Santa’s Surprise

Like Celeste, but with Santa.


Santa’s Surprise is a 2D side-scrolling platformer from 2021 created independently by Pirate Shell, described as “Like Celeste, but with Santa.” Set on the morning of Christmas Eve, the North Pole is bustling with preparations for the big night, but Santa himself is on a secret mission. This year, he’s determined to bring a special gift for Mrs. Claus—a puppy. Since the workshop doesn’t make puppies, Santa ventures into the forest to adopt a husky from a local sled owner.

Players control an agile and surprisingly stealthy Santa as he navigates through challenging levels, jumping, flinging, and sneaking past obstacles to complete his heartwarming quest. Santa’s Surprise combines platforming agility with stealth mechanics, where players channel their “Solid Santa” skills, dodging detection and solving puzzles to bring joy to Mrs. Claus.

You can download the game here!

Video

About the game

‘Twas the morning of Christmas Eve. The whole North Pole was preparing for the big night of present delivering and joy giving. Only Santa was nowhere to be seen…

He was out in the forest on a very important mission – to get a present for Mrs. Claus.  She had always wanted a cute little puppy, but there was only one problem – the workshop didn’t make any puppies!

So this year Santa ventured deep into the woods to meet with a local sled owner and adopt one of his adorable little huskies. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it to make the one he loves happy.

Features

  • Nimble Saint Nick – Run, jump and fling yourself across exciting levels as you take control of a surprisingly nimble and positively jolly old man!
  • Stealthy Santa – Avoid detection as you sneak around, channeling your inner Solid Santa (including alert sound).
  • Questing Kris Kringle – Solve puzzles and engage in alternative play styles on your quest to surprise Ms. Claus.

Controls

  • Arrow Keys / Analog stick / D-Pad: Movement
  • Up arrow / A button / X button: Jump
  • D key / X button / Square: Attack
  • S key / RT / R2: Fling
  • Down arrow / LT / L2: Crouch
  • R key: Restart level
  • Z key: Adjust resolution
  • Alt + Enter: Full screen
  • Escape key: Quit

Credits & acknowledgements

  • Game Design, Programming, Art and Music: Pirate Shell
  • SFX: Pirate Shell + Various people on freesound.org

More info and platform

Overview

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