Snow Wars II: No Longer Insurmountable

Now, first things first. Before you can learn the tips and tricks that may earn you a ridiculously high score, you have to know what you're doing, and how to do it. In Snow Wars II you are entrusted with the dangerous task of guarding five snowmen from angry Lupes and Snow Beasts! While this does sound quite frightening, and even I nearly ran in the face of that description, never fear; you can build snow-block walls around each and every one to save them. Once you've surrounded your snowmen, and only then, you are able to place Grundo operated catapults in the designated area that will defend your fortress. Next you must attack the Lupes and Snow Beasts that attempt to sneak inside of your walls and destroy your snowmen. These are called the three stages, which I will discuss in more depth once we go over your setup and controls. By now I have surely warned you of what you're getting yourself into, and so we shall move onward into what you actually see once you enter your game.

The Setup: The most basic thing to keep an eye on is the setup of your screen. In the top left you are shown your score. This increases every time you enclose your snowmen and every time you defeat your attackers. In the top middle of the screen you are reminded of what you're supposed to be doing, and in the top right you are told how much time you have to do it. Also, to the right of the screen, you will see what appears to be an icy river. Only the ferocious Lupes are allowed to meander across its frozen surface. You are unable, and therefore cannot build on the other side.

The Controls: The only controls in this game are your left mouse button and your spacebar. With your left mouse button, you click to place down snow-block walls that come in various shapes and sizes. To rotate shapes, you use your spacebar. You also build catapults with your left mouse button, and attack by clicking on your targets.

With the most basic of basics under your belt, it is time to venture forth in to those three stages I mentioned earlier, and what you should be doing during them.

Stage I: This is the first stage. You see this stage at the beginning of the game, and then again during every rotation of the three stages. The first time you encounter Stage I, you will be met with five snowmen, and nothing more. It is your job to, within the thirty seconds, completely enclose at least one snowman with enough room to build your catapults, although I suggest enclosing every single one of them. After the beginning of the game, stage I's primary objective will still be to enclose your snowmen, but instead of just speedily building a wall around them, you must plug up any holes that the rather rude Snow Beasts blasted in to your fortress.

However, don't start building so quickly! You will not want to play every game you begin. Sometimes, when you start a game, some of your snowmen are very close to the edges. Later on in the game you start receiving snow-block walls that are large and awkwardly shaped, making them difficult to deal with. Because of this, it is best to restart your game until you receive a starting map that has the snowmen positioned more in the middle of the screen and close together, making it easier to build around them later on.

Stage II: In the second stage, you are given the task of placing your Grundo operated catapults within the area highlighted blue. This is the area that is enclosed with a snowman of your own, and it is the only area where you are allowed to build. You are given a number of catapults based on how many snowmen you have enclosed at the time, which is why I priorly suggested enclosing all of them. It is also best not to build these near any walls, since that would make them more difficult to protect in the future.

Stage III: The final stage! Here you must attack the advancing Lupes and Snow Beasts. You aim by hovering your mouse over the enemy, and attack by clicking. The more you defeat, the more points you get at the end of the level, and the less hassle you have during the next level when a whole new wave of bad guys is sent after your snowmen. Don't worry if you miss a guy or two, though, because you'll have plenty of time to take them down after you place a few more catapults in your fortress.

By this point you surely have an advanced understanding of how to play the game, but in my experience, that is not enough to get you the avatar, or a trophy. There are a few key tips which have elevated the scores of every single person I have told them to, and I am now prepared to share with you. In my experience, if you stick by these tips, there's no way your score will not improve. Excited? Me too!

Tip #1: Efficiently building a wall around your snowmen.

There are two different ways in which you can do this. I have a preference, but I will tell you about both and let you decide which you like best. The first, and not my chosen method, is what I like to call the Spazz-Attack Building Method. With this method, you essentially click as fast as you can, all around your snowmen in one direction. Yes - the holes you will inevitably create are expected! Then, once you reach full circle, you use up the remainder of your time filling in the holes you left behind. The advantage of this method is that you finish with seconds to spare, which gives you time to fortify your base with more walls.

The next method is what I like to call the Calm, Cool, and Collected Building Method. With your snowmen close together, as they should be if you've decided to continue with your game, it shouldn't be too difficult to rotate and properly place pieces down as you need them. The advantage of this method is that you have much more precision to minimize the amount of space your fortress takes up, giving you more room to protect yourself later.

Tip #2: If you have time, use it!

In stage I, if you've finished building your wall, and your snowmen are protected and surrounded by a highlight of blue, don't stop building! With the time you have left, you can build more around your weak spots, and make it harder for holes to appear from attacking Snow Beasts. Every second in this game is infinitely valuable, so use them wisely.

Tip #3: Don't build too many catapults.

In order to get an avatar/trophy score, you will have to endure many levels, and the more catapults you build, the bigger the space you need, the harder it is to build around, and the more lag. In my experience, the maximum amount of catapults I ever need is twenty. Past a certain point, you start receiving the same number of attackers each round, so there's no need to have more catapults. With only twenty, you have plenty of room to place more snow-block walls, and your game will run much more smoothly.

Tip #4: Effective aiming.

You can shoot those Lupes all day long, but near the end of it you're going to realize why they aren't disappearing - they move! Both the Lupes and the Snow Beasts enjoy wiggling about the playing field just as you've shot at them. In my experience, you'll have much more luck hitting the Lupes if you aim in front of them. They tend to move forward, so this works best; however, they are capable of moving up and down of their own accord. If you've shot at a Snow Beast, and it moves directly after, move on to a new target and wait for the first Snow Beast to stop moving before you shoot at it again. They cover a wider area of movement in one burst than the Lupes do, so it's too hard to aim in front of them.

Tip #5: Shooting strategy.

Everyone has their own strategy, but this is the one I have found to be the most efficient. First of all, I start from the bottom, and move my way to the top. I always shoot the Snow Beasts first. The Lupes are annoying, but they also aren't breaking down my walls with their little catapults. I shoot each Snow Beast once before moving on to the next, and if one happens to drift, I wait until it finishes before shooting it again.

Once I've shot at each Snow Beast - before waiting to see if the snowball lands, because that can take a while - I move on to the Lupes. At the beginning of the game, only shoot one snowball for each, and aim it in front of them. You have few Grundos to attack with, and once one has sent a snowball off in to the field, you cannot use that Grundo again until it has landed. Once I get enough catapults and I feel comfortable, I begin using two-three shots for each Lupe. I shoot one on top of them, one in front, and another just in front of that.

Remember not to worry too much about all these numbers and aiming. You'd be surprised how naturally it comes once you've had a bit of practice. If you try to focus hard on each snowball, and exactly where you're aiming it, you'll take too long and run out of time.

Tip #6: If you have time, use it! (version two)

Eventually, you'll become very quick with your shooting, and even better at multitasking. Once you feel able, feel free to cast a glance over towards your fortress often to see where the holes are piling up. If you know where you have to build before you have to build, that gives you a much bigger advantage for the small amount of time you have to repair your walls. Don't forget that you receive a notice before you have to build - don't click it immediately! Take a look around at what you're able to see. If you can spot holes before stage II, you won't have to waste precious time looking for them.

Tip #7: You can trap Lupes.

If a Lupe has managed to sneak its way in to your wall, during the next building period, trap it in with your walls, and it will magically disappear. Also, sometimes the Lupes will wander off the screen, to a place where you can't see. If that happens, just ignore them. They don't ever seem to come back.

Tip #8: Practice, and have fun.

There are certain aspects of this game that become much easier with practice, such as great aiming, shooting, and finding those pesky holes Snow Beasts created in your fortress. The longer you play, the better you get. When I first started, my scores averaged out at around one thousand to three thousand on a regular basis. Still, I never gave up. If you look at this as work, not only will it take the fun out of the situation, but it will seemingly take you a whole lot longer. Sit back, relax, enjoy yourself, and remember that there is always room for improvement, no matter how good you get.

I hope more than anything that my guide has convinced you to try for an avatar and a shiny new trophy. I know a lot of people who are deathly afraid of Snow Wars II, and I am here to tell you that not only do these Snowmen need your help, but also that this is a fun game that I believe you will grow to enjoy. So buckle up, grab a fistful of courage, and prepare to play the COOLEST game in all of Neopia! (Because no game guide is properly complete without a horrible temperature-related pun.)