on iPhone, there's a new game
Schoolyard bullies, man they're so lame
Pelt them with snow
Till you're ready to go
Fighting in a winter wonderland

Hey, it's the holiday season, we can be festive and creative when approaching our game reviews, especially when a game likes Snowjinks brings back childhood memories of sledding and snowball fights, long before the move to the southern hemisphere. Yes, ducking and weaving the icy onslaught of snowballs in suburbia is heaps of fun, and this is in no small part thanks to the wonderfully fluid control scheme.

Actually the more thought given to this game, the more it reminds one of the arcade games Cabal and Blood Bros. Rather then using a trackball to dive and weave around the landscape, your finger swipes take up the task of staying out of sight. Swiping left or right will execute a dive, swiping up will peek you out of cover, and tapping on an enemy will lob a snowball in their direction. The targeting reticle will only stay on one enemy at a time so if you've had to duck before dispatching a foe, a more immediate target might need taking out, so you'll have to tap on them instead to gear up your snow throwing arm.

After getting rid of all your enemies, you change location. Each new level brings more bullies with heftier firepower and less cover. All the while you'll be collecting coins by tapping on them or gaining momentary upgrades through attacking a gift. When you've had all your health depleted, there is the opportunity to upgrade using the in-game store, but like many titles, the prices are hefty.

With impressive visuals utilising the Unreal Engine (in a game about snow fighting kids no less), Snowjinks does a lot right to offer an engaging yet non-violent action experience. The only real problem aside from the shop is there's really not much variety here. After a couple levels you'll have seen pretty much all the game has to offer aside from new outfits and some power-ups. If you have fond memories of snowball fights however, you can definitely use this game to live vicariously through the lens of simpler times.