Review: Snow Scout
One thing that made Snow Scout get my attention was it seemed very akin to Firewatch, which is one of my favorite flatscreen Indie titles. Meaning I had a lot of expectation for Snow Scout and it had a lot to live up to. I have now taken to the snow and slopes but, was it a successful run?
Release Date: September 12th 2024
Developer: Tunermaxx Media
Publisher: Tunermaxx Media
Price: US $19.99 / CA $26.99 / €19,99 / £15.99
Reviewed On: PlayStation VR2
* Access Provided For Review *
Escaping Your Day To Day
As mentioned the trailers for Snow Scout made me think of Firewatch, and start of the game instantly made me think of this. You start with text explaining that the reason you have taken this role is to get away from your usual life, explains a little of the back story of the Snow Scouts and what you have actually volunteered for.
Work And Play
Then when you get the tutorial and introduced to Vreni from the Snow Scout organisation via a walkie talkie, again gave that feeling that this is going to be very inspired by Firewatch. However, I am happy to say that after this I feel the direct comparisons come to an end.
Your character has taken a vow of silence, meaning although Vreni will be talking to you, giving you directions and asking questions – you will only be responding by pressing the button on the walkie talkie once for Yes and twice for No. Although you have taken this vow of silence, depending how you respond might lead to finding out more about Vreni or maybe yourself.
So, what is the role in the Snow Scouts you have volunteered for? You have taken a one-week stint as you prepare a small Ski resort in the German-speaking Alps ready for it reopening. This will see you skiing around the Alps as you clear ski routes, clear paths, make sure its prepared for avalanches as your main tasks.
Additional extras are thrown in the give the game more that just sticking to the beaten tracks and preparing everything. Once the routes are open you can take on races and set new scores for the leaderboards, watch out for birds to take photos of and pick up and recycle trash that has been left behind previously.
At the end of the each day, you will need to return to your scout huts, chop wood, put it on your fire and cook a stew to eat and then sleep. This makes sure you ready for your skiing, working and playing for the next day. It’s sort of rinse and repeat but, don’t think this is boring, its hard to explain what makes Snow Scout so special – exactly like it was with Firewatch, with people needing to play it to fully understand its charm.
With the idea of the game being working and skiing around the Alps, the skiing was going to have to feel natural, and I am glad to say it works perfectly. For full immersion you can push off with the poles and then keep you arms at your waist with the poles pointing backwards and turn both hands to turn which way you want to go and point the sticks outwards to break. If you are looking for a less physical approach you can control the push off with the analogue but, the turning and breaking is controlled the same.
Skiing In Bliss
As you would expect exploring and getting the Alps ready for reopening, you are going to see a lot of snowy vistas. With the team at Tunermaxx deciding to go with more cartoon look, over going full reality and with the chilled nature of not only the landscape but, also the gameplay this works perfectly. This also allows it to look very clear and clean in the headset and, have a great and detailed draw distance as you look over the snowy landscapes.
The audio-scope for the game consists of lights winds, the crunch of snow as you Ski or walk around on it, well voiced audio lines for Vreni and a light acoustic music in the background. Which again is was the perfect choice for the game, as it keeps you in the setting and suits the relaxing pace of the game.
Comfort
The Verdict
Snow Scout does have a few similarities to Firewatch, but these are very minor and then the game does it own thing. With Snow Scout being much more of job simulator, as you ski freely around the Alps completing jobs getting it ready to re-open, and of course taking the freedom of having them yourself to test out the routes and races once they are opened. It’s so relaxed and never rushes you to complete the job, you can do this in your own time and return your Scout hut to move the day a long when you are ready, all while taking in the beautiful snowy vistas. As with Firewatch it is hard to sell how well the game has been made, and you really need to play it to understand its charm.