Snow Cones is an adorable ice-cream dating sim in which you play a nervous, little blue snow cone as they prepare for and go out on their very first date.
The artwork of Snow Cones is simplistic but charming, with a pastel palette that perfectly captures that rosy tint the world takes on when you first begin to fall in love. The game’s soundtrack is lovely as well, with an acoustic guitar that helps to highlight the game’s hipster-in-love, WALL-E-esque vibe.
The game’s controls wonderfully compliment the nervous first date narrative. You’ll control your snow cone’s actions with the arrows keys and spacebar, but there is never any onscreen indicator for exactly what you should press or in what order. Much like on a real first date, there is no handbook for success; you can only make educated guesses based on your prior knowledge of your date or, in this case, based on what you know of traditional control schemes. Snow Cones could have easily skewed creepy if the developers hadn’t so lovingly defined the emotional state of each snow cone. As it is, the game feels like a real example of puppy love, even with its silly overlay of frosty sweetness.
Snow Cones’ only real downfall is in its length. Snow Cones is extremely short, but with only 72 hours to develop it, its smaller scope is understandable. It’s worth checking out the original concept for the game’s design which you can find outlined in a follow-up dev post. If you’re looking for a break from all the grim, dark games that are popular now, take a chance on Snow Cones; it’s sure to leave a sweet taste in your mouth.
Controls: Arrow Keys – Movement, Spacebar – Interact
Available On: Windows, Mac & Browser (Not Chrome)
Gameplay Video: Here
Download or Play Snow Cones Here