Snow Problem Puzzle Game Review – The Happy Puzzle Company

Snow Problem box cover - The Happy Puzzle Company

 

Overview

Snow Problem is a puzzle game that comes with eighty different puzzles to solve logically by sliding chunky snow balls around a puzzle field to make a chunky snowman.

Main Play 

So first off, I’m heavily reminded of the sliding block puzzles that used to turn up in some of the Legend of Zelda puzzle games, especially the ones in the game boy iterations of the game. This follows the same kind of mechanics, in that you slide around snowballs in the hope of getting them closer to other sequentially sized snowballs in order to collide them together and create the final snow person. What makes this interesting is that once you move a piece, it keeps on moving until it hits either another snow ball or one of the trees on the board. At that point you can change direction and send it another way as long as it doesn’t head off the edge of the board. Even the basic puzzles come with a bite, as the most obvious way of doing things will often have you teetering off the edge of the board into melty oblivion. It doesn’t take long for more snowballs to be added and more trees and more complications. With eighty puzzles to choose from there’s certainly enough to keep mind occupied for a decent amount of time.

 

Snow Problem board image showing pieces


Bad Winners or Good Losers? 

Games can be played on a cooperative or solo basis and so there isn’t really a competitive aspect to the game. You can have fun by trying to solve the puzzle in as few moves as possible if you want to bring that into the game.

 

Snow Problem Image showing pieces laid out on the board but in close up. a snow man sits in the frint with a yellow scarf and hat on.


Looks

Chunky, big bold and certainly has a table presence when set up. Thought will quite happily sit on a small side table without taking up a huge amount of room. It’s a shame everything is made out of plastic as I think wooden versions would be wonderful and equally as tactile.

What Am I Learning?

Like the best puzzle games, the experience starts off fairly straightforward but pretty soon becomes a puzzle of logic and rules.

Timing 

Snow Problem can take as long as you want it to, so it is easy enough to set up and play a couple of puzzles in ten minutes, or you can spend longer if you are wanting to spend the afternoon working through all of the various puzzles that it offers.

Who’s Going To Like It

This is potentially going to suit anyone from the age of 6 or 7 upwards, but I can see you putting it in front of the grand parents and the kids and watching them spend some time together, puzzle solving. The theme works very well with the subject matter. Those wanting to keep warm indoors can still get their snowman fix. It’s fun enough and brain bending enough and some of the puzzles will have you scratching your head. A pleasant surprise.

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