I recently moved house, and with that comes all the jolly stress of deciding what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw away. Something I’m quite glad I kept was my old mix CDs. In my younger days, I spent hours creating the best playlist I could from my collection of CDs. Some of these I played on a radio station I used to volunteer at, and others I would give to a loved one in a pathetic bid to look cool. Unpacking these memories inspired me to create a Winter video game playlist for 2023 while sharing memories surrounding these games. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
Yoshi’s Woolly World – WiiU – A Little Light Snowfall
First on my Winter Video Game Playlist is Yoshi’s Woolly World, which is one of the best feel-good platforms Nintendo has ever created. It has a gorgeous art design with everything made of yarn/wool; better still, you can enjoy it in a local co-op with a loved one. My wife and I played through this game multiple times to find every collectable possible and unlock all the cuddly Yoshi’s. The general soundtrack is excellent, but if you want a score to put you in the Christmas mood, you only need to play the first snowy level. Nintendo really should re-release this on Nintendo Switch already.
Banjo Kazooie – N64 – Freezeezy Peak
Banjo Kazooie, who could forget this cuddly platformer? It was one of the nicest surprises from my brothers, who pulled together one year and purchased me the N64 console and this game in one delightful package. As a family, we were often one gaming generation behind the rest of the world, but I kinda always liked it this way. By this point, N64 games were more affordable and less ludicrous in price, especially if you were happy going for used cart-only options.
Banjo Kazooie was my first and probably still one of my favourite N64 games. Everyone would rave about Super Mario 64, but I was content with a bear and his weird bird friend. Freezeezy Peak was Banjo Kazooie’s obligatory snow level, which every game had to have, but it proved to be one of the game’s most memorable. A giant snowman to climb up, a deadbeat dad polar bear hunting for his lost kids’ presents, and you can turn into a cute walrus. This level had a lot going for it, and throughout your trek through the cold, you had an upbeat score to add a pit of jingle to the experience.
Mario Kart 64 – N64 – Frappe Snowland
Continuing with the N64 games. One of my brother’s favourites was Mario Kart 64, a game we would play obsessively together because, in grand prix mode, you could share the experience in split screen. All the way up to 150cc, I would join my brother in a bid to take the top spot. But since he was my older brother, I always wanted him to win so I would try and always hover in second place to prevent other racers from beating him. There are two winter-themed races in Mario Kart 64. The one I chose to go with for the playlist is Frappe Snowland since it had this upbeat tone to it that just puts you a little more in the Christmas spirit. Mario Kart 64 remained my favourite Mario Kart, probably until the most recent Mario Kart 8 released on Nintendo Switch. But I’ll never forget those moments with my brother.
Stardew Valley – PS4 – Winter
Stardew Valley is a game that needs no introduction on this site. It’s a beloved farming sim that’s seen oodles of updates even today. Several years ago, when the first run of physical copies of this game came out, I picked up the PS4 copy, which came with the soundtrack CD. I actually purchased the game with the intention of playing it co-op with my wife. After all, the back of the PS4 box literally said co-op was a feature.
Little did I know co-op would not be implemented into the game until several years later! Despite our frustrations, I had much fun sharing the experience with my wife in single-player. She would often do the farming stuff and then hand the controller to me to do the mining and combat bits. The Winter theme in this game is just delightful and certainly brings back nice memories of enjoying a single-player game together. No, we haven’t returned to the game since the co-op was implemented.
Sonic 3 – Mega Drive – Ice Cap Zone
Sonic 3 takes me back to actual Christmas. Since we were British and had Mega Drive, it probably made sense to my parents that the next Sonic iteration would be one of the few games to purchase us in a year. The game’s appeal for me and my brother is that one could play as Sonic whilst the other played as the companion Tails. Even though that often meant poor player two spent most of the time watching Sonic zip about the level until you caught up at the boss fight to lend a hand.
Sonic 3 added a little bit more incentive to pause and wait for poor Tails as this time; player two could fly and carry Sonic a short distance. It meant you could skip some of the more tricky platform sections, which my brother really appreciated before zipping off again. The game would end up being disappointing since it only had six levels, with the additional six levels locked into the next game, Sonic & Knuckles, a game we would never own as youngsters and a very early example of gating content from the player. What did stand out was the excellent score, and one of my favourites by far was zone 5, the Ice Cap zone.
Blue Stinger – Dreamcast – Xmas Shopping Music
There really wasn’t a horror-themed game quite like Blue Stinger. You play as emergency rescuer Eliot Ballade and survivor Dogs Bower, who are stranded on Dinosaur Island and are dealing with a tricky monster outbreak; of course, the game is set around Christmas. In between dealing with the horrors in the facilities, our heroes will often pass through a shopping facility which plays some of the most joyous Xmas jingles. Then there’s that weird scene where the two male characters share a hot tub together. I swear this is a horror game.
You really don’t get enough games anymore with such a zany premise. I have very fond memories of playing this game since I covered it for a podcast with two of my co-hosts. Just sharing our thoughts of the silliness on display in this game holds a special place in my memories. And that Xmas music is the first thing I think of.
Wonder Boy in Monster World – Mega Drive – Winter Area
Wonder Boy in Monster World was my favourite adventure game growing up. Many gamers often praise Zelda, but I was a Sega kid, and this game gave me that sense of wonder and adventure. I played through this game silly amounts as a child. I would return to it periodically as I got older, even having the chance to revisit it on some of the Wonder Boy Collections re-released on Nintendo Switch. To link it to Winter, there is a section of the game where you must go through this long gauntlet of a Winter wasteland before reaching the safety of the nearest village. The enemies are relentless, including floating snowmen and giant penguins.
The music playing during these moments is sombre and tense. Then, after a long slog through the snow, you hit the village, and this beautifully relaxing music finally plays, and you know you are safe. So, I guess I’m cheating here with two tracks. It’s more about highlighting a key scene in the game where music is put to great effect.
James Pond 2: Codename: Robocod – Mega Drive – Main Theme
Wow, James Pond 2, this takes me back. This platformer is where you play a stretchy fish-like character on a mission to save Christmas. I played the original version of this game on Mega Drive, which featured penguins to rescue and had a tie-in with a popular chocolate bar. I remember being naughty and getting the invincibility cheat as a youngster, something achieved by collecting items in a certain order on the roof of the building in the opening area. For reasons unknown, this game would receive ports to practically every system imaginable, including Nintendo Switch.
Only over time would license agreements change, and the penguins were swapped for elves. It just never quite felt the same. Still, it’s a jolly Christmas game, and the main theme of this game drilled into my head as a youngster. Whenever I think of Christmas video game music, this is still one of the first ones to come up.
Final Fantasy VII – PSone – Buried in the Snow
No, I still haven’t played the remake of this game. I’m a parent now, and my time is precious. But what I will still play is the original low poly graphic. To me, the main character Cloud’s weirdly shaped arms are still just fine in my books. I loved this game as a youngster. It was one of the first turn-based RPGs I finished without cheating, and I would revisit it multiple times.
When it comes to Winter, there is a prominent scene in the game where you reach a village covered in snow, and you need to figure out a way down the mountain. So you do the sensible thing, borrow a kid’s snowboard, and engage in a fun little mini-game of the main character sliding down the slopes. Cloud should have packed his warm jacket because later on, you need to mash the controller buttons to stay warm and deal with that horrid tentacle monster that can cast ‘bad breath’ on you and turn you and your team into frogs. Anyway, the village music in the snow section is quite delightful. What happens after can be terrifying. Think of it as a calm before the cold.
And that’s my Winter Video Game Playlist for this season. There are, of course, so many more Winter-themed scores, so if you fancy sharing your favourites, be sure to drop a comment below. Have a great Christmas!