🕹️
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1998
.png)
NINTENDO-64
10
Snowboard Kids
Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo ·
Atlus and Racdym's 1998 N64 snowboarding party game — Snowboard Kids delivers cartoon-styled multiplayer snowboard racing for up to four players with weapon pickups (inspired by Mario Kart), colorful chibi-style characters, trick execution on slopes, and accessible racing mechanics that made it an N64 multiplayer staple.
.png)
💡 Snowboard Kids — Key Facts
- → Snowboard Kids was developed by Racdym and published by Atlus
- → Released in 1998 on NINTENDO-64
- → Genre: Racing, Sports
- → We rate it 8.5/10 — highly recommended
- → Atlus and Racdym's 1998 N64 snowboarding party game — Snowboard Kids delivers cartoon-styled multiplayer snowboard racing for up to four players with weapon pickups (inspired by Mario Kart), colorful chibi-style characters, trick execution on slopes, and accessible racing mechanics that made it an N64 multiplayer staple.
Overview
Four players on a single screen. Each on a snowboard. Each holding an item waiting for the right moment to fire.
Snowboard Kids arrived at the peak of N64 multiplayer — the same era as Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye, when the four-controller port felt like a hardware promise. The game used the ports.
The Party Formula
Mario Kart’s item-combat approach applied to snowboarding: race down the slope, collect weapon boxes, throw missiles at the person ahead of you.
The concept sounds derivative. The execution created something distinct — snowboard racing with its natural downhill momentum felt different from kart racing’s horizontal circuit. The slope provides inherent speed variance, trick ramps interrupt the racing line, and the downhill direction means the race is always progressing forward rather than looping.
The weapons are the chaos layer. Players who built leads found those leads unsafe. The item system kept four players in competition regardless of skill differential — the party formula that made Mario Kart work applied equally here.
The Characters
Six child characters with chibi proportions — oversized heads, bright winter gear, exaggerated expressions for trick and collision animations. The art style was deliberate: accessible visual language for a game designed to be picked up and played by any four people in the room.
The stat differences between characters (speed, handling, trick ability) created meaningful selection without requiring fighting game knowledge to understand. The fastest character felt faster. The trickiest character was more fun on ramps.
The Couch
Snowboard Kids is a game about what happens with four controllers and one TV. Single-player was a feature. Four-player was the product.
The N64 era understood this. The hardware with four ports was built for this kind of game. Snowboard Kids was one of the games that made the four-port hardware matter.
Our Review
8.5
Excellent / 10
🎮
Gameplay
★★★★★
🎨
Graphics
★★★★★
🎵
Audio
★★★★★
🔄
Replay
★★★★★
Gameplay
Snowboard Kids is a snowboard racing game for one to four players featuring six child characters with anime-inspired chibi art styles. Races take place on courses with trick ramps, opponents to pass, and weapon item boxes scattered across the slope. Collecting item boxes provides weapons (missiles, bombs, springs) that can be used against other racers — borrowed from Mario Kart's combat-racing formula but applied to snowboard racing. Trick execution on designated ramps earns coins that purchase items at shops between race sections. The game uses bright, accessible controls emphasizing fun over simulation. Four-player split-screen is the game's highlight.
Graphics
Snowboard Kids' N64 visuals deliver colorful, cartoon-styled slopes and character designs — chibi characters with exaggerated features and bright winter environments. The art style ages more gracefully than realistic contemporaries.
Audio
Snowboard Kids' upbeat soundtrack captures the winter sports / arcade racing energy — catchy, appropriately paced music for the colorful racing action.
Replayability
Four-player split-screen racing, six characters with different stat builds, and multiple courses create the core multiplayer appeal. The game's primary audience is groups playing simultaneously.
Historical Significance
Snowboard Kids (1997 Japan; 1998 North America) arrived during the N64's peak multiplayer era alongside Mario Kart 64, Mario Party, and GoldenEye 007. The game occupied a distinct space — snowboard racing with item-based combat — that winter sports simulators and Mario Kart didn't share. Atlus published the game outside Japan. Snowboard Kids 2 followed in 1999. The franchise has not received modern entries, but both N64 games maintain devoted followings for couch co-op nostalgia.
✅ Pros
- + Four-player split-screen multiplayer — N64 couch co-op highlight
- + Weapon pickups add Mario Kart-style combat layer to snowboard racing
- + Accessible controls for casual racing fun
- + Charming chibi character designs and colorful art style
- + Trick system integrates naturally with slope design
❌ Cons
- - Solo play less compelling than multiplayer focus
- - Racing AI at higher difficulties becomes aggressive
- - Course variety limited compared to later games
- - Physics simplified compared to snowboarding simulations
Also Known As
Snowboard Kids N64Snobow Kidsスノボキッズ
Snowboard Kids FAQ
How does the weapon system work in Snowboard Kids?
Snowboard Kids uses item boxes scattered across race courses — circular pickup zones containing weapons that activate when collected. Weapons include homing missiles that target the racer ahead, bombs dropped to block the path behind, springs that launch opponents off course, and other interference items similar in concept to Mario Kart's item system. The weapon variety encourages holding items for strategic moments rather than using them immediately. Collecting coins during races (through tricks and pickups) allows purchasing items at shops during the race itself — a mechanic that rewards both trick execution and item acquisition. The combat layer prevents Snowboard Kids from being a pure racing game, positioning it as a party-friendly racing combat hybrid.
Who are the six playable characters in Snowboard Kids?
Snowboard Kids features six child characters with chibi anime aesthetics, each with different stat distributions. Jam is the balanced all-rounder. Linda has higher speed but lower control. Tommy emphasizes trick ability. Nancy favors handling. Slash (a robot character) has high power. Wendy is the defensive character. Each character's stats create different approaches to the same courses — speed-focused characters feel faster on straight sections while handling-focused characters corner more predictably. The chibi character designs with oversized heads and bright clothing give the game a visual identity distinct from realistic snowboarding games of the same era.
How does Snowboard Kids compare to 1080 Snowboarding?
Snowboard Kids and 1080 Snowboarding represent opposite ends of the N64 snowboarding spectrum. 1080 (Nintendo, 1998) is a simulation-oriented snowboarding game emphasizing realistic physics, trick scoring, and authentic board control — the player choice, trick mechanics, and course design challenge skills applicable to real snowboarding. Snowboard Kids is an arcade-party game using snowboarding as a racing vehicle — item pickups, combat, and colorful four-player competition rather than simulation. 1080 is better as a snowboarding game; Snowboard Kids is better as a party game. Both released in 1998 and both are well-regarded N64 titles serving different audiences. Players who wanted snowboarding chosen differently which game they returned to.
Is Snowboard Kids available on modern platforms?
Snowboard Kids has not received a digital re-release on modern storefronts. Atlus (publisher) has focused on Persona and SMT franchises rather than revisiting older catalog titles. The N64 cartridge is available through retro game stores. Snowboard Kids 2 (1999, N64) is similarly available only on original hardware. Both games are playable through N64 emulation. Neither has received modern ports or remasters. The game's four-player focus using split-screen on a single TV makes emulation on modern systems achievable with appropriate controller setups.
.png)
.png)
.png)