Snakelikes - The best five mobile games like Snake
Modern games often wear their influences on their sleeves, and we're seeing that more and more with the new trend of sub-genres. Things like Souls-likes, Roguelike games and even Metroidvania all link back to older games immediately with their names. Terms like this quickly capture the idea of a game and give you a clue about what's in store when you start the game. So, why are certain classic games immune to this genre-fication? Where are the Snakelikes?
We've pulled together some of the best mobile games like Snake right now, which means this is a list of games that have taken the classic Snake formula and evolved it into something new and fun.
Is that tough? Snake is an old game and so, much like many arcade games, is incredibly simple and pure in design. In fact, Taneli Armanto's classic title is simply a case of moving in one of the four main directions collecting fruit to grow in size and continuing to do so - while dodging your own tail and the walls- for as long as you can. When I say pure in design I mean that I can, and just did, literally describe the game in one sentence.
So, what makes a game 'Snakelike' in this case. If you can count the features on one hand then it's pretty simple to spell out some basics: You can wipe yourself out on walls and your own tail; You can eat stuff to gain points and grow larger; and, controls are kept incredibly simple for ease of play. That's actually a pretty specific set of items, perhaps even more restrictive than other genres.
Some non-mobile games could be great fits for the title, Pix the Cat, for instance, has you play as a digital cat that dives down through levels within levels, collecting eggs that then become ducks who tail you. You need to dodge the walls and your own duck-tail before banking them to score points. Interestingly though, due to the maze-like layout of the levels the creator, Pastagames, actually consider it closer to PacMan... ooph. But, thankfully, we've dodged that bullet as we're here to talk about specifically mobile games.
So, we've got some interesting titles in store for you over the next few pages, click on ahead through the big button below to find out what are, in our opinion, the best mobile games like Snake available right now.
1
Little Big Snake
Starting with a bang, Little Big Snake took the evolved-arcade formula of Slither.io and added an impressive metagame to the multiplayer twist on Snake. It's clear that a lot of effort has gone into the visuals of Little Big Snake, with tonnes of skins and other components to unlock, as well as the ability to change the level backgrounds and more.
Rather than just a visual overhaul, the team behind it have added in missions, skills and the previously mentioned metagame. There are also leaderboards for days, and seasonal events to boot.
2
Pako Caravan
The Pako Car Chase games have been favourites of ours for a long time, in fact, the first one netted an award pre-launch at our Big Indie Pitches many, many moons back.
If you've not played those games then all you need to know is that they're manic, drifting games where you smash and crash your way around areas while dodging the police. But, but, but. Pako Caravan is NOT about that, nope. In Pako Caravan you need to slide around and nab as many other vehicles to tail you as you can before you eventually wipe out. It's fun, and not just because it shifts what you're playing as to something else, but because the Pako team know how to make car control feel thrilling and suspenseful.
3
Snake Core
Mobile indie developer legend Orange Pixel is up next. One of their most recent new IPs was Snake Core, a militaristic twist on Snake. In it, you snake around military bases and encampments 'recruiting' soldiers by sliding over them. Once your combat conga-line reaches a certain length, you can smash into your opponents and defeat them with overwhelming force. It's hardly the most effective military tactic, but it works wonders here.
There's a lot of level variety, and all delivered in Orange Pixel's signature art style. It's a great little jaunt and incredibly reasonably priced.
4
Snake Rivals
Back to snakes now, with Snake Rivals. It's the slithering, extending snake formula but with a Battle Royale twist. A fast-paced PvP game where each of the 50 players takes on the role of a giant serpent and battles their way through a variety of shifting arenas. However, there's also a classic mode where you can pull sweet manoeuvres and launch weapons in order to bring your rivals down.
There's a meta-game here too, with accessories and custom snakes for those who keep playing the game, as well as a couple of different ways to play than I mentioned above.
5
Slither.io
It's impossible to talk about modern Snakelike games without talking about Slither.io, easily one of the best mobile games like Snake available right now. It was a massive part of the .io movement we saw a few years back, the free-to-play experience where ads predominantly existed as optional means to get cosmetics. But, monetisation aside, it brought online multiplayer to Snake in a simple and effective way and also demonstrated how the simple implementation of real-time leaderboards can completely hook people.
It's simple, sure, but so was Snake, and that entertained people for hours and hours. Slither.io can definitely do the same.
