The premise of Froggy Hates Snow is, as you would expect from the title, relatively simple: you are a frog who is trapped in the snow. The only way out (other than hiding in his heat bubble forever) is to dig his way to freedom, either fending off the ten waves of shadowy monsters that attack periodically, or finding the escape door and enough keys to unlock it.

But there’s a lot of depth here, too (and we’re not just talking about the snow). There are 16 maps to master, ten frogs to unlock (each with their own unique skills and stats), scores of meta progression upgrades, and well over 60 tools, skills and companions to improve you build – from dynamite and drills, to flamethrowers and snowbowers, to animal and robotic companions that dig, collect gems, and scan the environment for you.

The demo has been available for Xbox Series X|S since December, and with the full game launching today on the Xbox Store, we caught up with solo developer Serhii ‘Serge’ Riabtsev to find out more about the story behind this quirky and unique indie outing.

Tell us about yourself and your background, including how you got into game development.

Hey! I’m Serge, a solo indie developer from Ukraine, currently based in Poland.

I’ve been interested in games since I was a kid, and even as a teenager I was already trying to make my own small prototypes. I never really finished them, but I loved the process – sharing them with friends, posting small devlogs on social media, and following other developers.

While studying Computer Science at university, I set a goal for myself to actually finish and release a game. That’s where my indie journey really started. I released a few smaller mobile games, but I always wanted to make something bigger, something for PC and consoles. Froggy Hates Snow is going to be my first game like that.

Froggy Hates Snow is such a charmingly odd concept. Where did the idea come from?

For my first bigger game, I wanted to start from a simple idea. I’d heard a lot of advice for indie developers about not overscoping, so I tried to keep the core idea very focused.

Around that time, Dome Keeper really hooked me – it’s a super cool indie game about mining resources and defending your base. I absolutely loved how it feels to play – the core loop is really tight, and the balance between economy and survival is just very satisfying.

That made me think about how I could reinterpret mining and present it from a different angle. Instead of dark underground caves, I wanted to do something more open – almost the opposite. Since I was also a big fan of Frostpunk, a snowy setting came to mind pretty quickly.

I also kept thinking about how many games have interactive snow that reacts to your movement, but doesn’t really affect gameplay. I wanted to take that idea further and make it actually matter.

And then everything kind of came together into this slightly weird image: a small frog in a cosy winter sweater, pulling a little red cart, pushing through deep snow, and warming up in small heat bubbles that feel like home. That’s more or less where it all started.

As you say, you use snow in a very different way to most games. Players carve their own paths and almost reshape the levels. How did you realise your vision for this?

The digging mechanic was there very early on and became the foundation of the whole game. I didn’t want snow to be just visual, but something you constantly interact with, affecting how you move, explore, and fight.

Technically, the world is one big heightmap, where each pixel represents snow height. Digging is basically modifying that in real time, which is why it feels smooth instead of blocky.

I’m using pretty straightforward tools for this – mainly Unity Terrain, and the snow shader is built using Shader Graph. The tech itself is quite simple, but it works well and I’m happy with the result.

It was still challenging to get right – especially making it feel responsive – but it’s also the part I’m most proud of.

We were amazed at the amount of different skills and tools in the game: not just stuff you expect like shovels and pickaxes, but flamethrowers, snowblowers, hang gliders, drones, and so on. How did you decide what to add, and what doesn’t fit with Froggy’s world?

I think variety is extremely important for roguelike games and for replayability in general, so I’ve put a lot of focus on that.

Coming up with new skill ideas wasn’t too difficult. I grouped them into categories – digging, survival, combat, resource finding, automation, and just fun or ‘wow’ abilities – and then kept expanding each group. In the end, I try to make sure each skill fits into one of those roles and adds something meaningful to the overall gameplay loop.

The setting helps a lot with this. The mix of serious and absurd/quirky makes it easier to come up with interesting ideas that still feel like they belong in the game.

The animal companions are adorable – and very useful. Where did the idea for them come from?

Companions felt like a natural extension of the skill system, especially for the late game. I wanted something that could automate parts of what the player is doing manually early on. It also just feels great to have a small companion running around with you and helping out. It adds a lot of charm to the experience.

I actually explored both directions – animal companions and robotic ones – and in the end decided it would be fun to have both. Animals feel more emotional and alive, while robot companions are more utilitarian and predictable. That contrast fits the game quite well.

Froggy Hates Snow looks like a cozy game but plays more like a core survival game (unless you’re using Peaceful Mode). How do you strike this balance?

The core loop was inspired by Dome Keeper, which I’d consider a fairly challenging game. I wanted to make something more accessible – both in terms of gameplay and overall feel.

Throughout development, I was trying to stay closer to the casual side, but also have depth for exploration and skill growth. There wasn’t really a strict strategy behind it – I mostly just made the game the way I personally like games: something that’s easy to get into, but still has room to improve and master over time. So in a way, I just trusted my gut.

Given the effort you’ve gone into with the combat and the variety of enemies/bosses, why did you include a peaceful mode?

Peaceful Mode was mainly about giving players a more relaxed way to experience the game. Not everyone enjoys constant pressure or combat, and since the world itself – digging, exploring, uncovering resources, treasures and anomalous zones – is already interesting on its own, it felt natural to support that playstyle as well.

What’s your favourite part of the game? Similarly, what’s been your favourite part of making the game?

Definitely the digging, especially with the feeling of progression. Going from something very basic and slow to something really powerful and satisfying, where it feels like you’ve mastered it and become stronger than the environment itself – it’s such a great feeling.

As for development, the most fun part has been creating new skills and tools – especially the ones tied to the frog itself. Things like tongue attacks, spits, curvy tongue, and jumps were just really fun to design and implement. Frogs are super cool – and a frog with tools like a flamethrower, a cart, or a pickaxe is even cooler.

Before you go, we have to ask: do you hate snow?

Hah. Snow on its own can actually be fun. But winter and cold? I definitely hate that part. Everything is grey, it’s freezing, there’s barely any sun, you have to wear a ton of clothes – and even then, you’re still breathing in cold air. It’s just miserable.

I wish Eastern Europe had more heat bubbles and flamethrowers to help me survive the winter.