Ding dong merrily on high, Christmas time is nigh! And you guessed it, it’s my favorite time of year! Apart from family time, eggnog, Christmas trees, presents, turkey and yummy yule logs, the holiday season brings with it plenty of down time, which for me, means plenty of game time. If you’re looking for some cute and quirky games to spice up your holiday, then check out my top 10 list of holiday themed games for extra holiday fun!
1. Paradise Cove – Holiday Adventure
Top of my list is Paradise Cove – Holiday Adventure, a very cute sim-style game in which you are challenged to rescue Christmas from being obliterated by a snow storm, and rebuilding the North Pole. Upgrade your snow ship and send it on voyages to collect candy canes, gum drops and holly berries, all of which provide the fuel with which to build, barter and exchange. Chop down trees, erect buildings, go on quests, rescue stranded citizens and protect the beacons which light the way to the North Pole. Be warned though, the game starts off speedy but land expansions get pricier and pricier the longer you play. If you don’t want to wait until you generate enough gold to continue playing, then make use of the in-app purchases to buy enough gold and holly to keep going. I prefer to check in on the game four or five times a day so that I don’t have to make any purchases. Despite this, Paradise Cove provides hours and hours of gaming fun and has holiday spirit by the bucketful!
2. Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift
The Cut the Rope franchise never disappoints and Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift is no exception. This hugely fun game requires great thought, quick reactions and tons of patience because the higher the level, the greater the challenge. Om Nom wants candy and he wants it now! Your task is to cut, swing, fling, blow, bounce and teleport candy into Om Nom’s mouth to ensure he gets his fix. The biggest challenge is to complete each level with three stars which isn’t always easy. Oozing bundles of holiday joy, Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift is colorful and quirky with great visuals, cute sound effects and smooth gameplay.
3. Christmas Mansion
Match 3 games can get a bit tedious, but Christmas Mansion manages to avoid this fate by offering a lovely Christmas themed rendition which is both challenging and varied. Getting three stars at each level earns you Santa coins with which to decorate your Christmas Mansion, inside and out, with festive treats from snowmen and holiday lights to wreaths and ornaments. A wide selection of powerups, from hammers to bombs help you crack each level which gets more challenging the higher you go! Featuring beautiful graphics, sweet holiday music and holiday-inspired designs, Christmas Mansion is both festive and fun!
4. Epic Christmas Word Search
They sure gave this game the right name, for it is indeed an epic word search! Instead of a series of separate games, Epic Christmas Word Search is one gigantic puzzle featuring 1 500 words on one enormous grid. The grid is divided into 16 themed sections which you navigate around using two fingers. Once you find a word, simply drag your finger across it until it is highlighted and disappears from the list. If you love whiling away the time on word search puzzles, then you’ll love Epic Christmas Word Search!
5. Run Run Santa
Run Run Santa is an old fashioned arcade game in which you need to steer Santa clear of dangerous obstacles and into the path of items, such as candy canes, presents or hot dogs, that he needs to collect. Santa starts off running so the pace of the game is pretty fast. To make Santa jump – whether its to collect an item, jump over bombs or open patches of water – simply tap the screen. Keep tapping if you need him to jump extra high or far. I must say that this game takes me back to when I was a kid and the only access we had to computer games was a trip to the corner cafe or games arcade! While a very simple game, with just 15 levels, Run Run Santa is cute and challenging, especially if you want to achieve three stars on every level!
6. Abe Santa Snow Flow
This game is extremely easy in the lower, free levels, but once you expand the playing field to 8×8 or 9×9 boards (which you have to pay $0.99c for), it starts to get really interesting. The idea is to match the same-colored Santas within the required number of moves, by swiping to connect them. You need to fill in every square, so while there may be more efficient ways of connecting the Santas, you sometimes have to include extra squares to ensure that every one is full or highlighted. While this is a free game, I would pay the $0.99 cents to get rid of the ads which appear after every level and are sooooo annoying! When the going gets tough (they don’t call it 8×8 and 9×9 mania for nothing!) remember to start with the Santas that are the most troublesome and then work your way around them once they are connected. Once it gets more challenging, Abe Santa Snow Flow is addictive and fun and offers enough Christmas cheer to fill a stocking!
7. Santa’s Reindeer Hunt
Santa’s Reindeer Hunt is a cute little maze game which requires you to hunt for hay to feed Santa’s reindeer so that he can go out and deliver his presents in time for Christmas. You get to search for hay in 16 levels at two different locations, the North Pole and Eskimo Town. At the beginning of each level, you are given 10 seconds to scroll through the playing field so that you can locate the buckets of hay, as well as little golden bells which extend your play time. Move Santa by clicking north, south, west or east on a compass to direct him to the hay and then on to the corral where his reindeer are lodged. You can only carry one pail of hay each time, so you have to move fast to ensure that you collect each one before the clock counts down. Fun and quirky, Santa’s Reindeer Hunt is a great game to play as you sit in front of the fire and sip on eggnog!
8. Hidden Objects Christmas Celebration
My holiday list would not be complete without a hidden object game. Christmas Celebration is a colorful and festive addition to my hidden objects collection and offers three game modes: Traditional, Chill and Adventure. Furthermore, you can complete each of the eight scenes three times over, using words, pictures and collector items (where you need to find 12 of the same objects). Adventure mode offers 15 levels with a new twist – the word list has missing and scrambled words, as well as bonus bonanza words. This great game for women is sure to put you in the holiday mood this festive season.
9. Holly: A Christmas Tale
If you prefer hidden object games that pack a bit more of a punch, then you’ll enjoy Holly: A Christmas Tale an adventure game which tells the story of Holly who works in a toy shop and ends up helping Santa to spread Christmas cheer. Packed with a wide variety of colorful hidden object scenes and cute mini-games which appear after every completed level, Holly a Christmas Tale offers hours of holiday fun.
10. Christmas Stories: Nutcracker
No Christmas is complete without The Nutcracker story, so it makes sense to conclude my holiday list with Christmas Stories: Nutcracker. This challenging and magical adventure game boasts an interesting storyline, interactive hidden object scenes that demand more than merely finding items, mini games and many mysteries to solve. Depending on your mood, you can play this game in three modes: Casual, Advanced and Hardcore. Help the nutcracker to rescue Princess Mary from the clutches of the evil Rat King who has turned her into a porcelain doll. With beautifully rich graphics, smooth gameplay and challenging puzzles, this is a great game to fill your holidays with festive cheer!
Happy Holidays everyone! Have fun!
Great Games for Women 