Can you teach an old snake new tricks? I hope so.
Taneli Armanto, the creator of the original mobile version of Snake (which debuted on a 1997 Nokia handset) is attempting a comeback this month with Snake Rewind, a new and (allegedly) improved next act for the classic puzzle game that’ll release on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices on May 14. I am surprisingly intrigued by his offering. Mostly because it looks really cool. And the fact that it’s being made by the guy who created the most iconic, if not the completely and utterly definitive, version of Snake.
The description of Snake Rewind’s features on developer Rumilus Design’s website (via The Guardian) makes it sound like a thoroughly modern smartphone game. I mean that both as a compliment and an insult. See the features list:
FEATURES INCLUDE:
- THE SNAKE TO CONTINUE THE GAME EVEN AFTER CRASHING!
- MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPECIAL FRUIT, WITH UNIQUE POWERS AND EFFECTS!
- 10 LEVELS WITH DISTINCT VISUALS AND MUSIC, UNLOCKED BY COMPLETING FUN AND CHALLENGING MISSIONS!
- FRUIT STORE WHERE BOOSTERS AND ITEMS CAN BE UPGRADED AND PURCHASED, USING FRUIT THAT YOU COLLECT WHILE PLAYING!
- COMPETE AGAINST OTHER PLAYERS FOR HIGHER SCORES AND RANKINGS ON THE LEADERBOARDS, CONNECT WITH FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK!
- FILL THE WHOLE SCREEN WITH THE SNAKE AND FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS THEN!
So! Many! Exclamation points!! I don’t know how gracefully Snake Rewind will manage to monetize itself with the aforementioned “boosters and items,” but I do like the idea of being able to continue the game after your snake crashes. Also, any game whose trailer begins with dueling quotes from political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and renowned actor Nicholas Cage is a promising game in my book:
So let’s give Snake the benefit of the doubt and check back in on it later this month.
Contact the author at yannick.lejacq@kotaku.com.