sound, and I experienced no issues during these sessions. This game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Certain functions are remappable. This game offers two primary control schemes, but the buttons are not independently remappable.
Following this introduction, Ryan dove headlong into the 16 and 64-bit eras, culminating in the year 2000 with a fateful visit to the local game shop.On the recommendation of a saintly store clerk, Ryan picked up a copy of Deus Ex and, shortly thereafter, embarked on the vain quest to find a game that tops it.
This journey has led Ryan to GameCritics where he attempts to articulate why he still finds this medium so compelling.When not playing or writing about games, Ryan can be found watching competition reality television with his wife, their dog, and three cats.
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