Indie Spotlight – SNO snow white redefines Metroidvania-style with 2D action and 3D puzzle twists

BuchioGames has launched its action–adventure title, SNO snow white, which is now available on both Android and iOS. In this sci-fi solo project by the dev, you take on the role of a former hero of the AI War, explore ancient ruins, battle monsters, experience Another Dimension Mode, and uncover secrets.

Game Overview

SNO snow white, from BuchioGames, is a sci-fi action adventure title that perfectly blends 2D side-scrolling action with 3D physics-based puzzle solving. Here, you can take advantage of the unique mechanic, dimension-shifting action, and Another Dimension Mode.

You can switch your perspective from 2D to 3D and solve challenges to progress. Here, the stages are interconnected and exploration-type, adopting the Metroidvania format. Moreover, gain new abilities and unlock more areas as you progress.

With its three-dimensional puzzle solving, unique Bosses with distinct patterns and abilities, unique battle mechanics, 3D physics-based action gameplay, 20 hours long content, and more, SNO snow white delivers a well-rounded, dynamic, and exciting gameplay experience for modern gamers.

Why you should play SNO snow white

• A unique blend of 2D side-scrolling action and 3D physics-based puzzle gameplay.
• Packed with over 20 hours of gameplay, with the first 2 hours playable for free.
• Features unique bosses, battle mechanics,  low-poly style visuals, rich lore, dimension-switching action adventure, and more.
• The game shines in its steadily expanding movement options and the thrill of uncovering hidden paths.

From concept to creation: Developer Insights

In a conversation with GamingonPhone, Mr. Buchio, a solo game developer from Japan, shared valuable details about SNO snow white. He opened up about the game’s early development, inspiration, challenges, and more.

He expressed how he finds great joy in “creating games for smartphones, those small devices that people all around the world carry in their hands.” Interestingly, he is a solo dev hailing from Japan, and he strives to pick his games with “moments of surprise and excitement.“

While introducing himself, Mr. Buchio shared that, “As a child, I dreamed of becoming a manga artist.” Even after graduating from university, he kept submitting his works to publishers and contests, chasing that dream. But eventually, reality set in, and “that dream never came true,” he noted.

From the dream of becoming a manga artist to game development

“At the age of 30, I decided it was time to find stable employment,” he explained. However, it was during Japan’s “employment ice age,” making job hunting for him extremely difficult. Luckily, he found an opening in the growing IT industry, joining a company that “operated a mobile manga distribution service.“

“That was the starting point of my career as a developer,” he revealed. He later moved to the game division as Japan’s social games exploded. He recalled how small the team was and shared that he was “responsible for everything except programming.”

He also revealed that only he worked on “large-scale projects with up to 300 people“, but the expansion came with a trade-off. He admitted that his “individual responsibilities shrank” and that he felt frustrated with being assigned a small piece of a project.

But with his discovery of indie developers who were creating entire games solo using Unity, he found his goal. “I immediately began learning and building games on my own,” and added that’s how his solo indie developer began.

A personal vision powered by solo development

Mr. Buchio explained that his desire to create the game stemmed from his passion for creating “an entire work from start to finish by myself.” He said that the manga-style approach, “where one person takes full responsibility for the story, direction, structure, and expression“, always felt natural to him.

While his day job at a game company offered a rewarding experience, it came with various limitations. Working on large teams often prevented him from “fully expressing the vision I want to convey“, as he said.

“With SNO snow white, I wanted to build everything,” he shared, further elaborating, “my ideas, my sense of storytelling, and my game design“, which ultimately led him to “pursue solo development” of this game.

Overcoming the challenges of working alone

I was curious to know how challenging it was to pursue solo development, and I asked him just that.

One of the toughest parts of solo development, Buchio revealed, was learning programming from scratch. Without a programming background, debugging complex logic or difficult bugs took him “days trying to figure things out, and it was extremely tough.“

“In recent years, tools like AI have helped me more and more,” he admitted, but he still feels “the difficulty of having to carry everything alone.” And the solitude of solo work brought emotional challenges.

He revealed that he often wondered, “Is my game fun?” or “Will anyone play this?” It was intriguing to know that managing mental fatigue and keeping motivated were just as difficult as “the technical hurdles.“

Solo development also came with the freedom to rebuild and refine

While solo development was challenging, it also gave him total control over creative decisions. He explained that in a corporate setting, “the bigger the team, the more expensive it becomes to make changes mid-development.” This also becomes harder to make flexible changes along the way.

But as a solo dev, he could “make every decision” himself, like he mentioned, “throw out everything I’ve made and rebuild from scratch if necessary,” if he found it off.

Talking about it, he revealed that there were several points where he “drastically changed the game design after a lot of trial and error” while developing SNO sno white. For him, the ability “to make bold and intuitive decisions” is one of the greatest perks of working alone.

How a small experiment reshaped the whole game

It was surprising to know that the concept of mixing “2D side-scrolling with 3D physics-based puzzles came about purely by chance.” At first, the 3D assets were only used for backgrounds, with the game being a “2D side-scrolling action game.”

In 2023, while preparing a special build for a game event, Mr. Buchio finished earlier than planned and thought, “Why not try something interesting or experimental with the time I have?” He began wondering, “Wouldn’t it be fun if players could interact with the background 3D objects like buildings or rocks?”

With the player limited to only move in 2D space, he envisioned a system where a special tool could “allow interaction with the 3D background.” This idea reminded him of a simple iPad title where trash was flicked into a bin. “I liked that mechanic and wondered if I could bring that feel into my game,” he said.

That’s how the AD Ball was born, a tool that lets you flick a ball to interact with 3D space. “Once I implemented it, I realized it was surprisingly fun and gave the game a unique feel,” Mr. Buchio shared. This mechanic became the core of the game, and he rebuilt the game around it entirely.

The role of AD Ball and puzzle-action synergy

Next, Mr. Buchio explained how action and puzzles aren’t separate in the game, but they are closely connected, each influencing the other and together supporting player progression. The AD Ball lets you flick the 3D space to collect orbs, which are then exchanged for key items that provide you with advantages.

He further provided an example of how the game creates a loop: “I want to advance in the action part,  I need to collect orbs for that,  I’ll take on the puzzle challenges.” Plus, some orbs require clever use of angles or wall bounces, which gives a more rewarding “sense of accomplishment when collecting them through trial and error.“

Plans beyond the game’s launch

Coming to the end of our discussion, I asked him about his plans now that the game is live. To which he replied that he had already begun working on the next project. “I’m aiming to create something more mobile-friendly,” he said. Plus, it will be designed for shorter sessions and quick development cycles.

Instead of years of work upfront, he’s considering a different style, “releasing something smaller in six months to a year and gradually expanding it through updates.” He still plans to stay solo for now. However, he said that he is open to the “right opportunity or inspiring partnership that comes along.”

Final Verdict from the Editor

With the game now available on mobile, I am excited to try SNO snow white, which looks very fun with its engaging 3D physics-based action gameplay and unique mechanics. The best part for me is the combination of classic 2D side-scrolling action with 3D physics-based puzzle solving.

With its Metroidvania-style structure, a long overall playtime, Another Dimension Mode, AD Ball, unique Bosses, high-stakes battles, solid visuals, and more,  it’s a must-try title for fans who want to try something unique and fun at the same time.

If you want to play this title, you can now download it via your respective Google Play Store or App Store. Let me remind you again that you can try out 2 to 4 hours of content for free, and purchase the full game for $4.99 to experience over 20 hours of gameplay.

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