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App Army Assemble: Skiing Yeti Mountain

Pocket Gamer's App Army slalom down a wintry wonderland of wonder

App Army Assemble: Skiing Yeti Mountain

Each week, we send out early codes of selected games to members of our App Army and ask for their feedback. One top pick this week was Featherweight Games's Skiing Yeti Mountain, another winter sports 'em up on iOS... or is it?

Let's see what our App Army had to say...

JJE: Skiing Yeti Mountain is a bloody brilliant game. I know because that quote from AppSpy is at the top of Featherweight Games's website. Catch me disagreeing with AppSpy Generals will ya? Not likely, mate!

Truth is, it is quite good... to a point. Tight small levels, non-irritating graphics, extremely precise controls; there's plenty about Skiing Yeti Mountain to recommend putting it in your free-to-play game rotation.

However... goodness me this game is not friendly to my iPad. Two things: orientation and controls. Vertical ski games benefit from portrait view, I get that, but playing tablet games vertically just feel awkward to me. There is too much slab to get a comfortable balance.

Tight controls on a phone translate to finicky controls on a larger screen. I hope there'll be an update that gives me more room in terms of touch sensitivity. I'd probably play it more then, as it's really is fun.

If you have a phone, you like skiing, and have a few minutes to spare then get this game. In fact, drop the dosh to dump ads. It's that good. Everyone else... maybe wait for a fine-tuned update.

Kainen: I finally unlocked the mountain level, and I think I'm done with the game. It's the same thing over and over and over. Throwing a little story at you and a little change in scenery isn't enough.

It's all fine to start with, but as soon as you realise that that's all there is you just end up feeling burned out. It's for a good cause, so it's worth donating, but all in all you may only get a little gameplay out of this and then you'll be done.

This is little more than a endless runner restyled. Giving some money to charity is always a good cause, but don't expect to be blown away by the game.

Ryan: Skiing Yeti Mountain is one of those games that is great when you have time to kill. The overall dynamic of skiing down a mountain slalom course is fun, but can get dry and repetitive after some time.

Although the courses start off easy, they do become more difficult later on. You can interact with several different characters in the game, and the dialogue's pretty funny.

Even though this app has ads, they are incorporated it in a very creative way like billboards along the course and salespeople. In terms of in-app purchases, what's cool is that a decent amount of the proceeds will go to help the relief effort for Nepal after those devastating earthquakes.

Skiing Yeti Mountain is an decent game for anyone who wants an easygoing game to play in their spare time. Personally, I got bored of it after a little due to the sheer repetitiveness. However, I still believe that this app has some good potential to be a hit in the future due to its easy-for-all gameplay.

Conor: The art style of this app is great. I love the old-school skiing feel it gives you when you're playing. Although the levels are very repetitive and I find myself bored after a while, this game is a great time killer. I really like the character customisation options too. Kym: I played this for five minutes and was too bored to carry on. The game is basically swiping left or right, staying on the correct side of the flags, and avoiding the trees as you plummet down a ski slope.

The first couple of levels were really hard, but then you get the hang of not oversteering and it becomes easy... too easy. Having said that, the time attack records are hard to beat. However, even when you do beat one all you're rewarded with is a piece of clothing so you can change your outfit!

Far too repetitive and not enough challenges or rewards for my taste. The ads are also irritating, although you can skip them after five seconds. Not a huge fan of this game overall.

Muneeb: I really like the control scheme here. I didn't use the finger control option much so can't say much about it, but I found the other one really good. The pixel style is really cool too.

My enthusiasm died pretty fast though... I tried my hardest but couldn't play for more than half an hour. I really like the developer's idea of donating some of the proceeds to Nepal though.

George P: Someone please help me! In the two days that I've been playing this game, I have become completely addicted. Sleep, food, a social life... who needs these things when you have Skiing Yeti Mountain?

This game is a juicy blend of precise controls, appealing visuals, and humorous characters. I find myself needing to play just a little more, to find out the latest conspiracy theory from the mountain goers, or to discover new mechanics like storms or bear traps that appear later on.

On top of all that, this game is raising money for an excellent cause, which is testament to the developers, given how many money grabbing, free-to-play games are littering the App Store these days.

This is one of the best games I've played on iOS in the last year, and I recommend everyone gives it a shot.

Aaron: They've absolutely nailed the controls here. Alyce: This game reminds me quite a bit of Dudeski. There are a lot of obstacles you need to be aware of! What sets things apart in this game is the variety of NPCs you have conversations with along the way. With challenging levels it keeps me busy and has me going at it happily, even though though it can get me raging at times. Gabriela: Skiing Yeti Mountain has a simple, yet cool looking retro design and the basic gameplay makes it easy to pick up and hard to put down, especially since there are so many levels. The billboard ad integration is also a brilliant idea.

The only thing that really bothers me are the controls, which are, for a tablet user such as myself, quite inconvenient. I find myself starting at the top of the huge screen and finishing with my thumb somewhere 15cm lower, or even off the tablet. That gets very frustrating, especially during the longer levels.

Lee: The controls are perfect for me - I use my thumb rather than tilt my iPad. I think I would like it more if I hadn't played Dudeski first. I find the whole slalom thing a bit boring... it would be better if this was James Bond-themed and you were getting chased by jet skis. Abhinav: I've been addicted to this game since I downloaded it. The controls feel really comfortable. I have not had a game feel so responsive and alive since Leo's Fortune.

Every time I hit a tree or miss a target, it feels like it's a mistake on my end. This game really makes me feel like I'm actually skiing (although I've never skied before)!

Apart from the excellent controls, I really like the art style and sound effects. The humour which arises from interacting with the different characters is something new and I really like it. I do not really care about the hats and jackets though. I can easily see myself playing this for a while in any case.

Clint: Five minutes in on the Android version and this game looks rubbish to me. The controls and gameplay seem pretty good though. I like how the characters come up and chat with me. Not quite sure what a yeti has to do with anything yet though!

It looks like this monetises through ads, and so far I've not seen one, which is pretty good. I'm not sure I would pay £2.50 though to remove ads though. For me this is a 79p app and no more.

Tyler: Skiing Yeti Mountain is a delightful little skiing game. The controls are smooth and as you play more, it gets pretty addictive. It's a delightful game to play any time of the day. Clint: I'm now 50 levels in and have to say this is quite fun. Not sure it's fun enough to lay down money for, but it's good enough for me to want to keep playing. The ads seem to be turning up every 15 levels. They're video based and they can be skipped after 5 seconds. So far, this is actually pretty good. Ben: Skiing Yeti Mountain has left a very good impression on me. The first thing that really caught my eye was just how pretty the game is. I was expecting your typical pixellated far until I actually began playing.

The game looks great - The animations are really smooth and eye-catching: something that genuinely caught me off guard! The sound design is great too, from the gentle sounds of snow crunching to the wind blowing in your face.

Best of all this combines simple yet addictive gameplay with a sense of humour. A winner all around. The in-app purchase not only removes ads but also donates money to support Nepal!

Clint: 100 levels in now and have to say: this is a really good game. Great controls, good level design, not too hard, but not too easy either. Minimum disruption from the ads and generally a fun experience all around. Not sure though if I will get to George's level 610 though! George P: You can do it Clint! Clint: Haha, I've got to say I'm finding it hard to put down... it's getting in the way of my planned Witcher 3 session this evening! Quincy: It's a pretty fun game and rather addictive too. Simple enough that anyone can pick it up and play, but once you start it's hard to resist playing "just one more time."

I think it's challenging enough to keep most people satisfied, and they're also donating to a good cause. I love the pixellated graphics and the controls are solid. All said, it's worth a download - I'm pretty sure you won't regret it!

Chris M: Skiing Yeti Mountain is polished. It's somehow both challenging and accessible. The progression and costume options are fun and inventive, and the storyline is engaging and inventive.

Perhaps most importantly the controls are simple, responsive, and perfectly suited to meeting the challenges that the mountain offers up. On my quantum scale game ranking, I give Skiing Yeti Mountain a "not deleting it."

Aaron: I really love this game, and I wasn't expecting to at all. The art style reminds me of a modern Winter Olympics. I think the devs have really nailed the controls and skiing physics.

It's easy to pick up, but I love the way you can really start gliding through the turns and have to anticipate the next gate... it just feels so natural! Also I'm so happy it's not an endless skier. It's the levels that really make the game, although the storyline made me chuckle too.

The ads are nicely handled and feel somewhat integral to the game (they show up as giant billboards as you go past, which then play videos). It made me hate them a little less, which is saying something!

How many levels ARE there though?

George P: I can confirm that there are 841 normal levels, and 30 challenge levels. Aaron: Wow. I think I might have to quit my job, how long did that take you!? Also, most importantly... DOES GARY DIE? I HATE HIM! George P: I have spent way too long playing this game since Monday. I'm sorry to say Gary doesn't die. Aaron: Maybe he eats it in a later update? George P: Aaron £69.99 Kill Gary DLC. Coming Soon! The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article. Did you pick up Skiing Yeti Mountain? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.