TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Santa delivers an average holiday in ‘Daze Before Christmas’
Another Christmas is in the books, and I hope you all had a great one, but I apologize if today’s topic already feels stale and Christmas overload-ish for you, but when you look at the history of true Christmas-themed games, there aren’t many to speak of, and even less that made the trek over here to North America.
Today on Turn to Channel 3, we ride Santa’s sleigh back to the 16-bit era for a title that never saw a North American release – “Daze Before Christmas” on the Super Nintendo!
“Daze Before Christmas” (SNES)
Sound: 
Most of “Daze Before Christmas” is a mixed bag from ol’ Santa, as the soundtrack consists of a mix of renditions of traditional holiday tunes along with some generic music that really doesn’t do much for me. The sound effects are also a variety of good and bad, with Santa’s own voice sounding kind of demonic in spots (I always wondered why local commercials always seemed to go this route too, at least in delivery), and most of the action sounds are pretty basic for a mid-‘90s SNES action platform game.
Graphics:
I will say this – “Daze Before Christmas” doesn’t get an average rating in this category because of a lack of trying. Some of the level designs are pretty awesome, with the highlight being Santa flying over London to drop gifts into chimneys.
Speaking of Santa, he moves quite well on the screen, with each action being smooth in delivery. That being said, I found most of the enemies and bosses to be kind of boring in comparison to the levels and Santa.
Gameplay:
Most of “Daze Before Christmas” is easy to grasp, as each level tasks you with collecting gifts, making it past enemies, and then facing a boss, which is what most games within this genre do. What is confusing about this game lies within some unanswered questions.
For starters, why does Santa start blinking on the screen when he touches a reindeer or elf? Is he taking damage? Secondly, why does Santa turn into a demon when you pick up a hot cocoa? Is he supposed to be Krampus? In these confusing moments, the game definitely loses some of its fun for sure.
Overall:
“Daze Before Christmas” does bring you some holiday cheer in the retro gaming scene, but it definitely leaves you confused in spots it really shouldn’t. In a landscape of few Christmas-themed games, this isn’t the worst, but it is a small Christmas gaming treat to enjoy in small doses.
Well, that does it for me in 2017. Join me next time as 2018 starts with a bang here on Turn to Channel 3! Until then, take care, stay warm, and game on!
