Summary
There is something mystical about winter. Many cultures have their own tales and folklore creatures specific to winter, making it a natural season to use for inspiration for fantasy settings. While some games might simply use this in influencing the design of aspecific creature or area, others use it as a major part of the design philosophy for the whole game.
Whether it’s snowy plains, frozen lakes, or icy caves, there is always beautiful scenery to catch the eye, and often something monstrous just beneath the surface. It makes the player all the more thankful after surviving the frigid wilderness to then return to camp or homestead and the safety and warmth of companions. A good winter game, particularly one in a fantasy setting, often reflects that feeling of the season where both the dreary and the merry, the lonely moments and the busy ones, all seem heightened.
As a follow-up to the 2006 classic RPG,Oblivion,The Elder Scrolls 5was going to have to be something special. Fortunately, Skyrim was just that. Very different from the flat, grassy plains of Cyrodiil, Skyrim is full of mountains and has a distinctly Norse influence in its culture and creatures — of which there are many.
The re-emergance of dragons makes them perhaps the most prominent foe, but no player will forget the first time they challenged a Giant only to be slingshotted to Secunda with a single hit. Draugr and Frost Trolls, snowy peaks and cold dead tombs — whatevermedieval winter fantasythe player seeks, it is certain to be found in the lands of Skyrim.
This D&D classic is similar toBaldur’s Gate,but with greateremphasis on combatand dungeon exploration. Taking place in the far north of Faerun across a mountain range also known as the Spine of the World,Icewind Daleexcels in creating a wintry atmosphere. From the very start, upon exiting the local tavern in Easthaven and the beautiful score by Jeremy Soule kicking in, it becomes clear that this is an adventure to be remembered.
TheMonster Hunterseries has always excelled in making its fictionalenvironments and ecosystemsseem both believable yet wonderful.Iceborneachieves this again with Hoarfrost Reach. It is a huge expansion to the world and full of additions, bringing new monsters to hunt and a brilliant winter wilderness to explore. It’s also delightful to watch the little bipedal cats don fluffy hats and coats and trudge through shoulder-high snow.
TheGod of Warseries has always been aviolent romp through the local mythology. After the 2018 update to the franchise, Norse mythological creatures became the new fodder for Kratos’s rage and the landscape turned from sunny islands to snowy vistas.
InRagnarök, the fridge door has been left open for three years since the last outing, and everything is beautifully ruined. Even Midgard has frozen over, and traversal now takes place on the back of a wolf-driven sled. There is also a greater variety of enemies and creatures to encounter, creating enjoyable variety throughout the journey.
As a role-playing strategy game,The Banner Sagacreates its own unique Nordic-inspired mythological world explore. The player makes choices in leading the various groups through the oncoming apocalypse and taking direct control of characters during battle sequences.
With a primarily hand-drawn style reminiscent of Ralph Bakshi and the original Disney movies,The Banner Sagais gorgeous to look at. It’s one of the few gaming trilogies where players persistently feel the weight and consequences of their choices.
Inspired byclassic JRPGssuch asChrono Triggerand the earlyFinal Fantasygames, I Am Setsuna takes a deliberately melancholy approach to its world and story. A large part of this design decision is the winter aesthetic that pervades throughout the world, the story, and even the music.
I Am Setsunastrikes that hard-to-quantify mixture that constitutes an undoubtedly cozy game. Yet, it uniquely achieves this atmosphere while being far from a sunshine-and-daises story.
In this Nordic inspired RTS, various Viking clans at odds with one another explore and attempt to gain control over a wild, unclaimed land. It’s a well-crafted game that has a good balance of strategizing the growth of small civilizations, exploration, and combat, with each area bringing its own stresses and satisfactions into the mix.
A unique element is theseasonal gameplay effects. Winter brings several negative effects which players must prepare and account for, which adds to the feeling that the player is up against not only the monsters and rival clans, but the elements as well.
1Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves
Red Riding Hood Meets Home Alone
A little-known game that deserves much more attention,Sang-Froidis a Canadian-made base defense game that is free to play on Steam. Set during a particularly monster-infested winter of the 19th century, the player controls one of two brothers, each representing a different difficulty, who must defend their homestead from the oncoming invasion of monsters.
The gameplay loop involves planning for the night ahead, setting all the traps. Players then take direct control when night falls. They must run between the zones they have to defend, hoping their traps have sprung as planned and picking off stragglers themselves, all backed by an excellent Canadian folk music soundtrack.
