Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves

1. Game Background

1.1 World Setting

The story of Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves takes place in a fairy-tale kingdom corrupted by an evil force. Three brand-new elves—replacing the original Snow Bros. Tom and Nick—embark on a journey through six worlds, defeating the BOSS at the end of each land to ultimately rescue the kidnapped princess.

Unlike the original Snow Bros. (1990), where all characters were pure white snowmen, the three new elves in the sequel each have unique visual designs and exclusive abilities. They are no longer "snowmen who throw snowballs"—they are "elves with distinct throwing styles and combat rhythms." The six themed worlds—from lush forests to lava-filled volcanoes, from underwater palaces to cloud-top castles—each feature unique enemy lineups and trap configurations.

1.2 Development History

Snow Bros. 2 was released on arcade machines by Toaplan in April 1994, under the newly established sub-brand Hanafram. It was one of the last arcade titles in Toaplan's history—the company declared bankruptcy in March 1994, just one month before the game's release. A game completed and launched just before its developer went under—this backdrop lends Snow Bros. 2 a lingering sense of melancholy.

The game was developed by Toaplan's rookie team—producer Junya Inoue later recalled that the core members were newcomers who had just joined the company. The soundtrack was composed by Ryūichi Yabuki (uncredited). The game was first publicly showcased at the 1994 AOU show under the Japanese title "Otenki Paradise: Snow Bros. 2."

Due to Toaplan's collapse, the arcade board production run for Snow Bros. 2 was extremely limited—making it a relatively scarce title in the arcade collecting market. In April 2018, City Connection released a soundtrack album in Japan that combined the original music from both Snow Bros. and Snow Bros. 2.

The game's copyright ownership has a complex history—it is currently held by Tatsujin (founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge, and part of the Embracer Group since 2022). In October 2024, CRT Games released the remake Snow Bros. 2 Special on PC and Nintendo Switch. In November of the same year, the third installment in the series, Snow Bros. Wonderland, developed by Tatsujin and published by Clear River Games, launched on PS4/PS5/Switch. An arcade game that quietly died in 1994 received two new titles thirty years later—a miracle of revival.

2. Character Introduction

The three new elves in the sequel each have their own exclusive attack methods—a stark contrast to the perfectly symmetrical design of the original two brothers.

Nick — Snowball Thrower

• Ability: Classic snowball throwing—the same standard attack as the original. Wrap enemies in layers of snow until they become a complete snowball—then kick the snowball to crush everything in its path.
• Overall Assessment: The character closest to the original experience. If you've played the original Snow Bros., Nick is your instinctive choice—he has no new tricks, but the classic "wrap → kick → crush" loop remains addictive.

Bobby — Lightning Elf

• Ability: Lightning throw—a fast, piercing attack. Lightning can penetrate multiple enemies without needing to "wrap" them—dealing direct damage. However, his "wrap" speed is slower than Nick's—requiring more hits to defeat a single enemy.
• Overall Assessment: A speed-type character. Bobby's lightning is ideal for dealing with densely packed groups of enemies—a single bolt can pierce an entire row. But in single-screen levels where you need to "wrap and kick to clear," his slower wrap speed is a clear disadvantage.

Roy — Water Ball Elf

• Ability: Water ball throw—an area-of-effect attack. When the water ball hits an enemy, it splashes outward—covering multiple nearby enemies. However, his throwing speed is the slowest—meaning you need more precise timing to compensate for the slower fire rate.
• Overall Assessment: A control-type character. Roy's water ball splash is most valuable in scenarios with densely packed enemies—one well-aimed shot can hit the densest area, and the splash damage clears the remaining enemies around it.

3. Controls and Core Mechanics

3.1 Basic Controls

3.2 Core Mechanic: Wrap → Kick → Crush

This is the signature three-stage combat flow of the Snow Bros. series:

1. Wrap Stage: Hit the same enemy repeatedly with snowballs; each hit adds a layer of snow. Once fully covered, the enemy becomes a complete snowball—unable to move or attack.
2. Kick Stage: Approach the fully wrapped snowball and touch it—the snowball is kicked out, flying in a straight line toward one end of the screen.
3. Crush Stage: The flying snowball mercilessly crushes all enemies in its path—clearing an entire line in one go. The snowball bounces off walls—crushing repeatedly until it finally breaks.

Partially wrapped enemies are temporarily frozen but cannot be kicked—if you don't follow up with more attacks, they will shake off the snow and resume moving.

3.3 EXTRA Letter Collection

Defeated enemies drop flashing letter orbs—collect all six letters of "EXTRA" to earn an extra life and immediately skip the current level. The drop order of the letters is fixed—among advanced players, controlling letter drops to plan "when to trigger EXTRA" is a core strategy.

4. Level Progression and BOSS Strategies

Six worlds, each containing multiple single-screen levels, with a BOSS battle at the end.

4.1 World 1: Green Forest

4.2 World 2: Lava Volcano

4.3 World 3: Underwater Palace

4.4 World 4: Cloud Castle

4.5 World 5: Candy Land

4.6 World 6: Dark Castle — Final Battle

5. Tips and Advanced Strategies

5.1 Basic Survival Tips

1. Don't focus on just one enemy: The biggest mistake beginners make is concentrating entirely on wrapping one enemy—while ignoring others flooding in from other directions. Keep peripheral vision on the whole field while wrapping—if a closer threat appears, switch to it mid-wrap, then return to finish the wrap later.
2. Kicked snowballs are your best crowd-clearing tool: A kicked snowball can crush every enemy in its line—clearing half the platform in one go. Prioritize rows with densely packed enemies as the kick direction—let the snowball pass through as many enemies as possible.
3. Don't eat EXTRA letters carelessly: Collecting EXTRA immediately skips the current level—if you've already cleared most of the level (only one or two enemies left), skipping means you waste the level's score. In high-score play, controlling when to pick up letter orbs is a core strategy.
4. Use the right character for the right world: Nick (snowball)—best for wide, open single screens (Green Forest, Lava Volcano). Bobby (lightning)—best for densely packed enemy groups (Underwater Palace, Final Castle). Roy (water ball)—best for scenes with large clusters of enemies (Candy Land, some volcano areas).

5.2 Advanced Trivia

• Toaplan's Last Title: In April 1994—one month after the arcade release of Snow Bros. 2—Toaplan declared bankruptcy. The company that produced shooting classics like Tiger Heli, Flying Shark, and Zero Wing ended its history with a fairy-tale-style platformer.
• A Rookie Team's Debut: Junya Inoue recalled that the core development members were newcomers who had just joined Toaplan. A game led by rookies became the final title of a legendary company—a bittersweet and admirable footnote in game development history.
• The Double Revival of 2024: After thirty years of silence, Snow Bros. 2 received both a remake (Snow Bros. 2 Special) and a brand-new third installment (Snow Bros. Wonderland) in 2024. From Toaplan's collapse to Tatsujin's revival—this is a heartwarming story about how a game IP can remain immortal through the currents of time.

6. Anecdotes and Arcade Legends

6.1 Toaplan — The Least Toaplan-like Title from a Shooting Game Giant

Toaplan's name is synonymous with "bullet hell" in the minds of arcade fans—Tiger Heli, Flying Shark, Zero Wing, Daisenpu, Tatsujin—this company almost defined the vertical scrolling shooter genre from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The Snow Bros. series—a cute, colorful, kid-friendly platformer—is the most incongruous entry in Toaplan's catalog. The decision to make a sequel to Snow Bros. was a deliberate "style experiment" within Toaplan—proving they weren't just a shooting game company. Sadly, they never got the chance to run a third experiment.

6.2 Snow Bros. 2 Special — The Magic of 2024

CRT Games' Snow Bros. 2 Special (October 2024, PC/Switch) is more than just an HD port of the original—it adds new levels, new characters, and a multiplayer versus mode. While most 1994 arcade game remakes offer just "a filter and you're done," Snow Bros. 2 Special chose the true "remake" path. It's the highest tribute to a game that failed commercially thirty years ago—it wasn't buried, but placed in a time capsule, waiting for someone willing to reopen it.

6.3 EXTRA — The Simplest Word, the Deepest Strategy

"EXTRA"—six letters—this seemingly harmless collection mechanic has evolved into a profound strategic game in high-level play. Deliberately not picking up a letter to delay triggering EXTRA—achieving two consecutive EXTRA triggers to skip two levels (instead of one)—optimizing the trade-off between score and skipping. A simple "collect EXTRA for an extra life" mechanic from 1994 has been refined into a deep mathematical game through thirty years of player community research. That's the charm of arcade games—the simplest rules, the most unpredictable depth.

6.4 Tatsujin Under the Embracer Group

In 2022, Tatsujin (the copyright holder of Toaplan's legacy) was acquired by the Embracer Group—bringing Toaplan classics like Snow Bros., Tiger Heli, and Zero Wing into the vast catalog of the Swedish gaming giant. The two new Snow Bros. titles in 2024 are the first product validation of this acquisition—from Toaplan's collapse to Tatsujin's revival to Embracer's integration—this IP has crossed three countries, four companies, and a global gaming industry acquisition wave in thirty years. That it survives to this day—is itself a more incredible existence than any world in the game.

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