+ Compelling meta-story that gets an unexpected twist and an ending in the DLC
+ The flying sword mechanic and how each different class/subclass gets different mechanics is particularly well-designed and feels amazing to play with
+ Combat is smooth, fast and responsive. Not much else to say here
+ Wide variety of weapons and relics. There are 50 relics, 51 swords and 7 classes (14 different subclasses) to mess around with. Some swords are subclass-specific swords that massively boost your passives, as a bonus. Many weapons also synergize with one or more relics. Relics have different effects depending on which 4 slots you put them into
+ Meta progression is satisfying and adds new mechanics over time

+/- Higher difficulties practically let you have two orange-grade relics right from the start of a run, which makes it easier to get your build going sooner than later
+/- Free DLC that adds a new game mode with unique Nightmare mechanic. It also adds skins for the NPCs that make them add a bonus effect to their services
+/- You can not turn off the vignette effect. You also can not turn off the "slow motion" effect that occurs in multiple instances
+/- Will take around 30~ hours to get everything including achievements, depending on your luck and how skilled you are. Might take a bit longer if you want the endless mode skins for the 7 classes, however
+/- There are some instant-kill moves, but they are very easy to avoid once you learn about them
+/- You can customize the death message, which is a neat detail

- Different difficulty levels don't add anything other than a massive stat inflation. There are no new mechanics or moves that change how you play the game or fight the bosses. Also, the game is too easy once you figure out what relic combinations work best, regardless of difficulty setting
- Severe localization issues which make a lot of the text illegible. Sometimes they are too long and don't fit where they are supposed to fit, as a bonus. Both of these issues also makes some lore entries impossible to understand. Even a fan would have done a better job when it comes to translating this game, if you ask me. There are also occasional typos here and there. Subtitles (when they exist at all) also are not synced with the voice-over. There is no English voice option, either
- Some classes/subclasses are comparatively weaker while some are absolutely broken even if you don't get lucky with your build
- The skill tree still opens up after every "game over" even if you maxed out everything. I mean, the lady is pretty, but you are wasting my time, game
- Takes time to collect some stuff if you are unlucky. There could have been more "anti bad luck" mechanics overall
- Some transitions and cutscenes can't be skipped, no matter how many times you saw them before
- Some relics feel absolutely worthless, even if they are relevant for some builds (due to better options). Also, most of them synergize with themselves, so you end up getting two of the same relic in some cases
- Difficulty setting doesn't apply to the DLC game mode. This means you can still get lower grade weapons and relics
- You can sometimes get stuck on tiny objects that probably didn't need a collision box to begin with. Looking at you, Nightmare mode torches


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ending in the DLC explains everything and ties in the loose ends, including some of the core gameplay mechanics, like the roguelite aspect. You see, in reality, you are trapped in a nightmare by someone. To prevent your escape, they are keeping you busy by making you repeatedly fight the same cycle over and over again. The warm snow event and the giant lotus were both in your head. However, someone from the real world starts contacting and helping you (in the DLC), and you get a chance to get out of the nightmare. The nightmare world twists and melts, with new enemies appearing and old ones starting to spawn in mixed varieties. To escape for good, you must NOT give in to temptation and defeat 5 "Teller of Untruths". The ending shows you (the player) getting out of a gate, and the text "To Be Continued" appears. A bit of a sequel-bait, but I can't complain. The ending is fitting, and knowing it will eventually continue makes me slightly hyped.

[h3]Warm Snow is a roguelite with challenging gameplay, a unique flying sword mechanic, and stunning art style. The general xianxia theme is refreshing to see in a roguelite setting. Despite the crippling localization issues that make the game barely legible at times, the fluid combat and build variety still warrants a thumbs-up. Overall Score: 7.5/10[/h3] [code] + is positives +/- is informational or neutral - is negatives [/code] + Compelling meta-story that gets an unexpected twist and an ending in the DLC + The flying sword mechanic and how each different class/subclass gets different mechanics is particularly well-designed and feels amazing to play with + Combat is smooth, fast and responsive. Not much else to say here + Wide variety of weapons and relics. There are 50 relics, 51 swords and 7 classes (14 different subclasses) to mess around with. Some swords are subclass-specific swords that massively boost your passives, as a bonus. Many weapons also synergize with one or more relics. Relics have different effects depending on which 4 slots you put them into + Meta progression is satisfying and adds new mechanics over time +/- Higher difficulties practically let you have two orange-grade relics right from the start of a run, which makes it easier to get your build going sooner than later +/- Free DLC that adds a new game mode with unique Nightmare mechanic. It also adds skins for the NPCs that make them add a bonus effect to their services +/- You can not turn off the vignette effect. You also can not turn off the "slow motion" effect that occurs in multiple instances +/- Will take around 30~ hours to get everything including achievements, depending on your luck and how skilled you are. Might take a bit longer if you want the endless mode skins for the 7 classes, however +/- There are some instant-kill moves, but they are very easy to avoid once you learn about them +/- You can customize the death message, which is a neat detail - Different difficulty levels don't add anything other than a massive stat inflation. There are no new mechanics or moves that change how you play the game or fight the bosses. Also, the game is too easy once you figure out what relic combinations work best, regardless of difficulty setting - Severe localization issues which make a lot of the text illegible. Sometimes they are too long and don't fit where they are supposed to fit, as a bonus. Both of these issues also makes some lore entries impossible to understand. Even a fan would have done a better job when it comes to translating this game, if you ask me. There are also occasional typos here and there. Subtitles (when they exist at all) also are not synced with the voice-over. There is no English voice option, either - Some classes/subclasses are comparatively weaker while some are absolutely broken even if you don't get lucky with your build - The skill tree still opens up after every "game over" even if you maxed out everything. I mean, the lady is pretty, but you are wasting my time, game - Takes time to collect some stuff if you are unlucky. There could have been more "anti bad luck" mechanics overall - Some transitions and cutscenes can't be skipped, no matter how many times you saw them before - Some relics feel absolutely worthless, even if they are relevant for some builds (due to better options). Also, most of them synergize with themselves, so you end up getting two of the same relic in some cases - Difficulty setting doesn't apply to the DLC game mode. This means you can still get lower grade weapons and relics - You can sometimes get stuck on tiny objects that probably didn't need a collision box to begin with. Looking at you, Nightmare mode torches [h2]Other Notes:[/h2] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ending in the DLC explains everything and ties in the loose ends, including some of the core gameplay mechanics, like the roguelite aspect. You see, [spoiler]in reality, you are trapped in a nightmare by someone. To prevent your escape, they are keeping you busy by making you repeatedly fight the same cycle over and over again. The warm snow event and the giant lotus were both in your head. However, someone from the real world starts contacting and helping you (in the DLC), and you get a chance to get out of the nightmare. The nightmare world twists and melts, with new enemies appearing and old ones starting to spawn in mixed varieties. To escape for good, you must NOT give in to temptation and defeat 5 "Teller of Untruths". The ending shows you (the player) getting out of a gate, and the text "To Be Continued" appears.[/spoiler] A bit of a sequel-bait, but I can't complain. The ending is fitting, and knowing it will eventually continue makes me slightly hyped.