Foreword

Middle 80s, Nintendo has been successful with its adventure in North America, with a soaring hit of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and still develops titles for the console. As we have already mentioned, skiing is an sport used in videogames since the beginnings of the industry, and chooses to try its luck with a title for this winter sport.

Game

Slalom, it’s a very used sport in videogames due to the simplicity of its rules. The main objective of the game is to going downhill in a course in the least time possible, avoiding obstacles and hazzard, and going between flags (also called gates). In case of not going between the flags, a time penalty is applied to the virtual skier adding a few seconds.

The videogame offers a view just like a skier should see the ski track, which had already been used in previous videogames. In the track the videoplayer finds obstacles, aside the flags, like trees, other skiers (apparently in this world there is only one track to practice slalom, so everybody has to share it), snowmen and even sleds with people. It depens on the obstacle if the skier only slows down, or tumbles. Of course there are moguls, which can be jumped or used to launch into the air and execute antics.

The control schema are fairly standard: use the cross to move horizontally the skier, up to increase the speed, or down to decrease it. Any button of the console can be used to jump obstacles which include other skiers who appear very often.

I forgot, when using a mogul to launch up in the sky the skier, use down in the cross to make it perform tricks. But, to land, you must release the cross. Otherwise it will certainly tumble into the snow, and will surely be reflected in more seconds in the elapsed time.

In the top of the screen, it shows the speed and time to beat. Just like other skiing videogames. If the videoplayer can beat the time suggested, it goes to another track with a higher difficulty. Otherwise, it’s game over.

Epilogue

The videogame in fact, it’s really simple to play. Maybe too simple, considering that, aside from the graphics, and some elements like the other skiers, there is no much difference when compared to videogames found in previous consoles.

Other factor it’s probably the skiing event selected. It’s true that slalom is quite easy to understand, but by then other skiing sports like Hot Dog, Aerials and/or Ski Jump where gathering more fan support, and more popularity among fans.

For a quick slalom match in winter time, it’s a really good option. the controls are intuitive and allow for a match in no time. But it does not offer more replay value aside of trying to beat the latest time. At least to me, it’s not my main option for a videogame in winter, but certainly not the last.

References

Sport Icon designed by Smashicons of FlatIcon licensed by CC 3.0 BY.

Console Icon taken from Retroarch.