3.9 hours played
Written 3 years ago
I purchased the full 10 Minute Game Collection and am going to play them in the order they appear in my library. That means this is #8 of 10.
Know in advance what you are getting. As the collection title suggests, a ten minute game is not a triple A title. It is a short game-jam-esque proof of concept / working prototype / execution of an idea. At least that's what I'm going to infer from first impressions.
SNAAAK is another strong contender for the best title in the collection. The concept is simple. Remember the old Nokia classic game Snake? You know, a monochrome, single screen, high score chase? Well this game is nothing like that. Here we control the titular reptilian protagonist as it breaks free from captivity and escapes from a futuristic research laboratory. Okay so it's actually pretty high concept, but the execution is so silky smooth that you will instantly forget how crazy it all is.
The controls are tight and responsive. Just like the classic game, there is nothing more complex than using the arrow keys to move in the corresponding direction. Should you coil around upon yourself there is no punishment of death by ouroboros like in the classic game. This orange snake is a much more fluid creature and can reverse itself back to the straight and narrow.
The goal like much of the game, is implicit and only becomes apparent through exploration and inference. The store page describes this as a "Snakevania" but that is certainly a playful over complication. There are no power ups or abilities to unlock, but new gameplay systems are revealed as you progress through the world. These present some mild puzzle elements to solve, but this is all done through movement and not through any additional changes to the character.
There is a story to be pieced together if you wish, and this is shown entirely through on screen elements. The intro has our creature break out of a containment unit in a deep underground facility, long shut down and abandoned. Restoring power brings automated defence systems back online, obviously intended to keep you from ever escaping. Nature has reclaimed much of the facility, with lush foliage growing out of many areas, giving the sense that it has been decades since anyone worked here. Various gantries, platforms, viewing windows and work stations show that at some time there was a human presence, but just what they were working on is never quite explained. I love ambiguity in my games as so often explicit understanding is underwhelming.
The soundscape is basic but effective. From the outset there is a strange mildly industrial hum about the place, perhaps the sound of a backup generator reverberating through the expansive chasm of the facility. Once the power is restored, there is a gentle ambient tune which plays throughout, and the electronic nature of the music really suits the feel of what is happening onscreen.
Unlike most of the other titles in the 10mg collection, SNAAAK comes with a suite of achievements which will extend the longevity of the game dramatically (if you're into that sort of thing). Remember, these are 10 minute games. I managed to rack up around four hours in this one which is preposterous, but I just couldn't quite figure out the unlock conditions for a couple of the achievements. Even when the developer was kind enough to point me in the right direction, the PLATINO achievement proved to be sufficiently hardcore to keep me trying. Aside from that, I also played a number of times just to experience the game anew, and to refresh my memory of what is was that so resonated with me.
The originality, presentation and execution are confident and expertly realised. This short game slithered it's way into my heart and sunk it's fangs into my mind. I look forward to whatever the developer works on in the future.
