Snakebird is the best kind of bastard game. I am continually astonished by how awkward and difficult even the most simple-seeming puzzles in this game are, and on that front the design is absolutely top notch.

But is it fun to play? At times it is: I think honestly this game is a bit too hard. There really aren't any easy levels in Snakebird once you clear the very basic tutorial (presumably that's why the devs brought out Snakebird Primer a few years later, the hardest levels of which are all easier than anything in Snakebird proper), and so the learning curve is more like a learning cliff. Thankfully I did play Snakebird Primer before this, so I already knew some of the more oblique tricks you could use to solve the puzzles before starting this one. I have no clue how you were supposed to figure out some of this stuff otherwise.

I think the aesthetics help me stick with this one, as I don't usually have the best track record at sticking with frustrating puzzle games like this. It's all very clean, lighthearted and non-threatening, with nothing to latch on to to get pissed off at when the puzzles are getting on your nerves (c.f. the quirky 'exhibits' in A Monster's Expedition which, while totally inoffensive, I had a burning desire to punch to death by the end of the game). Snakebird makes no attempt to be anything more than it is, and I really appreciate that.

But yeah, this game still absolutely breaks me. But the flipside of that coin is how unbelievably satisfying it is to actually solve the puzzles. This is the kind of game I'm happy to just boot up for an hour or so, try a few things here and there and maybe, if I'm lucky, actually finish a level. I think that's exactly the kind of space this game shines in (I guess that makes sense for something also available on mobile), and I reckon I'm still going to be chipping away at this one for months to come.

Quite the mindfrick once you get later into the game. Really enjoyed it at first, but soon learned that I am an idiot and had to use a guide for the last quarter or so of the game.

I do appreciate how well designed everything is. The snakebirds follow a very specific set of rules and the fact that they managed to cram so much out of that is awe-inspiring.

Presentation is nice, and accessibility is great with regards to controls and quality of life features.

Very simple in concept and mechanics, yet very deep in how you can execute the levels.

The levels are mostly super well designed, mostly because they nail one thing that I think that's really important to puzzle games: you can break down levels in "sections" in your head, effectively piecing together multiple smaller puzzles, that together form the solution to the level.

A cute and hard puzzle game that will be worth your time if you like the genre, and has a satisfying amount of levels to sink your teeth in.