Skip to main content

Snake Pass Review


 Snake Pass was released by Sumo Digital at the end of March on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and, thankfully, Nintendo Switch. Sumo Digital Ltd. is responsible for helping with a lot of remarkable games, including Disney Infinity and Little Big Planet. However, Snake Pass is their first original IP, and it's all theirs.


 While playing, or even seeing Snake Pass, you'll get the sense that this game is heavily inspired by the 3D Collection-based platformers of the past, pioneered by Rareware and recently revived by Playtonic. This is very true, as they even have some of the old Rareware talent on board. The famous composer David Wise has lent his talent to the Snake Pass soundtrack, and it really shows.

 Snake Pass may be inspired by the past, but it innovates more than enough to set itself apart. Never before have I seen controls quite like those found in Snake Pass. After hours upon hours with the game, I still haven't mastered them. You don't move around like a person in an animal's body, you move like the animal you are...a snake. You are required to move back and forth to create momentum. You can tighten your muscles to grip onto things. Moving in a straight line is nearly impossible due, because you obviously have no legs.


 From a visual standpoint, the game is pretty stunning. It utilizes a beautiful cartoon art style that really takes you back to the 90's Rareware era. The lighting effects are gorgeous in this game. The soft glow of the magical stones you must collect really shine, and the bright sun beaming off of Noodle's scales is a beautiful sight.

 Snake Pass runs pretty well too. I've had no framedrops whatsoever. In both TV and handheld mode, it's as smooth as butter. There have been reports claiming otherwise, but I can't speak for those.

 They've seemingly been patched out, but there were a few weird glitches at launch. For example, the rumble of the Joy-Con while in handheld mode was VERY intense, to the point where even while my system was muted, the sounds were bothersome to those around me.

 As I mentioned before, David Wise, famous for his days at Rare, has provided the music for Snake Pass. Like most of his work, the music in this game is stellar. The tracks are fun, and they really fit the mood of the stages that they're for. The sound effects are good too. The screams Noodle lets out occasionally are always hilarious.

 The thing that makes Snake Pass so unique is also what holds it back. That thing is, of course, the gameplay. The ways you have to wiggle back and forth are like no other control scheme I've ever seen. They do work if you're good enough, and I have to give them credit for that. However, these controls are nearly impossible to learn, and even when you feel like you've got them mastered, they fail. I think the proper word for the controls in Snake Pass would be "finicky".

 While I'm not much of a fan of the controls, the other mechanics of the game are really fun. I always scour the stage looking for every collectible, and I'm often not even able to find them all. I also really admire the fact that there are no enemies in the game. When the controls work, that can make it a very relaxing game to play.

 The collectibles are fun, but there's not really much to do after you collect them all. If you're good enough at the game, you could pretty easily complete it all within a few hours. After you know where everything is, and how to get to it, I can't imagine you'd want to play it again. For that reason, unfortunately, there's not much replay value at all.

 The saddest part of Snake Pass is that I can see what they were going for. They wanted this game to be a relaxing experience where you think like a snake and collect things at your own pace. However, due to the often infuriating controls, being relaxed at all is pretty much impossible, especially for the more high-strung of us.
 
 Overall, Snake Pass is far from being a bad game. It's exceptionally creative, and there are a lot of really great ideas. It looks and sounds nice, and occasionally it even plays nice. However, the ridiculously confusing controls will be a huge turn-off for a lot of people.

 I really hate having to criticize this game so harshly. I can tell a lot of love went into it, and there are a ton of really good ideas that I hope to see executed better one day. It's one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch eShop, and yet...it's still deeply flawed.

 Scores:
  • Graphics: 5/5 Stars
  • Music/Sound: 5/5 Stars
  • Gameplay: 2/5 Stars
  • Replay Value: 1/5 Stars
  • Usability: 2/5 Stars
Overall Score:
  • 3/5 Stars
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nintendo Switch Review

 Nintendo has always been innovative. They always try to do something new and creative. It doesn't always work, as the Wii U showed us, but they always try. No matter how you feel about Nintendo in recent years, you have to admit that they always try to do something unique. The Switch is no different.  The Nintendo Switch signals a new era of Nintendo. We all know that. However, at its core, it is still very much a Nintendo console, in the best and the worst ways. It comes with all the charm you'd expect. It has a lot of the barriers that are a Nintendo signature at this point. I'm speaking in very vague terms, but there is a lot to say about the Switch. Let's just dig into it.  The specs on the Switch are honestly nothing that impressive. However, as they always have, Nintendo makes the most of them. Although the screen is only 720p, much lower than the modern expectation, the games all look beautiful on the screen. The display is so crisp. I'm sure it...
4 comments
Read more

Why Every Nintendo Fan NEEDS To Buy 1-2 Switch

 1-2 Switch  is the only Switch exclusive launch title developed by Nintendo. If that and the fact that it actually looks like a pretty fun time don't sell you, I know what might. When presented with this information, your perception on the necessity of 1-2 Switch  very well may change. The reason you should buy this game is because of the Switch itself.  I'll get to that in a second. First, let's look at the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The games confirmed to be releasing are Breath of the Wild, 1-2 Switch, Just Dance 2017, Skylanders Imaginators, World of Goo, Binding of Isaac, Little Inferno, Super Bomberman R, I Am Setsuna, and Human Resource Machine . While many of these may end up being really good games, they've almost all already been released on other consoles, or will do so simultaneously with the Switch release. The only "made for Switch" games here are Super Bomberman R ...and 1-2 Switch .   Super Bomberman R  looks okay, but with Konami...
5 comments
Read more

How I Changed My Mind On The Launch Lineup and 1-2 Switch

 If we're being honest, the original Nintendo Switch launch lineup was pretty weak. It featured a measly five games, two of which were third party ports that will likely not sell at all. However, in the five weeks since the Nintendo Switch was fully revealed, this lineup has grown. It's grown a lot. The original Year One lineup picture posted by Nintendo of America's official Twitter account  A lot of games have been added since the initial lineup. The launch that originally consisted of five games is now at least twelve games. I am Setsuna, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, World of Goo, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine , Snipperclips, and Fast RMX  have all been added to the March 3rd release day. /u/AbsoluteMagnitude's most recent Switch lineup  The lineup in general has grown exponentially. Reddit user  /u/AbsoluteMagnitude  has been consistently updating the original lineup picture with every game announcement. The image above...
1 comment
Read more