Snowboard Kids IV is a snowboarding video game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, developed by UTV Ignition Entertainment, French Arkedo (whom they had previously worked on Magical Drop V and the Gold Edition from that game) and Arc System Works and published by Atlus and Bandai Namco Entertainment. This is the fifth snowboarding game based on the series, which came after SBK: Snowboard Kids in 2005. Also, all of the characters from the previous Snowboard Kids games return in this game. This is the only video game to have multiple exclusive DLC characters (from the Persona, Sword Art Online and Disney's Frozen franchises). This game has been released on February 22, 2019. On February 12, 2020, a port for the Nintendo Switch was announced and has been released on February 28, 2020, which features Nintendo costumes for each character. As of March 13, 2020, this video game has now launched on Steam.
Gameplay[]
Snowboard Kids IV has various features from the past Snowboard Kids games where they make a fierce return in this game. With changes from the past Snowboard Kids games, the player can now select the characters for the CPU-controlled players and also adjust their AI level. This video game has a new battle mode option called "Halfpipe Battle", a game mode where players battle it out on halfpipe themed courses. Players can even battle in colored teams on that game mode.
Game Modes[]
- Grand Prix
- World Tour
- Versus (1-4)
- Quick Race
- Halfpipe Battle
- Minigames
- Speed Cross (later renamed Speed Slalom in the final release)
- Trick Game
- Halfpipe Challenge
- Shoot Cross
- Boss Challenge
- Online Mode
- Quick Race
- Halfpipe Battle
- Time Trials
Playable Characters[]
Characters highlighted in bold are hidden characters, while a combination of bold and italics describe DLC characters. Starting on April 3, 2020, new DLC character packs were announced with the DLC Snowboarding Pass where players can instantly obtain new DLC characters on their own release date just by purchasing it and are introduced in this game.
The first DLC character pack for the characters who appear in SBK: Snowboard Kids for the Nintendo DS was announced on the same date as the DLC Snowboarding Pass. These characters in the first DLC character pack released on April 17, 2020. The second DLC character pack introduces three characters (Ren Amamiya, Futaba Sakura and Sumire Yoshizawa) who appear in the Persona franchise and are confirmed on July 3, 2020 to be released on July 10, 2020. The third DLC character pack includes four characters (Kirito, Asuna, Leafa and Sinon) who appear from the Sword Art Online franchise and are confirmed on October 2, 2020 to be released on October 16, 2020. The fourth and final DLC character pack includes three new characters (Anna, Elsa and Olaf) from Disney's Frozen franchise and are confirmed on February 5, 2021 to be released on February 19, 2021.
Returning Characters[]
| Character | Type |
|---|---|
| Slash Kamei | Balance |
| Nancy Neil | Trick |
| Jam Kuehnemund | Balance |
| Linda Maltinie | Speed |
| Tommy Parsy | Speed |
| Nicole Couch | Speed |
| Pamela Rasteri | Trick |
| Ruby Green | Speed |
| Shinobin | Balance |
| Kaede | Balance |
| Wendy Lane | Trick |
| Damien | Balance |
| Coach | Trick |
| Mr. Dog | Speed |
| Peggy | Trick |
| Mr. Pig | Speed |
| Mr. Panda | Speed |
| Jack Frost | Speed |
| Slash Kamei (SBK DS) | Balance |
| Nancy Neil (SBK DS) | Speed |
| Jam Kuehnemund (SBK DS) | Trick |
| Tommy Parsy (SBK DS) | Speed |
| Brad Maltinie | Balance |
| Koyuki Tanaka | Trick |
| Max | Trick |
New Characters[]
| Character | Type |
|---|---|
| Pyro Jack | Balance |
| Jack Ripper | Trick |
| Ren Amamiya | Balance |
| Futaba Sakura | Trick |
| Sumire Yoshizawa | Speed |
| Kirito | Balance |
| Asuna | Trick |
| Leafa | Trick |
| Sinon | Speed |
| Anna | Balance |
| Elsa | Speed |
| Olaf | Trick |
Snowboarding courses[]
Courses highlighted in bold are hidden courses and must be unlocked in World Tour mode. While courses highlighted in a combination of bold and italics are DLC courses. In the course options menu, the player can change the number of laps.
| Course Name | Location | Minigame Appearance(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie Mountain | Japan | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle Boss Challenge |
| Jurassic Ruins | England | Boss Challenge |
| Quicksand Desert | Egypt | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Black Diamond Mountain | Malaysia | Speed Slalom Boss Challenge |
| Gnarly Grasslands | United States | Speed Slalom |
| Wintergreen Island | Brazil | Speed Slalom |
| Snowboard City | China | Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Snowy Ice Cavern | Antarctica | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle Boss Challenge |
| Low-G Factory | Russia | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle Boss Challenge |
| Glacier of Illusions | Unknown | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle Boss Challenge |
| Legends Park | Canada | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Maiko Village | Japan | Halfpipe Challenge / Battle Boss Challenge |
| Hyper EX Course | United States | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Big Snowman | Realm of Beginnings | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Sunset Rock | Speed Slalom | |
| Ninja Land | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle | |
| Jingle Town | Realm of Snow Town | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Crazy Jungle | Halfpipe Challenge / Battle | |
| Ice Land | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle | |
| Japan | Realm of New Generations | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| San Fransisco | Speed Slalom | |
| France | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle | |
| Mementos | Tokyo | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| World Tree | Alfheim | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
| Arendelle Village | Arendelle | Speed Slalom Halfpipe Challenge / Battle |
World Tour Bosses[]
There are a total of eight bosses to defeat in World Tour mode. Defeating a boss in this mode unlocks it in Boss Challenge mode, which can be found under Minigames.
| Boss Character | Course |
|---|---|
| Snowman Robot | Rookie Mountain |
| Jungle Dinosaur | Jurassic Ruins |
| Metal Spider | Black Diamond Mountain |
| Chill Wolf | Snowy Ice Cavern |
| Damien Robot | Low-G Factory |
| Mega Alice | Rookie Mountain |
| Black Frost | Maiko Village |
| Shadow Face (Final Boss) | Glacier of Illusions |
Unlock Criteria[]
Each character has his/her own unlock method. All unlockable courses can be unlocked by completing chapters and challenges in World Tour mode.
Characters[]
| Character | Unlock Method |
|---|---|
| Shinobin | Complete Chapter 1 in World Tour Mode. |
| Kaede | Complete Chapter 2 in World Tour Mode. |
| Wendy Lane | Complete Chapter 3 in World Tour Mode. |
| Damien | Complete Chapter 4 in World Tour Mode. |
| Coach | Complete Chapter 5 in World Tour Mode. |
| Mr. Dog | Complete Chapter 6 in World Tour Mode. |
| Peggy | Complete Chapter 7 in World Tour Mode. |
| Mr. Pig | Complete all Halfpipe Challenges with an A-Rank in World Tour Mode. |
| Mr. Panda | Complete all Shoot Cross Challenges with an A-Rank in World Tour Mode. |
| Jack Frost | Complete all Chapters in World Tour Mode. |
| Pyro Jack | Complete all Snow Town Challenges in World Tour Mode. |
| Jack Ripper | Obtain a B-Rank or higher on all stages in Boss Challenge Mode. |
Courses[]
| Course | Unlock Method |
|---|---|
| Wintergreen Island | Complete Chapter 1 in World Tour Mode. |
| Snowboard City | Complete Chapter 3 in World Tour Mode. |
| Snowy Ice Cavern | Complete Chapter 5 in World Tour Mode. |
| Low-G Factory | Complete Chapter 7 in World Tour Mode. |
| Glacier of Illusions | Complete all Chapters in World Tour Mode. |
| Legends Park | Complete all Speed Slalom Challenges in World Tour Mode. |
| Maiko Village | Complete all Shoot Cross Challenges in World Tour Mode. |
| Hyper EX Course | Complete all Halfpipe Challenges in World Tour Mode. |
Snowboards[]
Snowboards that can be unlocked in World Tour mode can be purchased for the price of the number of Gold.
| Snowboard | Unlock Condition | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Penguin and Fish | Available at Start. | 60,000G |
| Flower Pattern | 60,000G | |
| Ghosts | 60,000G | |
| Rainbow | 120,000G | |
| Electric Spark | 120,000G | |
| Crystals | 120,000G | |
| Star Pattern | Complete Chapter 1 in World Tour Mode. | 180,000G |
| Fire | 180,000G | |
| Jack's Board | 180,000G | |
| Wood | Complete Chapter 2 in World Tour Mode. | 240,000G |
| Shuriken Pattern | 240,000G | |
| Queen's Board | 240,000G | |
| Snowman | Defeat the Snowman Robot with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 300,000G |
| Jungle Dinosaur | Defeat the Jungle Dinosaur with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 300,000G |
| King's Board | Complete Chapter 3 in World Tour Mode. | 300,000G |
| Metal Spider | Defeat the Metal Spider with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 350,000G |
| Chill Wolf | Defeat Chill Wolf with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 350,000G |
| Bronze Board | Collect 3,600,000G. | 350,000G |
| SBK Logo | Complete Chapter 3 in World Tour Mode. | 400,000G |
| Bandai Namco Logo | Complete Chapter 4 in World Tour Mode. | 400,000G |
| Silver Board | Complete all Snow Town Challenges with a C-Rank or higher in World Tour Mode. | 400,000G |
| Angel | Complete Chapter 4 in World Tour Mode. | 450,000G |
| Devil | Complete Chapter 5 in World Tour Mode. | 450,000G |
| Gold Board | Complete all Snow Town Challenges with an B-Rank in World Tour Mode. | 450,000G |
| Sun & Moon | Complete Chapter 5 in World Tour Mode. | 500,000G |
| Dragon | Complete Chapter 6 in World Tour Mode. | 500,000G |
| Rainbow Crystals | Defeat Mega Alice with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 500,000G |
| Jack Bros. | Defeat Black Frost with an A-Rank in Boss Challenge. | 610,000G |
| Radioactive Green | Complete Chapter 7 in World Tour Mode. | 720,000G |
| Shadow Face | Complete all Chapters in World Tour Mode. | 830,000G |
| Platinum Board | Unlock all other snowboards and complete all Snow Town Challenges with an A-Rank in World Tour Mode. | 1,000,000G |
| Persona 5 Logo | Purchase the Persona DLC character pack. | Free with characters and course from the Persona franchise |
| Sword Art Online Logo | Purchase the Sword Art Online DLC pack. | Free with characters and course from the Sword Art Online franchise |
| Frozen Logo | Purchase the Disney's Frozen DLC pack. | Free with characters and course from the Disney's Frozen franchise |
Shots and Items[]
Shots and Items can be obtained for 100G. Pressing L2/LT/ZL activates the shot, while pressing R2/RT/ZR activates the item. Each character shares their own unique shot.
List of Shots and Items[]
| Name | Type | Effect | Used By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000t Anvil | Item | Summons weights that squashes opponents. | Everyone |
| Bomb | Shot | Attacks the opponent with a powerful explosion. The player can still get caught in the blast radius when near. | Everyone |
| Fireball | Shot | Burns opponents with a powerful explosion. | Pyro Jack Brad Ren |
| Ghost | Item | Slows down the winning opponent's movement speed, or the second place opponent's movement speed instead. | Everyone |
| Heart Barrier | Item | Creates a magical barrier that shields the player from getting harmed by opponent attacks. | Nancy Linda Nicole Futaba |
| Ice Needle | Shot | Freezes opponents and causes them to spin out for a short time. | Pamela Nancy (SBK DS) Elsa |
| Ice Shot | Shot | Freezes and traps opponents in a block of ice. | Everyone |
| Invincibility Star | Item | Makes the snowboarder temporarily invincible for a short time, becoming immune to being attacked by opponents and obstacles. Opponents can get attacked by the invincible snowboarder when near. | Everyone |
| Invisibility Cloak | Item | Makes the snowboarder temporarily invisible for a short time, becoming immune to being attacked by opponents. | Everyone |
| Lightning Bolt | Item | Stuns all opponents and makes them unable to maneuver for a short time. | Slash Damien Slash (SBK DS) Kirito |
| Mine | Item | Items that can be dropped on the ground for opponents to crash into. | Everyone |
| Parachute | Shot | Opponents who are attacked by this shot will float in the air until they touch the ground. | Everyone |
| Pengies | Shot | Summons an army of penguins to home in on an opponent which lowers their stats upon distracting them. | Coach Max Peggy |
| Potion Bomb | Shot | Launches a powerful potion at the opponent which lowers his/her status at random. | Wendy Jack Ripper Sumire |
| Rat Face | Item | Steals the winning opponent's coins, or the second place opponent's coins instead to the player who summons it. | Everyone |
| Rocket | Item | An enhanced version of the Speed Fan. Increases the player's movement speed for a short time with a super-boosting effect. | Everyone |
| Shockwave | Shot | Summons sonic waves that confuse opponents and reverse their movement controls. | Jam Jam (SBK DS) Leafa Sinon |
| Shuriken | Shot | Homes in on an opponent and knocks him/her easily to the ground. | Shinobin Kaede Koyuki |
| Slap Stick | Shot | Opponents who are attacked by this shot will be sent tumbling forward. | Everyone |
| Snowball Cannon | Shot | Fires a volley of snowballs to attack opponents. | Jack Frost Asuna Olaf |
| Snowman | Shot | Opponents who are attacked by this shot are transformed into snowmen for a short time. | Everyone |
| Speed Fan | Item | Increases the player's movement speed for a short time. | Everyone |
| Stinger Rocket | Shot | Homes in on the winning opponent and blasts him/her into the air. The player can still get caught in the blast radius when near. | Ruby Tommy (SBK DS) Anna |
| Super Ghost | Item | Slows down the movement speed on all opponents for a short time. | Everyone |
| Super Meat Bun | Item | Enlarges the player to giant-size for a short time, squashing opponents who are near. | Tommy Mr. Dog Mr. Pig Mr. Panda |
| Super Rat Face | Item | Steals coins from all opponents to the player who summons it. | Everyone |
| Tornado | Shot | Traps an opponent into a tornado and sends him/her flying into the air, dropping either a shot or an item at random. | Everyone |
Cast[]
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | N/A | Kristen Bell |
| Asuna | Haruka Tomatsu | Cherami Leigh |
| Black Frost | Kōsuke Toriumi | Johnny Yong Bosch |
| Brad Maltinie | Houko Kuwashima | Erica Mendez |
| Captain Draco (Announcer) | Hikaru Midorikawa | Justin Briner |
| Coach | Takehito Koyasu | Walter Herman |
| Damien | Tomokazu Seki | Ben Diskin |
| Elsa | N/A | Idina Menzel |
| Futaba Sakura | Aoi Yūki | Erica Lindbeck |
| Ghosts | Hideo Ishikawa Takahiro Sakurai, Risa Taneda & Ryūsei Nakao (Trio) |
Ben Diskin Christopher Corey Smith, Jessica Calvello & Matthew Mercer (Trio) |
| Jack Frost | Keisuke Ueda | Sarah Anne Williams |
| Jack Ripper | Daisuke Namikawa | Corey Hertzog |
| Jam Kuehnemund | Mitsuki Saiga Yūki Kaji (SBK DS) |
Josh Grelle Todd Haberkorn (SBK DS) |
| Kaede | Maaya Uchida | Mela Lee |
| Kirito | Yoshitsugu Matsuoka | Bryce Papenbrook |
| Koyuki Tanaka | Emiri Katō | Luci Christian |
| Leafa | Ayana Taketatsu | Cassandra Lee Morris |
| Linda Maltinie | Ayana Taketatsu | Laura Bailey |
| Mega Alice | Ayumi Fujimura | Melody Taylor |
| Mr. Dog | Kōji Takahashi | Kyle Hebert |
| Mr. Panda | Norio Wakamoto | Bill Rogers |
| Mr. Pig | Wataru Takagi | David Vincent |
| Nancy Neil | Ayumi Fujimura Houko Kuwashima (SBK DS) |
Cherami Leigh Kayli Mills (SBK DS) |
| Nicole Couch | Atsuko Tanaka | Caitlin Glass |
| Olaf | N/A | Josh Gad |
| Pamela Rasteri | Yōko Hikasa | Michelle Ruff |
| Peggy | Rina Satō | Monica Rial |
| Pyro Jack | Hideo Ishikawa | Keith Silverstein |
| Rat Face | Jun Fukuyama | Alexis Tipton |
| Ren Amamiya | Jun Fukuyama | Xander Mobus |
| Ruby Green | Daisuke Ono | Christopher Sabat |
| Shadow Face | Hiroki Yasumoto | Richard Epcar |
| Shinobin | Toshiyuki Morikawa | Greg Chun |
| Sinon | Miyuki Sawashiro | Michelle Ruff |
| Slash Kamei | Yū Kobayashi | Colleen Clinkenbeard |
| Sumire Yoshizawa | Sora Amamiya | Laura Post |
| Tommy Parsy | Shin-ichirō Miki Keiji Fujiwara (SBK DS) |
Yuri Lowenthal Michael Sinterniklaas (SBK DS) |
| Wendy Lane | Rina Hidaka | Christine Marie Cabanos |
Trivia[]
- This is the first Snowboard Kids video game to get released on an Xbox video game console and PC.
- Snowboard Kids IV features a variety of alternate costumes for each group of characters.
- The Past Snowboarding DLC pack 01 contains three courses from the classic Snowboard Kids video game and SBK2 costumes for Slash, Nancy, Jam, Linda, Tommy and Wendy.
- The Past Snowboarding DLC pack 02 contains three courses from Snowboard Kids 2 and alternate costumes for Pamela, Nicole, Brad, Ruby, Shinobin and Kaede.
- The Past Snowboarding DLC pack 03 contains three courses from SBK: Snowboard Kids and alternate costumes for Damien, Coach, Mr. Dog, Peggy, Mr. Pig, Mr. Panda, Jack Frost, Pyro Jack and Jack Ripper.
- Two of Coach and Mr. Dog's costumes from Snowboard Kids 2 appear as standalone characters. So far, they are renamed Peggy, Mr. Pig and Mr. Panda.
- The Sword Art Online image song BLAZING BULLET (performed by Kirito and Sinon's Japanese voice actors, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Miyuki Sawashiro) appears on the World Tree course.
- The instrumental version of the Frozen song Let It Go, (performed by Elsa's English voice actress, Idina Menzel) appears on the Arendelle Village course.
- The song Last Surprise from Persona 5 appears on the Mementos course.