Its not easy to come up with a unique idea for a game. But Sumo Digital hit the nail on the head with the fantastic puzzler Snake Pass. We got to grips with the game at this years EGX Rezzed event.
We first came across Snake-Pass last year at the EGX main event held in Birmingham. Impressed with what we saw, we booked in for a test drive on the Nintendo Switch at this years Rezzed. Its a game that had a lot of interest at the event and never seemed to have an empty seat for long, and we can see why! After having a test run for about 30 mins i was so impressed that i decided to purchase the game for a full review!
Set in the land of Harmony Foothills you play as Noodle the snake accompanied by your helpful friend Doodle the hummingbird. Together you embark on a mission to climb to the top of Haven Tor and rid the land of a mysterious intruder lurking in the skies. 15 levels await you, each with their own progressive level of difficulty that will have you weaving and winding in ways that currently no other game can offer.
Having the usage of just 2 buttons and the analog sticks your able to navigate Noodle around with ease. Mastering the controls however are not to simple, and even though ive completed the whole game, i still don't think ive mastered the controls properly? Speaking with the Sumo team at Rezzed they explained how a lot of people tend to make the error of pressing the accelerate button at the same time as the lift button, which causes Noodle to edge forward constantly. This can be useful at times, but at moments where a climb is vertical you end up launching yourself off the elevation your clinging to. Learning how to alternate between the 2 buttons efficiently is the key to mastering the controls, but its not as easy as it seems.
The graphics in Snake-Pass are very nice and clean, everything is smooth and the levels are designed very well. Situated on a series of elevated islands you'll find yourself in many instances where you literally are 'clinging on for life'! The music is uplifting and fits each scenario very well and overall brings a nice pleasant experience to the game. During the play through we only encountered a slight issue where the camera angle would seem a bit too close for comfort, causing you to lose sense of direction at crucial moments. Though this is an irregular occurrence, only happening a handfull of times throughout the whole game, so is easily forgiven.
Slow and steady wins the race in Snake-Pass story mode, though Time Trial mode can be unlocked for those who seek that speedrun rush! There are already some very competitive times on the world leader boards, so i can see this growing to be a popular game within the speedrun communities. (Just to point out that i currently hold the fastest time for Level 15).
The game itself has around 15 hours gameplay for the experienced gamer, and around 25-35 hours for trophy hunters. Compared to most indie games on the market thats a decent amount of playtime. And with time trial mode included theres endless replay value for a £15.99 title.
Theres also a point at the end of the game where a cutscene suggests theres more levels to unlock? I've not confirmed if the portal mentioned actually exists yet, but im still searching for it!
Overall Snake-Pass is a really fun game to play and not only just because of its unique controls. Everything fits well together and at points where a game would usually make you pull your hair out Snake-Pass just continues to entertain you instead. Its easy to get into and you don't need to master the controls in order to get far in the game. The puzzle elements are simplistic and have you locating switches around each map, theres plenty of hidden objects to locate as well as coins and orbs and secret locations. Its a game for all ages, and all gamers be it experienced or not. I'm looking forward to seeing new DLC and in the meantime trying to locate this hidden portal!?!
Snake-Pass is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, XboxOne & Steam
View the official Snake-Pass Main Website for more detailed info.
View Snake-Pass on Steam.
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