Another Rare NES game that turns brutally hard by the end, Snake Rattle n Roll is an interesting idea about a Snake needing to platform and most of all eat (except the levels that just ditch the mechanic) to advance. Unfortunately eating mostly amounts to standing across a generator and waiting for the pellets to drop, then advancing once you get everything you need.

The real brutal parts are the movement, as it's an isometric game that was controlled by an NES D-Pad. Were this made in the 3D era it'd likely control a lot better but this isn't what we got. This is especially hellish in the ice levels, where your low traction gets even lower and the terrain will push you off it if you don't fight for dear life. Also the final boss? If you don't play perfectly, you're simply not getting past Final Foot.

Isometric is just hard to make work and this feels like it works less often than desired.

Reviewed on Mar 28, 2024


Comments