Get into the Christmas spirit with this collection of winter wonderlands

For many around the world, Christmas Day is cold, white and requires multiple layers to be able to leave the house. For those of us down under the days are hot, long and require multiple coats of sunscreen to be able to leave the house. But while we might not be able to enjoy a white Christmas as those in the north do, we can enjoy a few fun winter wonderlands via some videogames.

So what better way to cool down, then with a roundup of some of the best Christmas inspired games and levels from across Nintendo’s many platforms. For this list we are looking at games that either take advantage of the Christmas setting or are so clearly themed to the holiday you can’t ignore it. So that means games like Bayonetta 2 are not going to be listed, it takes place leading up the holiday season, but there is nothing beyond that set up.

The other restriction is that we are not including Winter themed games and locations, nothing against them, but as we Aussies know, snow does not mean Christmas. More specifically if we included snow related settings, we could throw in SSX, Snowboard Kids, Super Mario 64, Metroid Prime and countless other titles.

So with those notes out of the way, let’s get to the list.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Ok, so we are saying New Horizons as it’s the newest game, but honestly any Animal Crossing game will do, except Amiibo Festival. When December rolls around in all the games, the snow falls and the decorations go up, leaving players with a fun holiday experience.

During the season players can obtain a host of items, like a Christmas tree, wreath, ornaments and more. As with the rest of the game, you can do whatever you want, which means you can just enjoy the basics, or you can tweak everything. But of course, you can just ignore all that and spend time running around and enjoying the snow. If you really want to get into the spirit of the season, then be there for Toy Day on December 24, as there are a range of special events that you can take part in, which can lead to exchanging gifts, making for a true Christmas event.

Banjo-Kazooie: Freezeezy Peak

Platform: Nintendo 64

Banjo-Kazooie fans will know this level very well, it is loaded with mini-games and fun things to do, but it is of course, decked out for the holidays. To prove that it is holiday themed, one of the mini-games in the land has you fighting weird lizard creatures – that is not the holiday part. Your reason for fighting them is a box of lights want to move from where they are, to the nearby tree, which has quite a familiar shape. Once the lights are in place, you just need to turn them on and then fly through the star at the top, in order to claim your prize.

Of course, there is more around the level than just a tree and some lights, there are presents all over the place, plus a host of winter themed items. There is a sled you can ride, just be careful of where you come to a stop and if you want to have a snowball fight, just be aware those pesky snowmen will fight back hard. While the level is very much themed to the holiday, it doesn’t make a big deal about it, letting you just enjoy what it offers.

Batman: Arkham Origins

Platform: Wii U

Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were incredible games and WB Games were not willing to let the player base go without and they got WB Games Montreal to create a prequel game and Arkham Origins was that title. Now while the Rocksteady games had specific locations, Origins let players loose in Gotham or parts of it and it just so happened to be during the holiday season.

The big hook is that Batman has been targeted by Black Mask and on Christmas Eve, eight of the world’s most deadly assassins come to town to take their shot at the Bat. The combination of that, a snowstorm and an issue at Blackgate, see the Nintendo 3DS game for that, means the civilians were put under curfew, letting Batman and the thugs have the streets to themselves. That means that Batman can enjoy decking the halls with thugs, while lights flash in trees around him. Sadly, like Die Hard, while the game takes place at Christmas time, it is not really the main theme of the game, still fun though and always makes me think of that iconic Joker take on a beloved Christmas carol.

Batman Returns

Platform: Super Nintendo

Ok, so what is it with Batman and the holidays. So while the previous game tells an original story, Batman Returns is a retelling of the movie that was set during the Christmas period. Much like the Arkham games, this is a brawler game, well a beat ‘em up if you want to get technical and while Batman can punch and kick, he is only able to use a single gadget at a time, the grappling hook being the primary option.

While it shares a holiday setting like the previous Batman game, this one really doesn’t do anything with it. Yes the movie does a lot with the setting, booby trap presents and such, this game just has a lot of snow and clowns. Honestly, if we had to cull one game from the list, it would likely be this one, just due to how little holiday fun is here, but as it’s a companion to the movie and that does embrace the season, it gets a pass.

Bully: Scholarship Edition – Christmas In Bullworth!

Platform: Wii

Perhaps one of the more overlooked Wii games, this port of Bully added in some extra content, but was functionally the same game beneath it all. The Christmas touch was just one part of the school year and it kicked off by players getting a Rudolph jumper, complete with a giant red nose on it. But the fun doesn’t stop there, because as you might expect the holidays are all around town.

Located in the city square is a giant Christmas tree, snowmen, big candles and a sleigh, along with a Santa and elves. Of course, as the game is Bully, you are actually tasked with destroying most of it. It also would not be an American school during the holidays without some sort of Christmas themed show, plus there is a homeless guy dressed in part of a Santa outfit and not the part you would hope for. While not the most beloved game from Rockstar, they did put a lot of detail in the game and this chapter of the game embraces the spirit of the season.

Diddy Kong Racing – Frosty Village

Platform: Nintendo 64 / Nintendo DS

Located within the second world of the game, Frosty Village seems like it will just be another ice themed racing track from the opening pan, but the candy canes that are holding up the start sign hint at more. By the time players boost out of the first cave, a little hamlet pulls into view with trees dotted around it, covered in lights.

Beyond a few trees and giant candy canes, the level also has a Christmas carol as part of its music as Winter Wonderland is mixed in with the rest of the track, heck depending on your age part of the song might have you shout yabba-dabba-do. Given the silver coins to collect and various shortcuts to discover, players would spend a bit of time on the track, which always put me in the Christmas spirit, no matter the time of year.

The Grinch: Christmas Adventures

Platform: Nintendo Switch

This is the most recent addition to the Christmas themed line up. Given that the main character is The Grinch, and Christmas is in the name, you can guess what this is about. You take control of the titular Grinch and attempt to steal all the presents from Whoville, avoiding those who would stop you from completing your devious holiday heist.

The game is one of those aimed at the younger player, unlike the above Bully, which makes sense as it come from Outright Games. Gameplay wise, it is mostly a 2d sidescroller, though there are some free-roaming moments. What is different is that the game does offer a 2-player mode, so someone can take control of Max and help out. A fun addition to the game is that most of the text from the narrator rhymes, just like the books from Dr Seuss.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

Platform: Super Nintendo

Now I could have put the first Home Alone game in the list as well, but I figure that the second a better addition. The game mostly tells the same story as the movie, but it starts out with Kevin getting discovered by the front desk staff and then needing to flee the hotel. While the game is set during Christmas, just as the movie is, there really isn’t a whole lot going on that shows off the season, until you reach the end that is.

After escaping from the Sticky Bandits in the house of his Uncle, Kevin flees down to the giant tree at Rockerfeller Center, which in the movie is where his mum finds him. Here Kevin climbs inside the tree and has to evade the Sticky Bandits, while the Pigeon Lady (that is the characters name) throws bird seed down at them. All you need to do to survive is just avoid them, with them being taken out in time by the birds. Once both are taken care of, Kevin flies away on the back of a few pigeons, he then reunites with his mother and the game is done. So yeah, the ending is quite different, but there are very few games where you can climb inside a giant Christmas tree, well not counting Banjo-Kazooie above.

Kingdom Hearts II – Christmas Town

Platform: Nintendo Switch

This one is a bit of a harder game to play on Switch, as the games are Cloud only, but it is technically on Switch, so it counts. In Kingdom Hearts II and the first game, players will visit Halloween Town, home of Jack Skellington. In the second game though, players can venture to the Hinterlands, which is where the holiday trees from the movie are and where Jack falls into Christmas Town, if you don’t know what it is, there is a whole song about it.

In Christmas Town, characters can visit with Sandy Claws Santa Claus himself in Santa’s House and explore the Shipping & Receiving and Wrapping Rooms of the Toy Factory. Later in the game, characters can also go back to the town and within Christmas Tree Plaza, take part in a boss battle. While the time spent within the town is limited, it is still a bright and colourful place and does a good job of expanding on what players saw in the movie.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Evergreen Lift

Platform: Wii

Kirby has spent a lot of time exploring a lot of locations in his various games, but Evergreen Lift is as Christmas as you are going to get for the character. First up, the entire stage takes place on a platform that is lifted up in front of a giant Christmas tree and if that was not enough, the music evokes classic Christmas carols.

Beyond that, throughout the stage there are countless present shaped boxes to peal back and discover fun things behind them. One such item is called the Holiday Tree and while the name is different, it is a Christmas tree. It is not a very big stage, but the visuals and the music combined to make it a wonderful stage, one that is bursting with holiday spirit.

Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time – HolliJolli Village

Platform: Nintendo DS

One of the earlier locations that the brothers venture to after they travel back in time, Hollijolli Village is entirely Christmas themed, complete with Jingle Bells playing as its background music, well sort of. Covered in snow, this village is adorned with more Christmas than a few of these games combined, the trees are covered in lights, the houses are filled with presents and of course its name is a play on the song Holly Jolly Christmas.

The location is not a very big one, just a few homes and a mayoral residence, but the theming is so on point, it does not matter. The song that plays is Jingle Bells, but it is so off key and unsettling, it feels like it would be the better option for a Luigi’s Mansion game, if we ever got a Christmas version of that.

Pikmin 3 – Fortress of Festivity

Platform: Wii U & Nintendo Switch

This is not part of the main story, but is a bonus stage that was added via an update for the Wii U release, but included in the Switch version. The mission takes place on a table that is covered with various Christmas themed items, like a tree and presents. In fact, the abundance of presents and building blocks gives the map a maze-like layout, with a few standout structures like a pizza box, a Christmas tree and a cake.

While the Christmas themed items are a delight, the actual missions that players will undertake on the stage will challenge them. The map features both a treasure hunt game and a battle game, giving you a reason to visit multiple times. In a fun twist, the stage is the only one in Pikmin 3 that includes all Pikmin variants within a single stage. This is one of those stages that is just filled with so many fun things to see, its Christmas nature just makes it extra special.

Saints Row IV: How the Saints Save Christmas

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Included within the season pass for the game originally, it was included within the Switch release, How the Saints Save Christmas takes a parody-esq take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The story is simple, Clawz, a twisted version of Santa breaks free of the simulation he has been trapped in and puts the universe on the naughty list. However because it is less ho ho ho and more no no no, Shaundi travels back in time to warn the saints, that Santa Clawz is coming to town.

Honestly it is just more Saints Row, but it takes a lot of the usual holiday, well American holiday staples and has fun with them. There are references to A Christmas Story, the Grinch and many more. As the game is based around the simulation, you do get to use your super powers, but just be warned, Clawz does not like naughty girls and boys.

Stardew Valley

Platform: Nintendo Switch

It does feel like a bit of a cheat to have both Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley here, but as they are different games, I think it is ok. While Animal Crossing requires you to wait until the actual month of December to celebrate, Stardew Valley only needs you to wait until Winter in the game. The Feast of the Winter Star is a delightful festival, that takes place on the 25th of every Winter, players can join in the festivities by heading to Pelican Town.

The highlight of the Feast of the Winter Star is the secret gift exchange. Each player is randomly assigned a villager to give a gift, and in return, a random villager will present a gift to the player. The week before festival, on the 18th, Mayor Lewis sends a letter informing the player who their gift recipient will be. The identity of the villager giving the player a gift is revealed at the festival itself. While gift giving is nice, players can also buy a selection of themed items, in order to decorate their home, though not sure why a decorative axe is festive.

So there we go, just some of the Christmas themed games and there are countless others that we can include, like Minecraft, but Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are more entertaining. But what about you, what games embrace the Christmas spirit that you remember, even if it is not on a Nintendo platform.