Game Reviews

Ski Safari

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| Ski Safari
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Ski Safari
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| Ski Safari

Extreme sports and endless running seem to go together pretty well. Both of them are about quick reactions, dangerous situations, and dusting yourself off after a fall to get back out there and try again.

That's certainly the approach that Ski Safari has taken, mixing together the chase mechanic found in most running games with the crisp whites of the piste, a sense of humour, and a penchant for enormous gravity-defying leaps.

Eddie the eagle

You play as a skier who's rudely awoken one morning by an avalanche smashing through his cabin. Pushed out onto the treacherous mountainside, you'll need all of your wits about you to survive the oncoming rush of snow.

Tapping on the screen will send your hardy winter sports enthusiast springing into the air, allowing him to avoid the rocky outcrops that jut out from the snow. Holding your finger down after jumping will perform a back flip, which bags you extra points and a speed boost if you land it right.

Coins strewn across your run will grant you a similar bit of thrust if you collect a complete set, and you can get piggyback rides from penguins, yetis, snowmobiles, and eagles.

The game sets you challenges to complete, and finishing three of them will advance your level. The higher your level, the higher your score multiplier can go. You build up your multiplier by performing tricks and special moves without falling flat on your face.

Downhill from here

If you do fall down, rapidly tapping the screen will see you right yourself quicker, allowing for speedier escapes from the oncoming wall of icy death.

Ski Safari is certainly a smooth experience, with well-designed obstacles and a control system that's incredibly simple to master. After a few plays, the game does start to lose its spark, and the fresh feel of the snowbound backdrop starts to look a little dull.

Still, it's a fine example of its genre, with a few added ideas of its own that keep things interesting for a little longer. This is a high score chaser, with an extreme sports edge, that does exactly what it sets out to.

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Ski Safari

A charming and well-constructed downhill racer, Ski Safari doesn't have the chops to stick in the memory for long, but it's an enjoyable blast while it lasts
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.