A Guide to Snow Roller

In this game, you’ll be playing the part of a snowball. To control the direction and speed of the snowball, you’ll want to use your up, left, and right arrow keys. Totally forget about that down arrow key. You’ll also use your space bar to jump. The size of your snowball is listed in the upper left corner, and if you get to 0% it’s game over. The larger your snowball gets, the harder it is to move left and right, and it will also take more time which means you won’t be able to maneuver left and right much after getting to about 70% in size. The snowball will also move pretty fast down the hill, UNLESS you control it, so tip #1: Hold down the up arrow key and don’t ever let go, Jack!

Reasons that you want to maneuver the snowball rather than just watching it go straight down the hill include obstacles that you need to avoid as well as objects that you want to collect for more points. The objects you collect are a key factor in getting the avatar score, but we’ll discuss those more in a bit. Obstacles include yellow snow (ew!), icy patches, jagged cliffs, tree branches, logs, camp fires, houses, igloos, trees, and my personal favorite- walls of snow that are barely visible. These obstacles are the reason for tip #2: Master the art of jumping! You’ll need to change your jump timing based on your snowball size a bit, definitely when it’s bigger. When you’re at 100%, make sure to time jumping closer to the obstacle, so you don’t hit it from the back on your way back down from the jump.

Once you get comfortable with the game and find your jumping groove, the avatar score is almost within reach. You’ll need to master jumping because even though it’s harder to control the snowball after 70%, you still want to reach 100%, so the only option for missing the obstacles after that 70% point is to jump. The reason you need be a master and not just a grasshopper is that not only can you jump over the obstacles, but you can find that groove and jump into the bonus objects while keeping your snowball size up, which leads is tip #3: Aim for 100% in size! At the very least, get 100% in at least one level, but ideally two. I personally think it’s easier to get the 100% size on levels two and three. I’ve found that sometimes I might not be having a great game during level one, but then level two is amazing for bonuses and a 100% snowball, then level three follows suit and bam, trophy. That 100% size bonus can get quite a few points (roughly between 1000 and 1500).

Speaking of levels, here’s a breakdown. There are three levels, with two parts to each level. The level and part you’re on is listed on the top in the middle of the screen and will look like this: 1-2, 2-2, etc. The first number is the level; the second number is the part. Don’t give up if you can’t keep a slow speed on the first part of a level, because you can make up for it on the second part of the level. As with any game, tip #4: BE PATIENT. Not just with practicing, but when you get that slow speed. Sometimes I’m playing the game and the snowball is rolling so slow that I find my eyes wandering and myself getting board. This is why it’s so important to enjoy the music! It can help keep you entertained while you meander through the levels like an old pro.

Tip# 5: Collect as many of the bonus objects that you can! The bonuses are all nicely labeled for you with a red arrow pointing to them, and they include (in order of most to least points worth): poogles, snowbunnies, the chias from Terror Mountain (Mika and Carassa), effect-causing slushies, Taelia, Abominable snowballs, no effect-causing slushies, neggs, brucicles, and chia pops. Poogles, snowbunnies, and the chias are each worth 40 points so a game with a lot of these bonuses will be your avatar ticket.

Although there’s one particular item that I want to point out: the black slushie. Consider this “bonus” an OBSTACLE. I try to avoid these at all costs, as they make you lose control of the snowball and your only defense will be constant jumping with the hope of avoiding other obstacles. Does this mean you should give up if you accidentally get one? Absolutely not- practice jumping when you do get this bonus, because if you get the other effect-causing slushie at the same time these bonuses can still work in your favor. Aside from the not-really-a-bonus black slushie, the other effect-causing slushie is the white slushie which causes a black hole effect on the snowball. This makes the snowball like a magnet to all the bonuses so they will be collected without you having to try to get them, which is good because you can focus solely on dodging the obstacles for a little bit, but bad because it will also collect the black slushie and you’ll lose your control for a while. What do we do when we lose control? Jump!

For a point of reference, if your score is around 2,600 at the end of level 2-2, and your snowball size is 100%, you can get a bonus of 1,400. This puts you at 4,000 going into level 3, which means even with a not so great game, the item bonuses added to the snowball bonus can get you the avatar score. With a great game, it can get you a gold trophy as well. All you need to do is follow the tips, practice, and most importantly, enjoy the music!