Skábma – Snowfall is the latest 3rd person game I’ve played that has taken the non-violent approach in its gameplay and focused on bringing challenging game mechanics mixed with an intriguing and educational storyline. What makes Skábma – Snowfall stand apart from them is what the game represents, the story of the Sami people, and its representation of the Sami stories and culture.

For those who are not familiar with the Sami people, they are the indigenous people of Scandinavia, primarily from the regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia.

While I have no cultural affiliation with the Sami people, I do believe that games that help keep native cultures and stories alive, especially in an entertaining medium such as video games, are not just important for the video game industry, but for the teaching the next generation by using an educational and entertaining medium that helps spread to a wider audience. As a result, the game is fully voiced in the Northern Sami language with subtitles provided.

On that note, you begin your journey as the young Sami boy, Ailu, who finds a magical drum and must harness the old ways of the Sami healers, gaining the powers of the Familiar Spirits to fight against a disorder spreading across the land. You will need to be patient as the game does start slowly, but it picks up after you gain your first ability from Skuolfi the Owl, and as you progress more into the game, you gain the abilities of the three extra Familiar Spirits; Gyoza the bear, Camsa the trout, and Rieban the fox.

As the game goes for non a violent approach, you encounter a mixture of environmental challenges and puzzles. Along with the many environmental challenges encountered, the game’s world is a large maze of mountains and forests that sometimes become a little confusing to navigate. Fortunately, using the drum helps you retrace your tracks when lost, but it would be nice to have a little bit more help in knowing where to go next.

Venturing more into the mechanics, Skábma – Snowfall has a well-thought-out way to learn the game’s controls, especially when learning a new ability. It gives the player a mini tutorial and eases the player into it by adding a limitless respawn, so if you are still getting a hang of the controls you don’t have to worry about reloading further back. The game also supports a controller but I had just as easy a time using the mouse and keyboard.

The game visuals want the player to focus on the beauty of nature by using moments that are triggered on a mountain cliff next to the fire. These moments of reflection are a nice break from the running around and trying to find collectables, like rabbits or research papers, and they help the player remember that the point of the game is not just to run around from A to B, but to connect with the Spirits of nature and the human soul. The game’s music and sound also play an important part in the game’s narrative, as the music creates a calm atmosphere for the player, helping avoid frustration during gameplay.

The most important aspect of the game to me is that Skábma – Snowfall keeps the Sami people’s stories and culture alive, thanks to developers Red Stage Entertainment, and publishers PID Games and Sunsoft. They created an educational and entertaining game that not only pays tribute to the people of the Sami, but it also helps us to remember the connection we have with nature. Skábma – Snowfall breaks away from the usual games that have an over a top story, or the usual AAA game premise, and brings something that is grounded, simple, and most importantly, preserves a people’s heritage.

Written by: Simon Hayward