Snake Pass: Shedding Platforming Tropes

Snake Pass is a delightful 3D platformer that pushes the boundaries of what the genre can be. 

Putting the player in the skin of Noodle the snake, Snake Pass is a platformer with absolutely no jumping. Without the legs of every platforming mascot before him, Noodle must slither his way across 15 levels of bottomless pits, spikes, and hot coals to restore his home of Haven Tor to its former glory. Just like those mascots though, Noodle is adorable, colourful and a joy to control. 

Platforming, without the platforms

With a new take on the genre comes a lot of new challenges. Bottomless pits are no longer a simple jump button away from being conquered, instead requiring herculean effort. Snake Pass forces you to think like a snake, wrapping your way around slippery scaffolding that takes you across gaps. This new method of traversing the world starts off as a difficult puzzle to solve, with each tiny obstacle seeming like an insurmountable mountain at first. 

Snake Pass is the first game in memory that makes me feel like I’m a complete beginner to gaming, a feeling that combined with the game’s great level design and aesthetics made me eager to learn to control Noodle like I’d control any other Bandicoot or Hedgehog. It’s this process that makes Snake Pass so difficult at times, but the solid design and intuitive controls make becoming one with Noodle a wonderful experience. 

Haven Tor

Snake Pass’s 6-8 hour campaign is made up of 4 distinct areas, based on the four elements of nature. The earth realm is the typical jungle starting zone, teaching you the ropes whilst blasting you with amazing sights. The water, fire, and air realms that follow each bring new mechanics to the table whilst constantly upping the difficulty. Snake Pass’s world is a gorgeous one, backing up its level design with pixar-style colours and models. 

Haven Tor’s level design is also great, littering collectibles across the main path and at the end of optional bonus challenges. Each level also has 5 secret coins, often tucked away behind the hardest platforming tests the game has to offer. These optional challenges are what really makes the level design of Snake Pass work, with their rewards glittering just out of reach, encouraging you to stick with the game’s steep difficulty curve so that one day you’ll be good enough to come back and finally grab them. 

Stumbling Blocks

Despite its fluid controls, Snake Pass’s steep difficulty curve can sometimes feel a bit unfair. Sometimes the usually free-to-control camera will lock completely with no warning, altering Noodle’s course as he slithers above certain death. This killed me at least 5 times across my adventure, and although just 5 deaths might not equate to much in another game, Snake Pass’s stingy checkpoint system can lead to a large chunk of progress being lost over a technical problem. 

Despite the occasional feel-bad technical hiccup, Snake Pass’s platforming doesn’t get old, and probably wouldn’t even if you took out the new mechanics that are added in each new realm. The lasting appeal of Noodle’s slithering and sliding makes me wish the short campaign was a bit longer, as it feels like Sumo Digital merely scratched the surface of what can be done with jump less platforming. 

The Verdict

Snake Pass is a fresh new take on 3D platforming that sheds the genres most widespread trope. Whilst its problems can sometimes drag its unique brand of platforming down, it almost always delivers a delightful experience. 

Gaming Exploits’ final score – 8/10

Snake Pass is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.  

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