Snow Bros
Encyclopedia
is a platform
arcade game
released in 1990 by Toaplan
.
's Bubble Bobble
. The game supports up to two players, with each player taking the part of one of two snowmen Nick and Tom. Each player can throw snow at the enemies. The player must throw snow at each enemy until it is completely covered, when it turns into a snowball. An enemy partially covered in snow cannot move until it shakes it off.
Once an enemy has been turned into a snowball the player can roll it. The snowball will re-bound off walls, until eventually shattering against a wall. Any enemies the snowball rolls into are eliminated and other stationary snowballs start rolling when the rolling snowball touches them. If the player manages to take out all of the enemies with kicking one snowball (this one snowball may be used to make others bounce around as well and increase the chances to pull this trick off), money in the form of large green bills will fall from the sky. These disappear in a very short amount of time but are worth 10,000 points each, the most the player can get as a bonus.
Every tenth level there is a boss. Each boss can sustain being hit a number of times. In Sega Genesis port, after the 50th level, you play as one of the snow castle princesses.
When a player bowls an enemy over, it may drop a lantern. The color of the lantern lets the player know what special power-up
he or she will acquire:
The effects of the red, blue, and yellow lanterns wear off after the player loses a life.
If the player takes too much time to complete a level an evil pumpkin head will come and try to kill the player character. It is invincible but can be stunned and sent to appear somewhere else in the level with snowballs or snow shots. After a short time the evil pumpkin will spawn ghosts that can travel freely through the level and seek the player character. These ghosts can't be killed or stunned, so the player's only hope is to avoid them while eliminating the rest of the enemies to move on to the next screen as soon as possible.
(NES) port by Capcom
was released in 1991. Amiga
, Atari ST
, Commodore 64
/C64GS, GX4000 and ZX Spectrum
versions of the game were developed by Ocean France and completed in 1991, but were not released by the publisher Ocean Software
. The original master copy of the Amiga version was found in 2006, and the disk image
has been distributed online. A Sega Genesis version released by Tengen
in 1993 included additional levels, new background music in some stages, and cut scenes not found in the arcade version. The game spawned two sequels (the last one being an unofficial hack of the first game).
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released in 1990 by Toaplan
Toaplan
, sometimes written as Toa Plan, was a video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous scrolling shooters and arcade games, yet the company declared bankruptcy in 1994.-Games developed :...
.
Description
At first glance, it is similar in gameplay to TaitoTaito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
's Bubble Bobble
Bubble Bobble
is an arcade game by Taito, first released in 1986 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. The game, starring the twin Bubble Dragons and , is an action-platform game in which players travel through one hundred different stages, blowing and bursting bubbles, avoiding...
. The game supports up to two players, with each player taking the part of one of two snowmen Nick and Tom. Each player can throw snow at the enemies. The player must throw snow at each enemy until it is completely covered, when it turns into a snowball. An enemy partially covered in snow cannot move until it shakes it off.
Once an enemy has been turned into a snowball the player can roll it. The snowball will re-bound off walls, until eventually shattering against a wall. Any enemies the snowball rolls into are eliminated and other stationary snowballs start rolling when the rolling snowball touches them. If the player manages to take out all of the enemies with kicking one snowball (this one snowball may be used to make others bounce around as well and increase the chances to pull this trick off), money in the form of large green bills will fall from the sky. These disappear in a very short amount of time but are worth 10,000 points each, the most the player can get as a bonus.
Every tenth level there is a boss. Each boss can sustain being hit a number of times. In Sega Genesis port, after the 50th level, you play as one of the snow castle princesses.
When a player bowls an enemy over, it may drop a lantern. The color of the lantern lets the player know what special power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
he or she will acquire:
- Red increases walking speed.
- Blue increases amount of snow thrown, thus making it easier to cover an enemy in snow.
- Yellow increases the distance that snow can be thrown.
- Green causes your character to inflate like a balloon while having the ability to fly around screen and knock out enemies for a limited period of time.
The effects of the red, blue, and yellow lanterns wear off after the player loses a life.
If the player takes too much time to complete a level an evil pumpkin head will come and try to kill the player character. It is invincible but can be stunned and sent to appear somewhere else in the level with snowballs or snow shots. After a short time the evil pumpkin will spawn ghosts that can travel freely through the level and seek the player character. These ghosts can't be killed or stunned, so the player's only hope is to avoid them while eliminating the rest of the enemies to move on to the next screen as soon as possible.
Ports and related releases
A Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) port by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
was released in 1991. Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
/C64GS, GX4000 and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
versions of the game were developed by Ocean France and completed in 1991, but were not released by the publisher Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
. The original master copy of the Amiga version was found in 2006, and the disk image
Disk image
A disk image is a single file or storage device containing the complete contents and structure representing a data storage medium or device, such as a hard drive, tape drive, floppy disk, CD/DVD/BD, or USB flash drive, although an image of an optical disc may be referred to as an optical disc image...
has been distributed online. A Sega Genesis version released by Tengen
Tengen (company)
Tengen was a video game publisher and developer that was created by arcade game manufacturer Atari Games.-History:Atari had been split into two distinct companies. Atari Corporation was responsible for computer and console games and hardware and owned the rights to the Atari brand for these domains...
in 1993 included additional levels, new background music in some stages, and cut scenes not found in the arcade version. The game spawned two sequels (the last one being an unofficial hack of the first game).
External links
- Play Snow Bros online
- Snow Bros Game
- Snow Bros entry at Arcade-History.com
- Snow Bros at Farmgames