Developer Pine Creek Games • Publisher Noodlecake • Release 2025 • Platforms Xbox, PC
I have been looking at Winter Burrow‘s little protagonist mouse’s face for a while. It caught my eye when it was first announced last summer during Microsoft’s Summer Game Fest-adjacent showcase. Months later, I stepped into its frostbitten snowshoes during PAX West. And it even made the site’s most anticipated list of 2025 — alongside the critically acclaimed Blue Prince.
So, when I got the chance to catch up with the game’s latest news, I was struck immediately. The visuals boast a new layer of fresh snow and the developer has tweaked a number of other elements based on feedback from the past year.
Pine Creek Games’ Benjamin Salqvist showed off the new look in a quick, hands-off preview. He explained players can expect new assets, character designs, and weather. This was not too surprising, having had a conversation with the creative director at PAX West where he lamented player’s confusion over which blades of grass were resources and which were merely set dressing. So, it seems the team took measures to ensure the world and interactable items stood out from each other.
On top of that, I also got a little sneak peek of an entirely fresh location: Shadow Pines. I quickly realize how the area got its name; light barely touches the ground through its dense wood. The gathering shadows lie so thick in some places it’s impossible to move forward. Luckily, there’s a solution.
The handy protagonist receives a lantern from a mysterious squirrel that will help to explore the dark. What we will need to do for this merchant in exchange is unclear. However, players will be able to upgrade the light-giving tool throughout the game. This will likely require special materials for crafting found in Winter Burrow‘s gloomy woods.
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