Snake Pass

The Game was so much Fun habs from the Humble Bundle would recommend it as well as from 15 Euros. The exceptional Control using Physics is super fun as soon as You understand it. The Graphics are also phenomenal. The Combination of Comic Graphics and the modern Effects, such as Lighting or Water, looks fabulously good. Important: I only played the Game with a Controller. I could imagine that it doesn't work well with The mouse and keyboard, as the Actions of "Tensing muscles" and "Moving forward" at The Xbox Controller were controlled by Triggers and could be controlled as tightly as the Muscles are to be strained. I played a total of 10 Hours and played the Game first by collecting only the 3 Portal Stones needed to finish the Level. Then I Played through all the Levels again and collected the Bubbles as well as hidden Coins. I would recommend this Order because the Level Of Difficulty increases so slowly. I found it very difficult in the Beginning to Unpossibly collect all The Collectibles without Practice. On the Collectibles: This is my only Criticism. The Collectibles (Bubbles and Coins) have no Probation, except to Unlock a Skin as soon As you have found all of them. Here either more reward would have been better At different Levels E.g. bonus levels or if the Collectibles are more involved in the Main Game e.g. you have to find 50% of the Bubbles around the next World

My full video-review:



Colourful, fun physics platformer that doesn't really push its boundaries. The game's plot (if it can be called one) can be summed up in one sentence, which is good because the characters, although cute, don't really have enough personality to carry a story in the style of the mascot platformers it homages. Short at only 15 levels it nonetheless doesn't really have enough substance to stretch any further as each of the four worlds introduce only a single new coil in the game's, nonetheless solid, base gimmick.

Although it's a bit unfair to say the first world just screams "Stock Unreal Engine assets" and reminds me of those "Mario in Unreal 4" videos which just dump a character model into a bloomy field. World 2 is the best and introduces water, making the levels look absolutely gorgeous and proving very satisfying to slither through. World 3's only gimmick is a fire theme and, with it, hot coals - just another variant on spikes - as a hazard. World 4 doesn't really offer much to sink your fangs into at only 3 levels but uses strong wind to make coiling hard around platforms a necessity and finally makes Doodle less annoying by forcing him to earn his keep flying you around the levels. Physics are impressively put together- as they have to be with the game's enjoyment entirely based on how good it feels to control Noodle's movement - and I didn't have one physics based problem in the whole game. I did, however, have two hard crashes on level 12, losing all progress in a particularly long and difficult part of the game.

Snake Pass is an innovative platformer, and is clearly created with a lot of love and attention to detail. The game's cute visuals are accompanied by David Wise's relaxing soundtrack. The new range of skills and moves the player has to learn are refreshing, and will become second nature quicker than you might expect. Although the camera misbehaves at times, the gameplay stays fun and interesting throughout. Overall, the game provides a casual (but not shallow nor easy) experience that everyone should at least try out.

Snake Pass is a 3D platformer and collectathon game, in which the player takes control of a snake, Noodles. Playing as a snake is at the core of all gameplay in Snake Pass. To traverse the levels, the player has to move (and think) like a snake. This means slithering around, and wrapping your long body around bamboo to climb. In each level the player is tasked with finding three gemstones, which are required to unlock the next level. Next to that, blue wisps and coins are littered across the level to guide the player, encourage them to explore or provide a skill test.

I enjoyed Snake Pass tremendously. The movements are extremely satisfying to perform, and with each level you finish your snake-skills visibly improve. The game remains challenging throughout, and doesn't become stale or boring, since the skills constantly have to be applied differently. Unlike in other games, Snake Pass actually requires to player to think about their movements. A great example of this is the standard ground movement: the player actually has to move Noodles in S shapes to make any kind of speed. This is so novel, because it add so much flavour to the game, while in theory, the game would have played the same with standard directional movement.

Next to the interesting controls, the game also features some amazing level design. The levels are between 10 minutes and 40 minutes long, and contain multiple paths leading to different gemstones. Even though this means the levels are open in their structure, there is rarely any backtracking, since the levels loop back. The game is also sublime at guiding the player; there are always trails of collectables to follow, and the game makes sure there are enough vantage points from which you can find your next path. The collectable coins provide interesting challenges, which test your skills. These coin challenges also ease your into new skills, that you will require later.

The visual style and soundtrack cannot be overlooked, since they help the game establish the casual and relaxing tone. The attention to detail is visible in the ability to pick a facial expression for Noodles, or in the way your bird sidekick lands on nearby bamboo. This all adds to the charm the game provides. 

A complaint that is often voiced about Snake Pass is the precision of the movement. Arguably, this is a large issue in most 3D platformers, especially since perspective remains an issue in this genre. The actual problem in Snake Pass seems to lay in the camera, which causes the character to be obstructed by the terrain every now and then. This makes it very hard to move Noodles around in a precise way, and can therefore cause some frustation. The difficulty is also often mentioned, but I cannot find myself in this. Although the game can be intimidating at the start, since the movement is so foreign, this doesn't last long. The game provides a decent challenge, but if you take it slow, there is fairly little risk.

The charming style, combined with the well-executed gameplay and innovative ideas, lead me to complete Snake Pass entirely. Although the game has some minor issues, they rarely result in frustration or confusion. The overall package makes Snake Pass a very strong recommendation.