Snake Pass is a beguiling material science based platformer that is additionally a collectathon. It is a one of a kind game alone that gives us control of a Snake while ensuring the ongoing interaction mechanics and control are fun and valid in term of the sentiment of controlling the Snake. This is improved further by the Physics of the game which enable the Snake to cling to objects as the player attempts to clear his path through the different obstructions included in the levels.
The principle character is a bright Snake which is totally different of the threatening looks that are typically connected with the presence of Snakes. The world in Snake Pass is loaded with shading with green fields, bamboos to climb and water to cross. There are likewise different snags and hurtful condition dispersed all through each level that must be deliberately crossed so as to arrive at our target.
The real beauty of Snake Pass lies in its physics that allow us to control the Snake in a way that not only makes it fun, but also mimics the movement of a real life Snake pretty well. Basically we can move the Snake with the press of a button but the actual controls for how his body behaves is implemented with the Left analog stick, which means we can use it to twist and turn across Bamboos and other surfaces to elevate the Snake through some of the carefully designed obstacles and reach the keystones which are used to unlock a gate in each level allowing us to progress to the next one.
There are a variety of collectibles to discover in each level and these are usually hidden well. Thankfully while they are hidden well, they are also interesting to discover on our own since the journey to reach these collectibles is half of what makes Snake Pass fun. Some of these collectibles appear to spawn at impossible to reach locations but as they say, practice makes perfect. They key is to make sure the Snake is dangled onto the surface carefully and this is made easy by utilizing a mechanic that allows the Snake to temporarily grab a surface so it doesn’t fall through them. This makes for some interesting and tense scenarios as we gamble between going for the next collectible or heading to the next checkpoint.
The reason why checkpoints are important in Snake Pass is precisely because of its difficulty. While the main objectives, which are the keystones in each level, are usually easily to get for the most part. The side content is the collectibles and it is the part which carries the most difficult tasks and platforming sequences. Checkpoint is initiated by stepping on a shinning plate with the Snake symbol and these checkpoints reset once triggered which means if you remember the location of them in each level, you can save at the checkpoint after collecting a set amount of the side collectibles. This is important because Snake Pass doesn’t save the game in the middle of the level so if you are doing a run for getting 100% completion on each level, make sure to get to the checkpoint before you attempt a difficult platforming task.
I was able to play Snake Pass on the PS4 Pro and was pleasantly surprised by the Image Quality as well as the frame rate, which seems to run at solid 60 fps. This is a dramatic improvement over the regular PS4 and Nintendo Switch version of the game, both of which reportedly run at 30 fps. If you have a PS4 Pro, then you are definitely at an advantage when it comes to playing Snake Pass on a console.
The game can be rather short in length but unlike games in similar genre, it is a pleasure to explore each level and discover the collectible thanks to the implementation of physics on Snake’s body. You can also use your trusty sidekick, the bird, to ask for help when you need to lift the lower part of the Snake’s body. This scenario can arise in situations where you struggle to barely reach a steeper location and are hanging on to your dear life while your lower half of body is dangling beneath. The bird can lift it up making it easier for you to reach your objective.
All in all, Snake Pass is a worthy indie puzzle platformer that offers a unique gameplay mechanic in term of controlling the Snake to navigate obstacles in a fully realized 3D world. The game also appears to remind me of the good ol’ Snake game in mobile phones however it doesn’t function in the same way, as the Snake doesn’t necessarily enlarge after getting each collectible. It could be fun to have such gameplay mechanic though so perhaps the developers can think of it in a different gameplay mode. There is definitely a lot of potential to utilize the physics implemented here and I can’t wait to see what the developers can deliver in the future.
