Nillo
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 548
Registered: 01-04-2004
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This puzzle game, released on Steam at the beginning of May this year, largely flew under my radar until TotalBiscuit recorded a video of it one month later. I was delighted by the cutesy graphics, but what eventually sealed my purchase was seeing him fail to complete the second level. That's how I knew Snakebird was a game after my own heart.

Make no mistake, the difficulty level of Snakebird rapidly goes through the roof and never lets up. It is adorable hell, and it's made even more treacherous by how simple the mechanics are. You have the left, right, up and down arrows at your disposal. Occasionally you can switch between snakebirds by pressing tab. And that's pretty much it.

You can buy it for a paltry sum on Steam and I highly recommend it. I've been playing it together with a friend over the last couple of days, with him suggesting moves for me through the medium of stream chat. We're able to complete maybe one or two levels in each session. But knowing you guys, you'll probably blaze through this game in a feat of puzzle-solving genius.

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“Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.”

skell
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3734
Registered: 12-28-2004
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Also Alex Diener has LPed the whole game if someone who watches him didn't realize it .

It's a really fun game!

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The Architest
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 254
Registered: 05-25-2008
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Holy tweet, that looks pretty fun alright!

Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJJa3hMbs4s

jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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It's a really solid game. Once the mechanics start to sink in, the puzzles demand step-by-step plans to solve. Plus the UI is lovely.

TripleM
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1373
Registered: 02-05-2003
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This is in the current Humble Bundle for anyone who hadn't picked it up - might give it a go.

https://www.humblebundle.com/hamble-staff-picks-bundle

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
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I wish they would have ramped the difficulty up much more slowly. The game is too difficult for me to get into. I don't feel like I can create good solution strategies for levels and need to use brute force exploration of possible moves to solve.

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
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ErikH2000 wrote:
I wish they would have ramped the difficulty up much more slowly. The game is too difficult for me to get into. I don't feel like I can create good solution strategies for levels and need to use brute force exploration of possible moves to solve.

Same here, Erik. I picked it up in that Humble Bundle and I like the general idea of the game, but it's kind of exactly what all the opponents of Unlimited Undo in DROD feared would happen.

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

blorx1
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 920
Registered: 07-18-2009
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I disagree. In my experience with the game, the brisk difficulty curve didn't force me into brute forcing things. I guess that's why it might be better to hedge your bets towards a more comfortable difficulty in general though. You can't make everyone happy I suppose.

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Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3226
Registered: 07-05-2004
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The devs actually showed interest in making an easier level set a year ago. Quote from Steam forums:

This is unannounced and unofficial, but while the others on the team are busy with mobile versions and DRM-free alternatives of the game I've started making a new set of levels aimed towards young children. We've been contacted by parents of children who love the game, but are unable get anywhere because of its difficulty. I've also always wanted to make a game for children, so it's a perfect fit. The levels will be quite easy because of this.

Don't know if that's ever happening though.

I agree that the game is quite trial-and-error heavy sometimes. I didn't like some of the levels like #21 (I think a lot of people have trouble with this) and #25 for that reason, but there were still quite a few that I enjoyed.

And at least most of the levels are small, which limits the difficulty a lot. Unlike in Fish Fillets or something. That game gets so much harder than Snakebird.

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
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I think the freedom of movement you have in Fish Fillets makes it less frustrating, though. Yes, those levels have choke points where you need to move very specifically, but it just feels like you have more freedom to try things out until you arrive at the correct solution. And the difficulty curve is smoother, I would argue.

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

mtomato
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 05-16-2016
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This thread made me go back to Snakebird and finish it.

The difficulty curve felt weird. It went up very quickly at the beginning, but got easier towards the end.

It's not that latter puzzles are easier, it's that the experience gained from solving the earlier puzzles is greater than what's required to keep the effort demanded from the player the same.

I found level 19 to be the most satisfying puzzle to solve in the game, and while I thought the very last puzzle was very clever, it still felt a lot like level 19, so it wasn't much of a challenge any more.

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[Last edited by mtomato at 06-19-2016 05:03 PM]

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
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Alright, I'm going to play it some more, and see if I get a better feel for it.

Fish Fillets did not feel anywhere near as difficult to me. It did reach a difficulty level where I decided I'd had enough and stopped, but that was several hours into the game.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

TripleM
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1373
Registered: 02-05-2003
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For what it's worth, I love it so far (up to level 28). Yes, it is possible to just reach the solutions by trial and error on some levels, but it's very satisfying when you figure out a lynchpin yourself without doing so.

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
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ErikH2000 wrote:
Fish Fillets did not feel anywhere near as difficult to me. It did reach a difficulty level where I decided I'd had enough and stopped, but that was several hours into the game.

Yeah, I couldn't beat the first one by myself. I wrote the only FAQ for this game on GameFAQs and I had to solicit help for almost all the final levels. The sequel, while still hard, was easier enough (including one key change in mechanics that made your fish a little less death-prone) that I was able to beat it fair and square.

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

karlpopper
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 263
Registered: 03-28-2009
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I want to put a plug in for Snakebird,
which I saw because of Alex Diener's playthrough.

I have it installed on my desktop as well as mobile,
and I play it in pretty short bursts: I find almost all the
puzzles to be hard, but fair, and there's not too much grinding.

It's one of those games, like DROD, where you become better and you
don't quite know why - suddenly slipping the snakes over one another
becomes obvious - that's a pleasant "I'm so smart" feeling.

(Level 21, eating the three fruit is an exception, and I allowed
myself to look that one up)

I've also enjoyed playing it twice - just because you remember
the key, doesn't always mean it's clear how to execute.



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comp
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 12
Registered: 09-17-2016
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Great game and perfect on a phone.
Didn't even mind getting stuck in lines, etc, for the couple weeks in my life I shared with this game.

ThemsAllTook
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 207
Registered: 06-23-2014
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Looks like an expansion just came out for this game, featuring easier puzzles. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but if the original was too hard or you just want more, maybe it'll be worth a look: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1014140/Snakebird_Primer/

Pearls
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 767
Registered: 12-21-2009
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So I've played the primer.

The valley in difficulty between the two is, imo, enormous. The original Snakebird is actually impossible. The primer is questionably easy.

I still think it's good though

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Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
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I feel like the later levels of Primer get towards the early levels of Snakebird in difficulty, which isn't quite what I wanted from an easier Snakebird but I understand why they balanced it that way.

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Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 662
Registered: 07-03-2007
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Just bought these. Snakebird was frustrating for me until I played Snakebird Primer. I think it really served the purpose it was designed for.

I've beaten everything in Snakebird Primer except for the (first?) space level now. I'm making progress in Snakebird in the meantime.

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Kalin
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 185
Registered: 01-25-2016
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Having finished Tametsi (nearly finished a second flawless playthrough, actually) I could use a cheap new puzzle game to play.

Both Snakebird games are currently on sale on Steam. So which should I buy?

Primer is easier and has a better learning curve, but I play games for the sense of achievement, so I suspect I'd enjoy the original better. I'm also cheap, and Primer costs more.

A bundle would be ideal, but there's only one, and that contains a game that looks like the opposite of the sort of thing I enjoy, and the bundle costs more than buying just the Snakebirds.

Or should I save my money and try to finish stuff I've already bought (like DROD)?

davidatk100
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 42
Registered: 11-27-2007
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I played the original Snakebird a year or two ago. It was really hard but I managed to finish it completely. I can't remember how long it took but it would have been week(s) playing casually. I got Snakebird Primer yesterday and finished it in an hour or two. I would recommend buying both. The difficulty curve will be a lot smother and more fun. If you're not going to buy both, definitely get the original.

TheFox
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 12
Registered: 07-13-2017
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There are some community designed Snakebird puzzles as well. They are conveniently listed in my snake article.

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[Last edited by TheFox at 11-29-2019 06:28 PM]