Snake King
Nintendo Switch

Developed By: YeTa Games
Published By: YeTa Games
Category: Action, Arcade
Release Date: 9.10.20

Snake is easily one of the most-copied games on the planet. There have to be hundreds of clones on mobile platforms alone. Today’s game, Snake King for the Nintendo Switch, throws its hat in the ring with what it hopes is an interesting new wrinkle to the formula. Unfortunately, interesting is not a word I’d use to describe Snake King. The core of the gameplay is pretty much just classic Snake like you’ve probably seen a hundred times before. At the start of the level, you control a small snake. Once the level starts, the snake moves forward automatically and you can’t stop or slow it, only change its direction. The goal is to eat every apple in the level so you can move on to the next. You get a game over if you run into a wall and stop moving or if your snake’s head touches any part of its ever-expanding body. Like I said, this is pretty standard Snake at its core.

Shake Up That Snake

Snake King varies the formula up by introducing its levels as multi-room dungeons instead of a single screen, as most Snake-alikes do. When you get to the last room after eating every apple, a portal opens that you have to hit to actually end the level. You’ve also got the occasional obstacle such as moving apples or vases that can be destroyed using the snake’s dash ability. At first it’s kind of neat to be able to move between rooms; towards the end of levels it’s nice to be able to go back a room and make a lap to spread your snake out more to reduce your chance of hitting yourself. After a while, though, it just gets repetitive. There are five worlds and over one hundred and fifty levels in the game, but they all play pretty much the same. Snake is a game you play for five minutes on your phone while waiting in line at the bank or something. It’s not really satisfying in larger chunks.

Not Graphical Royalty

It doesn’t help matters that the game doesn’t really look that good. The game’s 2.5D graphics are very bland and lack variety. The difference between the game’s five different worlds is, at best, a palette swap. There are a few different floor patterns and a few different wall colors, and that’s it. The yellow blocks that comprise your snake get tired pretty quickly, too. Musically, there’s not much to enjoy, either. Each world has one song, and it will invariably get on your nerves after five minutes.

No Reason For Snake King Taking Up Your Time

Snake King sets out to find a new spin on a classic game – an admirable goal, surely, but not one that it manages to hit. The gameplay doesn’t do enough to set itself apart from the core concept, although the multi-room idea is fairly innovative. It can’t save the experience, however, as every level feels exactly the same. The graphics and music are uninspired and similarly lack enough variety to keep the game from feeling repetitive. In the end, Snake King ends up forced to abdicate its throne.