It’s remarkable how isolating and absorbing Powder can be. Your only company in Powder are snowdrifts and trees, as you swing left and right to evade obstacles. Movement is a press on the left or right of your device, with a double-tap for stylish jumps.
How much you hang in either direction slows down your descent, but wait too long and a faint avalanche of white catches up with you. The straighter your course, the faster the descent. It’s all slick and accessible that even the youngest of players should find something to enjoy.
The true strength to Powder though, is its minimalism. Not unlike Fire Rides and Loner, Powder derives strength from one of the best audio soundscape recreations of winter I’ve found on mobile. As I write this review, I’ve left the app running on the main menu simply out of enjoyment for listening to the rush of air over frozen snow. If you’ve ever wandered a field blanketed in snow at winter – it takes you there like that, and it’s splendid work.[sc name=”quote” text=”Powder derives strength from one of the best audio soundscape recreations of winter I’ve found on mobile.”]
By focusing on the experience over mechanics or technical prowess, and honing an almost ASMR-esque feel, Powder offers a charming game to pass the time without any fancy bells and whistles. For some games, this approach wouldn’t work, and execution is key for such a simple game – thankfully, developer Enormous nailed it.
There aren’t even ads or anything like that. Powder does feature a single $1.99 USD microtransaction for a feature simply listed as “Bears?” in the options menu, but I’d view that more as a tip jar than anything else.
There are few options (though we could name some) this worth your while that are available for free. Powder is hands down one of the best options to chill out on your phone. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun!)
[review pros=”Like a handful of winter on the slopes resting in your hand.” cons=”Lack of mechanical depth and unlocks will be a turnoff for those looking for deeper gameplay experiences.” score=9]
[appbox appstore id859495503?mt=8]
[appbox googleplay id=com.enormous.powder&hl=en]
