Snow Bros. (© TOAPLAN Co., Ltd. © TATSUJIN Co., Ltd.) is certainly one of the arcade games that many might remember from the earlier years of gaming. The South Korean game developer Mobirix has released its mobile port now to the Google Play Store and the Apple iTunes App Store.
While this port of the classic platform game does not cost anything, it is also clear that it’s nothing more than the old game licensed and ported for Android and iOS. The feeling is like you’re just looking at an embedded emulator with a single rom loaded. It even still reads “insert coin” in the corner as if you’re standing in front of the original arcade machine. The UI is quickly thrown together without any sort of love for design and you’ll get ads thrown in your face. It also appears to be missing the original multiplayer feature.
I expected more
While the gameplay and graphics are still the same as the original arcade release, I would have expected a little bit more from the mobile release itself. It’s fun to play, but as soon as you’ll lose you feel extorted to spend game currency to play again or continue where you lost. The lack of love continues through other Mobirix material, no matter if they talk about “Andorid” OS or include a typo of the game title itself (“SBOW BROS”) on their website and marketing material.
I understand that game makers need to make coin too, we all do, but I just feel that this is too heavily monetized for just porting an old game. Regardless, I’m sure you can still have a good time playing Snow Bros. classic whether it’s a nostalgia trip for you or if you just like retro games but stay vigilant. The app store warning on in-app purchases ranges from $2.99 to $99.99 per item. ‘Nuff said.
If you’re looking for mobile game ports without ads you can check these three here.
After a bit of research, it also became clear relatively quickly that Mobirix might have not been the first to try this stunt. The app stores are full of clones, copies and more generic embedded emulators. Some come with ads and others don’t. Some might have been licensed and others might have not been. It’s up to you to find your favorite version on Android and iOS but why not start with this fresh release that aired today?
Can be fun if you ignore monetization
It’s free to try out, so hit the Google Play Store or the Apple iTunes App Store and check it out. Feel invited to share your thoughts with us too below in the comments. Have fun!
YouTube: SNOW BROS. classic gameplay video
Photo credit: The feature image has been provided by Bryan Ochalla. The screenshots are owned by Mobirix.
