//SNOWFLAKE TATTOO//

//SNOWFLAKE TATTOO// is a 2D… game? I’m not really sure.

TL;DR at bottom

Gameplay:

The gameplay of //SNOWFLAKE TATTOO// is extremely limited. My entire playthrough of the game lasted about 15 minutes at most. That 15 minutes of gameplay was nothing to be excited about. The entire game consists of your character riding around on a motorcycle looking for randomly spawned collectibles called “dollsteaks,” of which you need 10 to win the game. There is also a dialogue box in the corner that gives you ramblings from the a character providing backstory, if you want to call it that. This game is also a prequel to the game N.P.P.D. Rush, which may help you understand whatever is going on.

Apparently the character you are controlling is receiving assistance from a sniper in space, (which can only be discovered by watching the trailer of the game), which you control using your mouse and left clicking. You have limited ammo, and I actually did not know that there was even a mechanic for shooting enemies, and I thought that you simply had to avoid the enemies. No mechanics are explained whatsoever, aside from what powerups are and what the basic objective are.

The game is very confusing and does not try to make anything clear. Apparently this is a normal thing for these developers, and I suppose that is okay to have their own style. But, for someone who has no prior knowledge, this game is odd and trippy, with little sense of fun or replayability. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to the game. There is only one map and it has randomly spawned collectibles and enemies, with nothing else besides random snowflakes floating around. This is hardly a game.

1/10

Graphics:

The graphics are a touchy point in my opinion. There is clearly a distinct style that the developers were striving for, but that style is sickening to the eyes. It gives a retro vibe off, but it is layered with psychedelic imagery which is disorienting and not that great to look at. I understand that there is a specific atmosphere that was being strived for, and I think it was achieved, but it isn’t very nice to look at.

The user interface is a mess. The UI elements are unnecessarily large and confusing. Not much is clear, and the mini-map has no sense to it and only spins a weird shape around when you move. Text in the game is nearly impossible to read, which is a big issue in a game with no voice acting and mostly text driven. (You can hear me struggling to read some of the text while playing.) Nothing is clear and nothing is explained, you are left to figure it out on your own.

2/10

Music/Audio:

The music from //SNOWFLAKE TATTOO// is honestly its only strong point. It captures the atmosphere the game wanted well, and the production quality of the music is good. The music is really the only thing that saves this game in any aspect, but it does not change much. The music makes the trippy experience that this game is even trippier. The game audio and sound effects are sub-par, and aren’t anything to be praised. They work.

4/10

Conclusion:

//SNOWFLAKE TATTOO// is not a game. It is a game in a literal sense, but it is not very good. As I said in my video, it just seems like an experience. It is a prologue to the much better game N.P.P.D. Rush, and it doesn’t attempt to create any sort of unique experience. It is extremely short with no replayability. It is confusing and nothing is explained; all you know is that you need to pick up “dollsteaks” and that you are most likely extremely high on drugs. Some people may like this kind of experience or want to support the developers and their strange game styles. If you are here looking for a good indie game, turn back now.

Overall: 2/10 – Not Recommended

TL;DR

Pros:

+Cool music

Cons:

-Very, very short game

-No replayability

-Trippy experience

-Not really a game

-Nothing is explained, including game mechanics and controls

Check out my gameplay of //SNOWFLAKE TATTOO// below to get a better idea of the game.