''Snakebird'' is a 2015

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...

video game developed by Swedish studio Noumenon Games. The sequels ''Snakebird Primer'' and ''Snakebird Complete'' were released in 2019 and 2023 respectively.

Gameplay

In each of the game's 53 levels, the player controls one or more characters, known as "snakebirds". Each is a combination of a

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

and a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

, but cannot fly. The gameplay consists of moving the snakebirds around a 2D grid, with movement similar to

Snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

games, except with

gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

along the y-axis. The objective of each level is to maneuver the snakebirds to a goal while collecting

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

that increases the length of the snakebirds. The challenge lies in finding the particular movements required to control the snakebirds in such a way that builds towards reaching the goal.

Development

''Snakebird'' development began in March 2013. Development of a prototype continued for the

Ludum Dare Ludum Dare (LD; , meaning 'to give a game', also referenced as LDJAM) is a game jam competition. It was founded by Geoff Howland and was first held in April 2002. It is currently run by Mike Kasprzak, who has been part of the team since the begi ...

27 game competition in August 2013, but the game was not submitted to the competition. The game was released for PC on May 4, 2015. It was later released on mobile platforms in 2016.

Sequels

''Snakebird Primer'' was released on 20 February 2019. The sequel contains 70 levels, and is regarded as having been made substantially easier than the original to appeal to a wider audience. ''Snakebird Complete'', which contains all the levels from ''Snakebird'' and ''Snakebird Primer'', was released for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

on 24 November 2023, and for PC and Mac on 29 December 2023.

Reception

''Snakebird'' received positive reviews, with critics citing its visual design, describing it as "cute" while contrasting that aspect with its difficulty. Comments included

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

's description of the game as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and

Pocket Gamer ''Pocket Gamer'' is a video game website and former print magazine that focuses on mobile, portable and handheld games. It was launched in 2005 by Steel Media Limited. The publication covers portable and mobile gaming formats, including iPhone, ...

stating that "If it wasn't totally passé to call things 'the Dark Souls of,' I'd call Snakebird the Dark Souls of puzzle games".

Touch Arcade ''TouchArcade'' (stylized as toucharcade) is a mobile games journalism website. It was launched in 2008 as a sister site of ''MacRumors'' by its founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson. ''TouchArcade'' also hosts a forum and a weekly podcast. I ...

rated ''Snakebirds iOS release five out of five stars, commenting that the game felt more natural played on a mobile device. They also praised its visual design, animations, and backgrounds, but commented on its difficulty, describing it as "tough" and stating that it was not for everyone.

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

praised ''Snakebird Complete'' for its level design, the conciseness but trickiness of its puzzles, and its nonlinear level selection map. In 2019, ''

Baba is You ''Baba Is You'' is a puzzle video game created by Arvi Teikari (known professionally as Hempuli), a Finnish independent developer. The game centers around the manipulation of "rules"—represented in the play area by movable tiles with words w ...

'' developer Arvi Teikari described ''Snakebird'' as "probably the singular title that has most affected Baba Is You's design". A team of researchers in 2020 found that small changes on the game levels can have a large impact on the length of a solution.

References

External links