Snake Pass (2017)

Every once in a while there's a game that perfectly clicks with you. It's almost as if the developers had you in mind when they made it. For me, this game hit all the right buttons.

It may seem as a game with wonky controls (a la Octodad) and a sort of 3d platformer collect-a-thon , but it is much more than that. First, the controls are hard to master and that's why it may seem like they're bad, but once you learn them you realize they make a lot of sense and you're capable of doing everything you want.

Second, I'd describe this more as an experience similar to learning to ride a bike than just a video game genre. You start struggling "How am I supposed to do this?? I can't even stay on the bike/stick and I fall all the time!" then you start learning, slowly. You advance a little, manage to do something (albeit in a non optimal way). You feel proud of yourself. You keep pushing and eventually you get much better. You don't fall anymore. You have some problems with the turns, but you keep practicing. The game is very good at pushing you just a little every time. Doing every collectible, I felt like every level made me a bit better, punishing me until I was just starting to get frustrated. As time goes on you and Noodle (the snake) become one. Just like a bike, you stop thinking of every little move you have to make, you just flow.

The best part of the game for me were the collectibles. They don't serve any purpose other than challenging you though, but that's exactly why I liked them. They're very similar to Celeste's strawberries: a mini-challenge inside a level that rewards you for taking a harder path, doing a cool trick or just pushing yourself to be better.

Noodle is the other highlight. Just looking at her being so happy made me happy, and seeing her face of absolute panic as I'm nearly falling made me panic as well. Her coupled with the vibrant environments and amazing uplifting music just made me happy.

There's as much plot as a 2d Mario game, but it's fine. The game is not about telling a story, is this self-improvement journey. There's also some minor camera issues and some checkpoints that are way too far from the very dangerous thing I'm trying to do, but is all minor and it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the game.

I discoverd this game thanks to Game Maker's Toolkit Most Innovative 2017 game video, so give that a try if the game looked promising.

Snake Pass is a wonderful little game. It can feel at first like the controls are the entire focus, but by the time I got to the second world its particular unique platforming and exploration became the primary challenge. I strongly suggest playing for 100% completion, as taking the time in each level to get all of the collectibles slows down the game enough to really make it enjoyable... in a Death Stranding sort of way.

I further strongly suggest pacing yourself to no more than one level per day. Every time I tried to complete two levels back-to-back I ended up exhausted and fruatrated. Especially later.

Practice your patience and Snake Pass delivers a nice, slow burn.

Snake Pass is quite the unique game where you play as a snake trying to navigate different environmental obstacles in order to collect some crystals/gems.

This game is centered around a single mechanic - this being specific snake movement. You control the snake by trying to zig-zag along the ground, wrap yourself around stuff to climb and generally use your whole long body to progress further. And it's pretty well done to be honest, and you generally feel like you would imagine controlling a snake would feel.

And that is pretty much the game sadly. I feel like there's a lost opportunity somewhere here. The visuals are really nice, colorful and vibrant. The levels feel very cheerful, the music is also adding to that. And the various stages present some challenge while tackling the obstacles.

However the game feels like missing some meat. There is no real story behind it except "collect this and that to save the world?". But it just boils down to collecting stuff for the sake of collecting. The snake I feel also lacks a bit of character. He's nicely modeled but lacks the soul - feels like a tool in your hands and a missed opportunity for some character.

Overall though it's a nice game. Fun for a while but becomes a bit dull towards the end as you kind of get used to the main mechanic and you're just doing similar thing over and over. The fact that I've never felt super confident with the controls doesn't help as well.

Worth a try as it's generally a rather pleasant experience.