Developer: Rare Publisher: Nintendo Release: 07/90 Genre: Action
Rare were one of the most prolific developers on the NES. In total they developed over 60 games throughout the course of the system’s life. Many of these were licensed titles like WWF Wrestlemania and Pictionary and well, the quality speaks for itself. But among all of those titles that kept the lights on were passion projects that are some of the most interesting in the NES library. I had no idea what to expect with Cobra Triangle but I loved it nonetheless. Wizards & Warriors…..bless their hearts they tried. Battletoads is one of the most frustrating titles I have ever played but christ is it amazing technically. Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll falls somewhere in the middle. It looks amazing, has fun mechanics, and great level design. But god damn I wish someone would smack their hands before they dial the difficulty up.
The goal in most levels is to eat as many Nibbley Pibbleys as possible. Each one makes your body longer and they also serve as hit points, with every hit removing a segment of your tail. To exit the level your body has to be a certain length that varies in each stage, making it crucial to take few hits on the way to the goal. Nibbley Pibbleys are found everywhere, under lids, freely roaming the environment but most often from dispensers. They also come in varying colors that are worth different amounts to grow a segment of your body. Generally speaking it is not hard to find Nibbley Pibbleys but holding on to them is another matter.
The control is the biggest point of contention in Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll. The isometric perspective means every movement is done diagonally. But the perspective makes this very confusing as your controls can reverse depending on the direction or terrain. The design of the environment can be confusing at times and even with shadows lining up jumps is tough. Coming to grips with the control is critical and unfortunately the game barely gives you a warm up to acclimate. It took a very long time for the controls to feel somewhat intuitive and even then I still made mistakes.
From its look to its control Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is similar to Marble Madness. Each level is a massive obstacle course with objects, enemies, and traps. At first they are simple; in the first two stages the biggest threat are sharks in the water. But it escalates fast. Platforming is introduced along with detrimental items like reverse which inverts your controls. You will learn to fear snakedozers that push you off cliffs; so simple but so terrifying. Aggressive enemies like anvils and big foot join the party and can one shot you. Some of the later levels do away with nibbley pibbleys and merely ask you to survive to the end, a tall task which involves some of the most difficult platforming on the NES.
The level design is generally excellent, the mechanics are simple yet fun, and the game boasts extremely high production values. But few will see most of its content. Like most Rare games on the NES Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is viciously challenging and off putting. The difficulty curve is steep with the game asking a lot of you in a short period of time. The heavy emphasis on precision platforming does not align with the isometric controls and it is frustrating. The level design is fun but also full of cheap gotcha like suspect item placement. Speaking of time, the clock is of the utmost concern and barely gives you time to explore. In spite of everything I just listed the game is certainly beatable but it will require more patience than I fear most can muster. If you beat this one it is a badge of honor.
Even though Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is a mid-generation title it stacks up pretty nicely among the system’s best. That is due to the game’s art direction. The 3d isometric perspective gives the game a striking look unlike similar titles on the platform. The tile sets should be familiar to Rare’s other work like Captain Skyhawk but the art direction is more varied and better here. One cool feature that is not immediately obvious; all of the levels stack, creating one cascading mountain that you are ascending. The non -traditional soundtrack adds to the game’s atmosphere and is similarly great.
In Closing
Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll frustrates me like no other. Yet I still like it overall. Like Battletoads it is full of great content and incredibly inventive. But the crushing difficulty means few will see most of it. Had the developers balanced the game better it would have been special. Instead it is a title that I only recommend with a few caveats.
