Games

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

BBG News

Story Highlights

  • SNO snow white is a sci-fi action adventure that blends 2D side-scrolling with 3D physics puzzles.
  • Mr. Buchio, the solo developer of the game, shared fascinating insights about the game’s inspiration, challenges, future plans, and more.
  • You can now try the game yourself and enjoy two hours of free content.

BuchioGames has introduced its action-adventure game titled “SNO snow white,” now accessible on both Android and iOS devices. In this solo production by the developer, you assume the character of a once-honored hero from the AI War, venture through ancient ruins, combat monsters, engage in Another Dimension Mode, and reveal hidden mysteries.

Featured Column – Indie Spotlight

Gaming on Phone’s “Indie Spotlight” highlights up-and-coming small game studios and developers, providing them with recognition and visibility in the independent gaming world. In this feature, we provide concise summaries, as well as insights and opinions from developers themselves. If you are an indie studio, don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions at editor@gamingonphone.com.

Game Overview

Snow White hailing from BuchioGames is an engaging sci-fi action-adventure game that seamlessly combines 2D side-scrolling combat with 3D physics-based puzzle-solving. This game offers the exciting feature of dimension-shifting actions and a special mode called “Another Dimension Mode”.

Instead of limiting yourself to a two-dimensional viewpoint, feel free to switch to a three-dimensional one to tackle problems and advance. As you move through these interconnected stages, you’ll find the experience to be exploratory in nature, following the Metroidvania style. Additionally, as you make progress, you’ll acquire new skills that will give you access to previously inaccessible areas.

This three-dimensional puzzle solver, boasting one-of-a-kind Bosses with individual patterns and skills, offers distinctive 3D physics-based action gameplay, a content-rich journey spanning approximately 20 hours, and much more – all combining to provide a diverse, dynamic, and exhilarating gaming experience tailored for today’s gamers. In other words, SNO snow white promises an engaging, modern gaming adventure.

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

During a chat with GamingonPhone, Mr. Buchio, a lone game creator based in Japan, revealed intriguing insights regarding the game known as SNO Snow White. He candidly discussed the project’s inception stages, inspirations, obstacles, and additional aspects.

He openly shared his delight in designing mobile games, which are compact gadgets that many people worldwide keep handy. Remarkably, this developer operates independently from Japan, and he focuses on incorporating “shocking and thrilling instances” into his games.

During the introduction, Mr. Buchio mentioned that as a young boy, he harbored aspirations of being a comic book artist, or manga artist more specifically. Despite earning his degree from university, he continued to send his creations to publishers and competitions in pursuit of this dream. However, eventually, he acknowledged that, unfortunately, “this dream remained unfulfilled“.

From the dream of becoming a manga artist to game development

At thirty years old, he felt it was the right moment to secure a steady job, but this was during Japan’s “cold employment period,” making his job search particularly challenging. Fortunately, he managed to find an opportunity in the rapidly expanding IT sector, joining a company that specialized in distributing mobile comics.

He disclosed that his entry into a career as a developer began there, subsequently, he transitioned to the game division when social games in Japan gained massive popularity. Looking back, he remembered that the team was quite small, and he took on various tasks, with programming being the only responsibility he didn’t handle.

Additionally, he disclosed that he was solely involved in “large-scale endeavors involving up to 300 individuals,” however, this growth brought about a compromise. He acknowledged that his “individual tasks became less significant” and expressed feelings of dissatisfaction due to being given a minor portion of the project’s scope.

After uncovering independent developers who were single-handedly producing entire games with Unity, he identified his purpose. So, “I promptly started educating myself and creating games independently using this platform“, and further elaborated that was the inception of his solo indie developer journey.

A personal vision powered by solo development

Mr. Buchio shared that his motivation to develop the game originated from his eagerness to independently produce a complete work, “from conception to completion.” He expressed that the manga-style approach, where an individual handles every aspect such as storytelling, direction, structure, and artistic expression, has always resonated with him.

Although his daily work at a gaming corporation was satisfying, it had its constraints. Being part of larger teams frequently hindered him from “completely communicating the idea I wish to share,” as he expressed.

He expressed that with Snow White (SNO), his ambition was to create everything – encompassing his creative ideas, narrative style, and game design. This passion eventually motivated him to take on the challenge of independent game development for this project.

Overcoming the challenges of working alone

I wanted to find out about the difficulties involved in solo development, so I posed this question to him.

One of the most challenging aspects of going it alone in software development, as Buchio shared, was having to learn coding fundamentals from the ground up. Without any prior programming knowledge, tackling intricate logic issues or stubborn bugs became a lengthy process for him, taking “days of struggle just to understand, and it was incredibly tough.

In recent times, AI tools have increasingly become a significant aid for him, but he confessed that he continues to struggle with the burden of doing it all single-handedly. The isolation inherent in solo work has also presented him with emotional hurdles.

He shared that he frequently pondered, “Is my creation enjoyable?” or “Will others find it engaging?” Similarly, dealing with mental exhaustion and maintaining motivation posed challenges just as formidable as the “technical obstacles.

Solo development also came with the freedom to rebuild and refine

Working alone presented some difficulties, but it granted him full authority over creative choices. He noted that in a corporate environment, “the larger the team, the more costly it is to implement adjustments during development.” Such modifications can also become less feasible as the project progresses.

As a lone developer, he had the freedom to “take full responsibility for decisions,” as he put it, “discard everything previously created and start anew if required” when he deemed it appropriate.

Discussing the process, he shared that during the development of Snow White, he made significant adjustments to the game design after numerous attempts and experimentation. In his opinion, one of the most rewarding aspects of working independently is having the freedom to make bold, intuitive choices.

How a small experiment reshaped the whole game

It turned out to be unexpected that the idea of blending “side-scrolling 2D action with 3D puzzle elements” occurred randomly. Originally, the 3D components were merely used for backdrops, making it a “standard 2D side-scrolling game.

2023 found Mr. Buchio wrapping up a unique build for a gaming event ahead of schedule, leaving him pondering, “What if I used this extra time to explore something novel or experimental?” His thoughts then wandered, “Wouldn’t it be intriguing if players could interact with the 3D background elements such as buildings or rocks? It could add an exciting layer to the gameplay experience.

In a game restricted to 2D movement, the player thought about creating a system where a unique tool would enable some form of interaction with the 3-dimensional backdrop. This concept reminded him of a straightforward mobile game for iPad in which objects were tossed into a bin. “I found that mechanic appealing and pondered whether I could introduce similar gameplay elements to my own project,” he mused.

In his own words, “Upon creating it, I discovered it was unexpectedly entertaining and added an exclusive flair to the game,” Mr. Buchio revealed. This feature turned out to be the heart of the game, and he completely revamped the game to revolve around it.

The role of AD Ball and puzzle-action synergy

Subsequently, Mr. Buchio elaborated on how actions and puzzles in the game aren’t distinct but rather intertwined, each affecting the other, and collectively facilitating player advancement. The AD Ball allows you to flick 3D space to gather orbs, which can be traded for essential items that offer you an edge.

He also demonstrated that the game has a repeating structure by explaining the process: ‘To progress in the action segment, I must gather orbs first, so I’ll tackle the puzzle levels.’ Some of these orbs can only be obtained by skillfully manipulating angles or wall bounces, which makes it satisfying when you finally collect them through trial and error.

Plans beyond the game’s launch

At the conclusion of our conversation, I inquired about his plans now that the game has been launched. To this, he responded that he had already started working on the next venture. “His goal is to develop something more user-friendly on mobile devices,” he explained. Additionally, it will be structured for brief play sessions and fast development periods.

Instead of investing years at the outset, he’s contemplating an alternative approach, which is “launching a smaller project within six months to a year and then growing it through updates.” For now, he intends to work alone. Yet, he remains open for the “right prospect or stimulating collaboration that may present itself.”

Final Verdict from the Editor

I’m thrilled to give SNO snow white a spin, as it seems quite entertaining with its captivating 3D physics-based gameplay and distinctive mechanics. What really catches my eye is the blend of traditional side-scrolling action with innovative 3D puzzle solving.

Featuring a Metroidvania-like game structure, extensive playtime, an Additional Dimension Mode, distinctive ball mechanics, challenging bosses, intense battles, eye-catching graphics, and numerous other features, this game is a highly recommended choice for those seeking a fresh and entertaining experience.

Go ahead and grab this game by downloading it from your Google Play Store or App Store. I should mention, you have the opportunity to test out around 2 to 4 hours of content for free. Once you’re ready, you can buy the full version for just $4.99, which offers over 20 hours of gameplay. Enjoy!

Read More

2025-07-27 11:42

Previous post Bend It Like Beckham director confirms a sequel is in the works and hopes to reunite stars Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra – 23 years after hit film made them household names
Next post Is Olivia Attwood the new Holly Willoughby? History repeats itself as ITV recruits their latest bubbly blonde with a racy past to host This Morning