6 – Super Mario 64
Cool, Cool Mountain is one of the early levels of Super Mario 64, being contained in a portrait in one of the rooms adjacent to the main entrance to Peach’s Castle. Many gamers will remember it for the annoying baby penguin that they had to return to its concerned mother, other will remember the epic slide contained inside the chimney that rewarded a plethora of coins, a 1-Up and even a star if you’re fast enough, but I will remember the general winter vibes that this map exudes. Buildings are covered in icicles, the aforementioned slide is a perilous teeter through a deadly ravine and a snowy tube and there’s a rickety bridge connecting snowy landscapes with snowmen lobbing snowballs while they bounce up and down. Snowman’s Land was a level that didn’t feel quite as unique as Cool, Cool Mountain but it carried over the same winter charm. The first star you have to collect involves dodging a big penguin that blocks an icy path in front of a giant snowman in order to climb onto his head and retrieve the star.
5 – Kingdom Hearts 3
While many parents and Grinch’s may not like to hear “Let It Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” there’s no denying the winter themes and overall charm of Disney’s Frozen. I count myself among the people that express displeasure each time a song from the soundtrack plays while I’m out shopping, but the Frozen level of Kingdom Hearts 3 showed me why the movie isn’t all bad. Taking place in the central location of Arendelle, Sora and the gang explore the snowy landscape to help protect Elsa from the darkness and help her with her powers similar to how she stops letting them control her in the film. While Kingdom Hearts 3 does include the Academy Award winning song, “Let It Go,” the gameplay and the way Square Enix implements the Frozen themes into the game make it totally worth the ear bleeding. The quirky snowman Olaf and cuddly Reindeer Sven definitely add to the winter vibes of this part of Kingdom Hearts 3 while being a few of the many familiar faces Frozen fans can expect to see in Arendelle.
4 – God of War
With the PS4 God of War title, the franchise was rebooted and taken into the frigid wasteland of ancient Norway. Unlike the original God of War titles which followed Greek mythology, the latest God of War focuses exclusively on Norse mythology, including Midgar and the nine realms. As the snow falls from the sky and dots the landscape, dark elves and draugrs will attempt to stop Kratos from fulfilling his wife’s final wish. There are also bosses such as various trolls, Ancients and one giant serpent to combat and even during the most intense fights, the general winter atmosphere is felt from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. Similar to another installment on this list, it compliments the snowy landscapes with the warm glow of fire which makes me think of chilling out by a warm fire while the snow falls outside. There are many ways to enjoy winter in all of these games but God of War takes the cake on this list for painting snow red with blood, which I appreciate more than yellow with something else.
