Ski or Die

Ski or Die is a sports game dedicated to extreme winter sports. The title was developed by Electronic Arts and is a continuation of Skate or Die published in 1987. Unlike the original, Ski or Die was released simultaneously on several hardware platforms such as Commodore 64 and Commodore Amiga and NES consoles.

Mechanics

In terms of mechanics Ski or Die is based on the same gameplay premise as its predecessor a few years earlier, and the main difference is the transfer of fun into the realities of extreme winter sports and skiing and snowboarding. Four different ski competitions await us in the game: Downhill Blitz - downhill run with avoiding obstacles and crevices, Innertube Trash - a rivalry of two players riding downhill on inner tubes, Acro Aerials - downhill ramp with simultaneous acrobatic jumps, and Snowboard Halfpipe - half-pipe ride combined with the performance of scored tricks. The whole things is complemented by the fifth, funny Snowball Blast mode, i.e. a snowball fight in first-person view.

Game modes

Like its predecessor, in Ski or Die we can train individually for each of the available disciplines, or take part in the championships for up to six players in the hot seat mode.

Technical aspects

Compared to the original Commodore 64 Skate or Die, the second installment of the series features a slightly better and more detailed CGA/EGA visuals. However, the elements of the game remained unchanged, such as the characteristic style, the large dose of humor and the chiptune music by Rob Hubbard, which accompanied the game.

Last updated on March 9, 2020