Wintercore games.

[Tweed]

Henceforth, this thread shall be dedicated to those games which, if not visually, at least give off a wintery vibe and are suitable for playing during the cold months.

Examples:

ATOM: Trudograd:

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Kind of goes without saying that this one breathes winter and the guys at AtomTeam really stepped it up with the environmental design compared to ATOM. The city of Trudograd looks so cold you can feel it. Warmth replaces radiation as the persistent environmental threat and you'll often have to stop and warm up by a fire barrel or inside of a building to keep from freezing to death. Most armor has some kind of cold resistant value to stave off freezing and as you get colder the UI begins to ice over.

Max Payne:

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Not only takes place during the worst winter storm of the year, the entire game is one major downer that fits perfectly with cold vibe.

Transarctica:

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The De Facto icy train game, long before the truly horrible movie Snowpiercer was a glint in anyone's eye the Frenchies at Silmarilis tried (tried, mind you) to make a management/combat game where you operated a train in an apocalyptical ice-age. Like all Silimarlis games it had some major design flaws, but a very neato concept.

What other games do YOU know that fit the description?

[methoxetamine]

[Acrux]

Icewind Dale/Icewind Dale 2
Wasteland 3
The Bard's Tale

[Valter]

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy is all during winter and everyone's geared appropriately

[A Chinese opium den]

Skyrim

[rusty_shackleford]

Need to find a way to combine space with snow

[Oyster Sauce]

Need to find a way to combine space with snow

Important snow space mechanics

[Tangerine]

I've always liked the winter vibe of World 6 in Super Mario Bros 3, but I don't think a single world is in the spirit of the OP.

[asf]

daggerfall has some snow

[Manny V]

Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World

[wndrbr]

The Long Dark

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Trails of Cold Steel 2 and Muv Luv Alternative conclude on Christmas day and it is snowing by the end. Christmas and New Years' serves as a plot deadline that builds suspense as you approach it.

Muv Luv Total Eclipse takes place in Alaska and it is snowing by the end.

Most Type-Moon visual novels take place in winter. Witch of the Holy Night, Fate/Zero (is a LN turned TV show, watched before F/SN), Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, and Tsukihime. Some of the Kara no Kyoukai movies too.

A few hours into Valkyria Chronicles 4, it begins snowing and the plot really speeds ahead a train that doesn't stop.

Much of The Banner Saga trilogy takes place in snowy environments.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, and Guild Wars 2: Icebrood Saga primarily take place in snowy areas.

It is often snowing in Arknights.

Genshin Impact's story outline revolves around 7 chapters and 7 nations. The first 6 chapters have been completed and the final chapter set in the seventh and final country of the antagonistic ice empire of Snezhnaya is anticipated to come out next year (currently this year we are in a filler chapter to tie up loose ends before heading into the finale, and to stall for PS4 support to end so the next chapter can exceed current performance limitations).

The first arc/planet of Honkai Star Rail takes place in on a planet that has been in an ice age for hundreds of years.

[Acrux]

The White Marches 1 & 2 DLCs for Pillars of Eternity. The only part of the game worth playing.

[J1M]

One of the Arkham games is set during winter.

[ThulsaDoomer]

The White Marches 1 & 2 DLCs for Pillars of Eternity. The only part of the game worth playing.

True, and it has some very nice pieces of music, as PoE1 did in general. This one is the closest to Icewind Dale which has an absolutely killer score. Among the best for CRPGs of that era.

[stormvermin]

Sekiro. Not quite the dead of winter though and not every zone has snow, but most do in some capacity.

[Lich]

https://enormouselk.bandcamp.com/track/ ... orld-theme

[Nemesis]

Icewind Dale

[Tadeusz]

Frostpunk.

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[logincrash]

Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
AC games have always had stunning environments and Valhalla is no exception. You start the game in Norway and it's incredibly beautiful, especially at night with the aurora borealis shining in the sky. It truly feels like you're in a magical realm. And the northern parts of England are just as majestic in their own snowy ways.
I think the environments is a huge reason why people love AC games, even though it might be subconscious.

One of the Arkham games is set during winter.

Not just during winter, Arkham Origins is set during Christmas and it's very cool (pun unintended). Gotham is covered in snow and all the thugs are shivering from cold and talking about Christmas stuff. It's all very charming.

Need to find a way to combine space with snow

SWTOR, Mass Effect 1 and Andromeda have frozen planets. They both have a more sterile rather than comfy feel to them, but it's still pretty nice.
In Andromeda your armor and your APC get covered in frost and you have to huddle around portable heaters lest you freeze to death.

[MrTwinkls]

Cryostasis

► Show Spoiler

► Show Spoiler

But I don't understand the appeal. In Russian winter times with -30C degrees cold, meters of bleaching snow and scarce sunlight I only want to play summer themed games.

[Tadeusz]

HoMM 3 and 4 (perhaps other parts too) have winter maps and winter versions of castles:

► Show Spoiler

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[SpellSword]

Both the Lemmings series and Jazz Jackrabbit had several snowy releases:

Jazz Jackrabbit and Lemmings.webp

► Xmas Lemmings (1991)

► Xmas Lemmings (1992)

► Holiday Lemmings (1993)

► Holiday Lemmings (1994)

► Lemmings 3D Winterland

---

► Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 94

► Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 95 ... (Although, considering the candy theme that may be icing and not snow...)

► Jazz Jackrabbit 2: Holiday Hare 98

[Rumbles]

Max Payne which is one of my favourite in portraying seasonal depression is already listed at the start so I'll add some.
Mafia 2: everything at the start of this game is just wintery and christmasy, it feels amazing. Not the whole game is like it of course
Assassin's Creed 3: After the animus mission you'll be in winter New York and Boston(?), it looks really good. You can stay in these longer when you just do side quests or after completing the game with the cheat unlocked. Really liked the parkour as well, underrated AC game imo.
I also like games where there's a snow biome or latitude related stuff going on. Elden Ring's consecrated snowfields are my favourite part in that game, the visibility is **** and it just feels like you have to get out of there, yet it's cool as ****. Like Ordina ruins having the aurora/glow and parts of the map switching between absolute snowstorm and just a romantic snowfall.
For a similar reason I like DayZ Sakhal map, it's not very popular but it's based on northeastern Russia, they added new animals for it and it just looks and feels very crisp and chilly, and with your character breathing out clouds it feels immersive.

[Tweed]

Aleshar The World of Ice:

aleshar1.jpg

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This one is really rough though and I didn't stick with it for very long.

[KnightoftheWind]

This game was cancelled ages ago, yet I still remember it. It looked like some real spooky wintercore.

[UltraFan123]

► Show Spoiler

But I don't understand the appeal. In Russian winter times with -30C degrees cold, meters of bleaching snow and scarce sunlight I only want to play summer themed games.

► Show Spoiler

I think it's funny because my case is the complete opposite. I live in a tropical country where it never snows and winter never gets colder than 20C, so I always loved snowy settings.

[Lord of Riva]

Wasteland 3 has nearly every map covered in Ice

[Baldric]

The Division. Say what you will about it, but I enjoyed this game. The weather isn't a mechanic but the setting is cozy.

[Xenich]

7 Days to Die:

7-Days-to-Die-Surviving-Snow-Biome-1173934948.webp

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