The Psychology Behind Christmas Games: A Look at "Santa Claus in Trouble"

Aahhh! The more I think about it, the less I'm sure what it is about Christmas time that pressures game developers to make more games about it than any other holiday. You'd just think they'd want to cash in on the rampant consumerism and commercially manufactured holiday spirit, but if that were the only reason, then games like "Santa Claus in Trouble" wouldn't exist.

Developed by Joy Mania Development and published by CDV Software Entertainment in 2002, "Santa Claus in Trouble" is a freeware game that was released on CDV's website as a Christmas thank you to the company's fans. This is no ordinary game, as it features Santa Claus in all his jolly old self, but with a twist - he's lost all of his presents and they're now being guarded by a bunch of creatures that suck.

Seriously, what's the deal with this guy? Why is he always losing his presents? I've lost track of the number of Christmas games that feature Santa recollecting his freaking loot. How can one dude be that clumsy every stinkin' year?! Especially one with such responsibility! If such a simple task is that hard for him, maybe someone else should take over. I'm sure there are plenty of qualified applicants that would make the cut, so let's DO something about it already!

The game starts with the main menu, featuring some basic options and an animated background, with Santa standing there, spazzing out. He's obviously lost his mind and is probably senile. Seriously, someone just put him out of his misery already! Just click away.

A Look at the Game

As one plays through the game, it becomes clear that "Santa Claus in Trouble" is a unique and quirky take on the traditional Christmas game genre. With its colorful graphics and catchy soundtrack, this game is sure to delight both children and adults alike. But beneath its playful surface, lies a commentary on the pressures of responsibility and the importance of teamwork.

The Game's Story

The game begins with Santa Claus standing in his workshop, surrounded by piles of presents. He looks around, seemingly confused, and then suddenly remembers that he can't find his presents anywhere. Panicked, he runs off to search for them, only to discover that they're being guarded by a group of creatures known as the "Sulk". These creatures are determined to keep Santa from reclaiming his presents, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple yet addictive. Players take on the role of Santa Claus, navigating through levels filled with Sulk creatures and obstacles. With each level completed, Santa's abilities and equipment improve, allowing him to progress further into the game. The ultimate goal is to reach the final level, where Santa must face off against the leader of the Sulk in an epic battle.

Conclusion

"Santa Claus in Trouble" may seem like a lighthearted and humorous take on the Christmas genre, but beneath its surface lies a deeper commentary on responsibility and teamwork. With its colorful graphics and catchy soundtrack, this game is sure to delight both children and adults alike. So if you're looking for a unique and quirky holiday game, look no further than "Santa Claus in Trouble".

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAahhh!The more I think about it, the less I'msure what it is about Christmas timethat pressures game developers to makemore games about it than any other holiday.You'd just think they'd want tocash in on the rampant consumerismand commercially manufactured holiday spirit,but if that were the only reason,then games like THIS wouldn't exist.Santa Claus in Trouble,developed by Joy Mania Developmentand published by CDV Software Entertainment in 2002.It's a freeware game that wasreleased on CDV's websiteas a Christmas thank you to the company's fans.And, yes, this is the same companyknown for games like Cultures,Knights and Merchants,and Divine Divinity.Oh, and Lula 3D,but you don't wanna know about that, do you?Nah, let's jump right into Santa Claus in Trouble.That's way more interesting.As the title suggests,the game is all about the troubles of Santa Claus.And wouldn't you know it, the jollyold elf has lost all of his presentsand they're now being guardedby a bunch of creatures that suck.Ugh! Seriously, what's the deal with this guy?Why is he always losing his presents?I've lost track of the number of Christmas gamesthat feature Santa recollecting his freaking loot.How can one dude be that clumsy every stinkin' year?!Especially one with such responsibility!If such a simple task is that hard for him,maybe someone else should take over.I'm sure there are plenty of qualifiedapplicants that would make the cut,so let's DO something about it already!Anyway, the game starts with the main menu,featuring some basic optionsand an animated background,with Santa standing there, spazzing out.He's obviously lost his mindand is probably senile.Seriously, someone just puthim out of his misery already.Just click \"Start Game\" to start the gameand once you do, you'll be greeted with, uh...Santa, are you okay?You're, uh,you're kinda making me sick.Yeesh! And moving around isn't much better, either.And jumping feels freakin' weird.And I can't seem to collect all these presents.I just clip right through them.Augh! And why does he bouncearound like a maniac all the time?And what's with this jumping? Why's it so awful?!It's like he only moves when hewants to. It's not smooth at all.It's like I never reach the jump apex properly.AARGH! Seriously!You have to move WITH the moving platformsor they'll just run out from under you?!Ugh, and I can't believe this,but when you die, you justfall forever into the snowy blackness.Seriously, I have more lives,but it doesn't reset me at all,and I've pressed every button to no avail.Is this Santa's own personal hell or something?I guess I just have to restart itthrough the main menu and...Oh, my holy crap.Yeah, I'm not pressing a thing.It's doing that all on its own.I guess Santa himself is so fed up with this,he's not even giving me a chance toawkwardly jump off a ledge for the millionth time.Yeah, okay, something's not right.Well, turns out something wasn't right.After finagling with some options, it turns outthere was something wrong with compatibility.So if the game plays more like a test of your will to live,then, uh, you might wanna check that.Santa's actually supposed to be pretty normal here.He's no longer flailing around his left armand having a seizure thatmeasures on the Richter scale.Nope, it's just Santa jumping around,collecting presents throughten levels of increasing difficulty.Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about.Christmas gaming at its most acceptable.It's got a clear Christmas theme,but it's not too in your face with some contrived storyabout how you need to rebuild Santa's meth empireor anything weird like that.Just you, some platforming, some presents,and some Christmas music.It's really all you need, and you know what?I quite like it when it's not tossingyou down bottomless hellholesor jerking you around like a kite in a tornado.For one thing, the platforming is incredibly solid.Santa's nimble enough to make Ezio Auditore jealous,and he can not only jump but double jumpto reach all sorts of tricky platforms.And it's very forgiving, too,letting you control him inmidair in a very responsive way,as well as letting you jump offthe tiniest edges of platformswhere you'd normally fall in similar games.That's not to say the game is completely easy,as you'll certainly be doing your share of dying and,wow, even respawning at the nearest checkpoint!What a great feature!I never knew how much I enjoyed NOThaving to go back to the main menuevery time I died.And there are plenty of hazards andcritters out there ready to kill you,from trolls to fires, to icy slopes,to the ever-present pitfalls.And while it's rather generouswith extra lives and checkpoints,you're definitely going to have toearn them by navigating some simplebut challenging snow-covered platforms.And on top of this, the game just looks great,with its awesome snow and other particle effects,as well as the whole cartoony aestheticwhich I think still looks quite appealing.It's just a neat little gameand is incredibly satisfying to play.And for a free game, well that is just awesome.Seriously, it puts to shame 90%of the other Christmas gamesI've reviewed over the years,and many of those were paid-for products,which just makes that even more sad.Apparently, people noticed thatthis freebie wasn't made of suck,so much so that CDV Entertainmentdeveloped a full sequel to the gameand sold it at retail, calledSanta Claus in Trouble... Again!Now THAT is imagination in nomenclature.I only have the demo of the game here,but you definitely get the idea of what's on offer.Just like the original, it compels you tocollect all of the presents and collectibles,but also makes it truly taxing to do so without dying.Now there's even more stuff to collectand way more stuff out there trying to kill you.The variety in how each area looks,the hazards and the enemies is cranked way up,so it's not nearly as repetitious as the first.And the levels themselves arealso far more vertical and complex,so it really does feel like a fully-fledged platformer now.Also, the double jumping has been slightly tweaked,so you now have to wait a tiny bit between jumpswhich makes it not quite as forgiving in tight spots,but still very playable.And I'd still say it's an expanded and improvedgame in every other way over the first one.It's just a great Christmas-themed gameand is quite possibly the best one I've played.Really. It's really good.And I would have loved to have had this back then,as it's simply a solid platformer.It doesn't seem like CDV sells it exactly anymore -which I guess makes sense, it's older -but you can grab a copy oneBay's UK and German websitesfor a pretty decent price,and of course the free ones are still free.So if you'd like a fun littleplatform game that doesn't suck,unless you somehow have awful compatibility issuesthat make it one of the worst things I've ever seen,Santa Claus in Trouble is actually worth a lookat any time of the year.If you enjoyed this and want to see other videoson games that are enjoyable at any time of the year,or... not enjoyable at all, because–you know, sometimes you just gotta cover those,then take a look at these.I've got plenty of them andmore come out every week.And if you'd like to be notified whenthey do, just hit the \"Subscribe\" thing.And as always, thanks for watching.\n"