Snake Pass (video game)

Snake Pass is a puzzle platform video game developed and published by Sumo Digital for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game was released worldwide in March 2017.

Gameplay


Snake Pass is a puzzle platform video game where the movement mechanic mirrors the slithering of a snake. The source for this game is the result of Sumo Digital's first internal game jam. The game has 15 levels across 4 themed worlds and is built on the Unreal Engine 4 game engine.

Development
The game came about when developer Seb Liese was attempting to learn to program for the Unreal Engine. He initially created a rope but forgot to attach it to anything, and the way it fell made him think of a Snake. With the encouragement of his colleagues, he fleshed out the idea and presented it in a game jam.

Initially the graphics used a more realistic style, but this, according to Liese, "genuinely creeped out" people, as such it was changed to a more cartoony design. It was also planned that the Snake would grow as he eats but this was discarded as it created significant gameplay problems, one of which was that the game would have had to be virtually redesigned for a short snake.

Snake Pass supports platform specific enhancements. On the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X, the game runs at a 4K resolution and it includes high dynamic range support. On the Xbox One, it supports Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing users to play on both the Xbox One and Windows 10. The game uses the Unreal Engine 4. The original score was composed by David Wise.

Release
The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in North America on March 28, 2017, and in Europe and Australia the following day. In August 2018, Sumo Digital announced the Nintendo Switch will receive a limited physical release, courtesy of UK-based publisher Super Rare Games.

In Tokyo Game Show 2018, Konami announced that it would publish and distribute the game in Japan.

Reception
Snake Pass received generally mixed reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.