Review for Snake Pass. Game for PlayStation Network, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 28/03/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 29/03/2017
In the gaming world there are some development teams that when they are appointed are automatically associated with a specific genre. Infinity Ward? Shooter. Platinum Games? Action. The Creative Assembly? Stretegics. Sumo Digital? Racing arcade. A type of reasoning that can sometimes even be cumbersome for these poor teams as it leads to unrealistic expectations. What does this all mean? Well that titles, even of a certain value, could pass on the sly precisely because they are not part of the classic repertoire to which you are used to.
The latest example comes from Sumo Digital, which in this first quarter of 2017 surprise us with a Platform! Yes, you got it right, Sumo Digital has developed a platformer and the concept behind the game is also very original.
We are talking about Snake Pass, a title in which the user is called to take on the role of a snake that will have to crawl through numerous levels.
Come to think of it, however, a platformer starring a snake is really weird: the reptile can't jump, can't even run, how on earth can a title like that be based on it? Everything you have learned about platformers you have to literally forget: with Snake Pass the experience offered is truly new and never seen before. Unlike many other similar products, the gamepad will in fact be used to simulate the movements of the protagonist in all respects Noodle: using the left analog stick you will change direction, the right backbone is used for advancement, the left one to tighten the grip on objects, the cross key to raise the head while the square to immerse itself in water.
Through this configuration it will therefore be necessary to imitate the typical zig-zag movement of snakes in order to quickly explore the levels as well as climb walls and various objects by wrapping around the holds present. We warn you immediately that it will not be easy at all, indeed, it will take you at least five or six levels before acquiring a certain fluidity, once this is done, however, Snake Pass will become really fun and satisfying to play, so much so as to surprise even the most skilled. platform users.
This would not be possible, however, without adequate level design. The experience with Little Big Planet 3 must have been very profitable for the dear Sumo Digital as their new title is in fact equipped with some excellent gimmicks. The game indeed features a well-balanced growing challenge, able to present a development of the levels not only horizontal, but also and above all vertical. However, we are not faced with enormous settings, on the contrary, but perhaps this is precisely the main strength of the product: to offer something more contained than competitors but at the same time extremely concentrated.
The gameplay of Snake Pass is in fact diametrically opposite to that of a Mario at random because the very nature of the protagonist Noodle forces him to face every challenge in a calm and reasoned way. It will be necessary to carefully observe the wall to be climbed as loosening the grip on a grip will lead to a ruinous fall or even a game over.
Despite its atypicality, Snake Pass still remains a platformer and as such has some proven dynamics common to the whole genre. To finish a level you will need to collect three different ones gem which will open the passage to the next one, its total completion however requires the collection of other types of collectibles such as i blue globes and monete, anything but simple to obtain. After finishing each set of levels, the timed mode, which combined with the online world rankings constitutes an exciting challenge.
From the technical point of view we are faced with a really pleasant and well finished product, equipped not only with an excellent artistic direction but also with a remarkable graphic sector. Snake Pass is in fact developed with the well-known U and makes extensive use of the most advanced rendering techniques to create a lively and vibrant game world. The colors seem to literally come out of the screen and the details contained in every single level are so many. Too bad perhaps for the somewhat disappointing performance on PlayStation 4: a framerate more fluid would certainly have been more adequate, since it is not a hectic title but it is a defect that in the end can be forgiven. Finally, the soundtrack by David Wise, legend of the sector and former composer of numerous Nintendo titles and beyond.
Snake Pass is an atypical platformer, which takes a direction diametrically opposite to that of its competitors so as to create a niche of its own. Taking on the role of the Snake Noodle is no easy feat - it will take some time to become familiar with the controls and even when this has happened, the title is still not a fast-paced or action-packed platformer. So if you are akin to the Sumo Digital vision, this Snake Pass could be a great product to spend your afternoons with. The only real, big flaw? The levels end too fast!
► Snake Pass is a Platform-type game developed and published by Sumo Digital for PlayStation Network, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 28/03/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 29/03/2017
