Snake Rattle and Roll review - Nintendo Entertainment System

Life as a snake used to be easy. It was simply a question of slithering around, pouncing on small furry mammals, and shedding skin once in a while. But our two heroes - Rattle and Roll - live in a bizarre world composed of checkerboard platforms, seas, waterfalls and (oddly enough) manhole covers. Their object is to escape from each level by eating enough Nibbly Pibblys - little round creatures that infest the landscape - to make them heavy enough to ring a bell at the top of he weighing machine found on each level, and so open a door to the next stage.

Things are not as straight forward as they sound. Monsters try to kill the reptiles at every turn: if one of the snakes dawdles in the water too long, Jaws races to catch him and eat him, and on land Big Foot (who is, surprisingly, a big foot) attempts to squash him. And there's always the danger of plummeting off the edge of the screen while leaping from platform to platform.

The snakes gain length by flicking their tongues at Nibbly Pibblys, sucking them into their mouths, and spitting out the remains. Bonus items, such as clockwork keys, are collected for extra speed and points to help make life easier….

What the Mean Machines staff thought

The Nintendo software collection keeps getting better and better, and the arrival of Snake, Rattle 'n' Roll proves the point. The surreal 3D landscape, with its multiple levels and manholes, provides fun in itself - and the gameplay is overflowing with quality. It's become a firm favourite here in the MEAN MACHINES offices, even enticing Gary away from his loitering at Centrepoint shelter. The humour makes the game, as the baddies are all weird objects (the toilet seat is my favourite!). If fun and frolics are what you're after, this is definitely the thing for you - rush out and demand a copy now!

What a game! Snake, Rattle 'n' Roll is one of the most original games seen in years, and simply oozes quality. The graphics are stunning, with beautifully drawn scrolling forced perspective 3D backdrops and some great sprites - the snakes themselves are utterly brilliant. But it's the playability that makes this one of the most compulsive Nintendo games around. The landscapes are fiendishly designed to test your dexterity to its limit, and on later levels you're required to take some amazingly convoluted and precarious routes to the door! But even though it's tough, the game's sheer fun keeps you glued to the Nintendo for hours on end. The simultaneous two-player option is the icing on the cake! Snake, Rattle 'n' Roll is an incredible game and is a vital addition to your Nintendo software collection.

Retrospective comments

This game was one of the first titles I got for the old NES (yeah I was late to the party!) It was simply amazing due to the fun gameplay and two player fun.

For those not in the know you guide your snake to eat jelly beans that roll around the screen in order to build your snake's tail in order to gain enough weight to get through the exit to the next stage. The gameplay is frantic and fun and full of quirky touches that only RARE could offer.

This game is also a great example of what the NES was capable of. Somehow I just couldn't see this working on the Master System. An absolute gem.

Have your say about this review

Laurie - 20 Jun 2008, 09:36 GMT

"But even though it's tough, the game's sheer fun keeps you glued to the Nintendo for hours on end." This from Jazza should be taken as a warning to mere mortals. To say this is a difficult game is, to quote a Mean machines reviewer, "to speak the truth in no uncertain terms." Even with a Game Genie, the fiendish 'one chance to jump the gap or fall to your death' jumps make completing this cartridge nigh on impossible even for the most dedicated of platform fans. Ultimate Play the Game were notorious to a generation of children who owned Spectrums and the Ashby de la Zouche software house's games released by Rare on the NES were no exception (Cobra Triangle, Battletoads and Double Dragon.) Including brilliant humour, a pin-point control method and distinctive sound and graphics, this was and remains a superb example of a videogame.

Anthony - 22 Jun 2009, 01:32 GMT

Fantastic game. Unique and brilliant. The controls are reminiscent of marble madness, and the 2 player mode really pushes this game to another level.

Ashley - 30 Jun 2010, 05:51 GMT

I have made a FANPAGE on FACEBOOK....please join if you liked the game and lets try to bring it to Wii! http://www.facebook.com/alearley#!/pages/BRING-SNAKE-RATTLE-N-ROLL-TO-Wii/133459393341877?ref=mf