Originally developed by Toaplan as a hit arcade game, Snow Bros. is a beloved cooperative platformer on the NES. Controlling the snowmen brothers, Nick and Tom, players must throw snow at monsters to turn them into giant snowballs, then kick the snowballs to roll them across platforms, crushing other enemies. This guide breaks down the snowball physics, power-up potions, and floor boss tactics.
1. Snowball Combat & Physics
Your primary weapon is throwing snow. Understanding how to manage snowballs is key to clearing levels quickly:
Wrapping Enemies in Snow: Shoot an enemy repeatedly to cover them in snow. If you stop shooting, they will shake the snow off and escape. Keep firing until they turn into a solid, round snowball.
Rolling the Snowball (Kick): Touch a fully formed snowball and press B to kick it. The snowball will roll down platforms, bouncing off walls and falling through gaps, crushing any enemies in its path.
The "Total Clearance" Bonus: If you roll a single snowball and manage to destroy *all* enemies on the screen with it, four bonus dollar cards will fall from the sky. Collect these cards to spell "SNOW" for an extra life.
2. Power-Up Potions Manual
Defeating enemies occasionally drops colored potions that upgrade Nick and Tom's abilities for the rest of the level:
Red Potion: Speed Up. Increases your walking speed significantly, making it easier to dodge attacks.
Blue Potion: Snow Power. Increases the amount of snow thrown per shot, allowing you to wrap enemies in fewer hits.
Yellow Potion: Range Up. Increases the distance of your snow shots.
Green Potion: Giant snowman. Makes your character balloon to massive proportions, allowing you to walk through and crush enemies directly for a short time.
3. Stage Boss Tactics
Snow Bros. features 50 Floors divided into 5 worlds. Every 10th floor features a massive boss fight:
Floor 10: Giant Lizard - Spits small lizards. Wrap the small lizards in snow and kick them into the boss's head to deal damage.
Floor 20: Giant Bird - Flies across the screen, dropping eggs that hatch into chicks. Use the chicks as snowballs to strike the bird when it flies low.
Floor 30: Twin Sumo Bosses - Spout fireballs. Dodge the fireballs, wrap their spawns, and roll them into the sumo brothers.
Floor 40: Flame Monster - Spits rolling fire rings. Stay on the upper platforms, wait for the rings to pass, and throw snow.
Floor 50: King & Queen - The final battle. The bosses hang from the ceiling. Dodge their falling spikes, wrap the minions, and launch them upward to win the game!
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