Sledding Game Review (Xbox Series X|S)

Sledding Game isn’t the kind of ice-breaking, face-melting multiplayer title that is likely to swivel heads at The Game Awards I’ll admit. But honestly, I could not care less about that. If anything, I respect The Sledding Corporation for dialling it back to the basics, to the shenanigans that just happen to make us smile. It might not do a lot more than that, but I can spot a wholesome experience when I see one, and if Sledding Game is anything at all, it’s a happy little accident that makes amphibians even more lovable and the art of sledding a universal pastime that anyone can enjoy. Is it perfect? No. Though, it is adorable and incredibly inviting, and that’s precisely what I’m taking away from it.

I never intended to stick around on the alps for longer than, I don’t know, twenty minutes or so. I figured, if I could take in some sights, barrel down a few hills on a sled, and take a couple of snapshots, then I could go away with a good idea of what it wanted me to see and do. But then along came midnight, and before long it felt as if I had lost sight of that initial goal. Weirdly, I had developed a new habit, and it wasn’t one that I expected to be able to steal hours upon hours of my time. I wasn’t just sledding; I was dashing snowballs at penguins whilst somersaulting down a ravine in an old blue Croc. And that was only the beginning.

At first, I felt a bit lost. Or at least, without a purpose. I joined a lobby with three other people, and I arrived at the lodge. I had a prompt that allowed me to hop on and off a sled, and a reminder that there was to be no sledding inside the lodge. But other than that, I had little to go on. I had the alps, and I had a whole bunch of activities around me that I could throw myself at. And so, without thinking twice, I grabbed a stick, and I started to toast a marshmallow by the campfire. But after a mere eight seconds, I accidentally set it alight. The camera panned around, and what else but a judgmental penguin stood behind me, watching as I aimlessly flailed my stubby arms around trying to extinguish a s’more. He hopped. I hopped. And just like that — a silent friendship had began to emerge.

Sledding Game is a game that you never really plan to spend much time in, but then, after scrubbing its icy crags and crevices, slowly find yourself falling in love with. The sledding itself is typical rag doll chaos, as is most of the general gameplay here. You hop on a sled, a ski lift, or even into the ominous depths of a canon, and you flop and flail around a mountain range with a bunch of strangers. And for the most part, that’s all that you do: sled, accrue points for various tricks and activities, and then spend your in-game currency on hats, accessories and other sleds. Again, see Croc reference. With that, you have no objectives, and you have nowhere to be. It’s just you, an open-ended ski resort, and a vast selection of wholesome activities.

Screenshot by Gaming.net

Whilst the general act of sledding and barreling down the alps is the most important element here, Sledding Game also has a solid variety of things for you to do. For example, you can have snowball fights with other frogs and penguins, toast s’mores, slurp hot cocoa, slide hockey pucks, compete in darts, and even build a snowman, to list just a handful of things. Again, the game doesn’t tell you what you should do. Rather, it just presents you with a surprisingly large biome, and it grants you the freedom to explore it at your own pace, all whilst absorbing an inner eighties B-movie soundtrack and an incredibly peaceful synth essence.

Of course, Sledding Game can feel like the loneliest multiplayer experience ever, more so if you saddle yourself in a lobby with just eight people and a lodge that has far too many activities to do. At times, it felt as if I was the only frog on the mountain. I’d pour a hot chocolate, add a couple of marshmallows, and then sit on a bench. Minutes would pass, and nothing would happen. Or at least, not until a dart would hit me and knock me out. But there were plenty of times, alright, when Sledding Game just felt, well, lonely. Yet, that never stopped me from wanting to jump back on the sled and snowball back down to the lodge, for I often found a new way to kill time.

Screenshot by Gaming.net

Suffice it to say, Sledding Game is a social experience at its core, and therefore, one that you will want to put in front of a few friends. Alone, it isn’t quite the same, as most of the activities you can onboard here are designed for two players. A rhythm game, for example. Sure enough, you can do just about anything on your own, but it dampens the mood a little. What’s more, it never feels quite as satisfying. You earn your points, unlock sleds and accessories, but then struggle to find a reason to use them. But with a room full of friends, it becomes a whole different story. To say that it harbors a competitive element might be a bit of an overstatement, for sure. That being said, I can think of several times where I’d see another “special” sled or skin and think, ‘alright, so I need that.’

Evidently, Sledding Game is as cute as they come. The characters, the emotes and rag doll physics, and the giddy soundtrack, at least when combined, make for a stupidly joyful, albeit slightly pointless experience. It doesn’t go much deeper than that. And yet, I can’t help but sing its praises, because whilst it might not be great, I can clearly see the potential in it. Perhaps it just needs a little more meat on the bones, or at the very least, something to fill its wide open spaces.

Verdict

Screenshot by Gaming.net

Sledding Game might lack the proper structure of a fully interactive socializing experience, but thanks to its lovable animations and hilarious rag doll physics, and not to mention its plethora of activities and cozy mini-games, it certainly makes for a jolly old affair with a lot of features available for you to enjoy. It has potential, too, with more than enough wriggle room to foster additional games, sleds and accessories in the future. And I hope that it does exceed its potential, too, as I sincerely believe that there’s a brilliant indie sledding game here. It’s silly, true. But honestly, you can’t help but love just about everything about it.