It’s been nearly two years since Disney released Frozen to theaters and if you hadn’t already figured it out, they certainly don’t want you to forget about the movie. I’m not even certain that’s possible as they seem to find a way to slap the franchise name on anything and everything imaginable, a reality which became even clearer as I passed by the frozen foods the other day and happened to notice Olaf’s smug face on a package of frozen carrots. Well, at least console gaming has been safe from the scourge of Frozen . . . . or at least it was.
Frozen Free Fall was originally released on the iOS roughly a day after the film hit theaters and up until now it has stayed there but now everything has changed with the release of Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight which has launched across multiple gaming consoles. For the most part the concept of the game remains unchanged. This is yet another variation of the numerous match three titles that have long been popular in the casual gaming community. As you’d expect with this game though it features the cast of characters that you’d see in the movie who act as your companions as you progress through the various stages of the game.
Everyone should be familiar with the idea of match three since it is something which has been done over and over again and just like almost every one of these games things move beyond just match three. If you match four of the same color you are awarded with a Windchill gem and when activated these eliminate every gem in a column. Matching five gems presents the player with a Glacier and when this is used it will destroy all gems of the same color. If you match colors in either and L or a T shape the game provides you with an Iceberg which will destroy all of the other gems around it when used. If you are fortunate enough to get differing special gems of the same color and combining them you will get an even more spectacular effect.
The game however offers a few more options that simply trying to match and get special gems. Players have a few different power-ups at their disposal. Some of these are available to use at any point such as the ice pick which will destroy a single gem anywhere on the screen whereas the snowball will provide you with five additional moves on those stages which use this type of limitation. The different characters or companions also have unique abilities. Anna has a torch which can eliminate connection gems from the screen. Elsa has a glacier which is exactly the same as the glacier gem you can create yourself. Pabbie’s power-up will summon a random item to be used. Once Hans become available you can use his sword to break all gems in a single direction. Additional characters will be unlocked as you play through the game.
There are various conditions you will encounter in each phase of the game. It might be to reach a certain score in a certain number of moves or a race against the clock. You may have to remove ice blocks from the screen. These are gems which cannot be moved unless you match three or more gems to their position. Other stages have you removing frost which can be done by a simple match or you may have to contend with snow which can only be eliminated when you make a match direction next to them. Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight also offers a multiplayer mode, something not found on the iOS version. If you hadn’t already assumed as much by the title, two players will square off in a snowball fight. By matching gems you increase your meter until you finally lob a snowball at your opponent but they can dodge if they match gems just before you throw. Each character also has a preferred gem color and by matching these you will create a super snowball to toss at them.
Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight is a free to play game however like all of these, there are some slight limitations to the concept of “free.” Players only have a certain number of lives. If you successfully pass a level then you will continue on without any problem but failing a stage will cost you a life. Once these have ran out you must wait for them to recharge and it’s about 22-minutes per life. You can bypass this by purchasing more via micro-transactions. This also applies to any power-ups but unlike your lives, these don’t ever recharge and can only be gained by possibly obtaining them via the daily bonus although like just about everything else you can hop over to the digital store and stock up.
The game duplicates the look and feel of Frozen for the most part. The characters look identical to what is seen in the film and there are a few key scenes which are recreated for backgrounds. Since this is a match three game there isn’t much need to go overboard and Frozen Free Fall keys your attention drawn to the playing field and not wandering around to try and take in other parts of the game.
Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight isn’t too bad as far as this type of game is concerned although I’m not certain that nearly two years after it initially came out a port was needed for home consoles. This feels more like a desperate attempt to keep getting money from players as some will want to add in lives or special moves immediately rather than wait or attempt to earn them. At least the game developers decided to not throw in music from the film because at this point, I could go the rest of my life without having to hear “Let it Go” again so it’s absence here is very much appreciated.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.
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