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Snake Pass |OT| Snake Had A Hard Life

bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
I feel like there's already shenanigans afoot in the leaderboards on Switch.... I can't see any conceivable way to shave off another 10 seconds from my time to come close to the first five players' times.

Also, I don't like that it gives you a target time to beat, rather than just letting you set your own time and then trying to improve it.
 
A

Alpha_eX

Member
I'm keen to go back but were the checkpoints fixed at all? I felt losing so much progress was WAY too harsh due to the number of collectables.
 
C

Cindres

Vied for a tag related to cocks, so here it is.
I finally decided to pick this up on Switch. Honestly it's everything I imagined it would be, only took maybe 10/15 minutes for the controls to properly click but once they did, oh man, wrapping may way around and climbing/navigating is extremely satisfying when you get it.

Music is perfect, it's a pretty game, generally an absolute delight. After being a little disappointing in Yooka Laylee (as a backer), it's a welcome surprise for something I wasn't aware of until this thread was originally created.
 
V

Visualante2

Member
Pokemaniac said:
Hmm, so I guess the leaderboards don't like the fact I used an "é" in my user name. I'm seeing "Pok??maniac" instead of "Pokémaniac". Guessing this is probably a unicode -> ASCII type of thing.

This is on Switch BTW.
Click to expand...
Could be as simple as they used a font which doesn't include that character.
 
J

J@hranimo

Banned
danowat said:
holy moly the controls are hard, any tips?
Click to expand...

Take your time going up and around bamboo poles, REMEMBER THE GRIP BUTTON! (ZL on the Switch, LT on PS4/XB1)

Once you get more of the flow of moving Noodle's head (Left thumbstick) and gripping around poles to scale them it'll get a lot easier and fun.
 
D

danowat

Banned
J@hranimo said:
Take your time going up and around bamboo poles, REMEMBER THE GRIP BUTTON! (ZL on the Switch, LT on PS4/XB1)

Once you get more of the flow of moving Noodle's head (Left thumbstick) and gripping around poles to scale them it'll get a lot easier and fun.
Click to expand...

I was trying to get the coin near the start of stage one, and I just can't get Noodle to wrap around the poles enough to hold on, I think I am struggling with the on/off nature of looking up.
 
V

Visualante2

Member
Furenlazor said:
No horizontal invert camera option? Why! :(
Click to expand...
This is super frustrating. Especially when the developer has hidden coins in hard to see areas. Fortunately my pad software let me invert it easily. Should be a basic accessibility feature.

I can see why the game got sevens. Unskippable cut scenes instantly hurts the replayability. Enjoyable vibe still.
 
S

Stoze

Member
This game clicked with me so hard. I spent most of yesterday playing it and managed to 100% the game in about 8 hours. Controlling Noodle is immensely satisfying to master, and I really liked the playground feel every level has. I went back to get the coins I missed in the first world which felt impossible to get at the time but was a complete breeze after beating it.

The main criticism is the camera. If you're going to have a game that's as complex as this to control, and your inputs/direction are relative to the camera, then the camera needs to be in tip-top shape. No fighting fixed zoom levels or angles every time Noodle comes near a smaller, more enclosed space. I also think the checkpoint system is a poor decision. Ultimately it's an imbalance: the couple times in the beginning where I got the appropriate "oh shit if I fall here I'm going to lose a lot of progress" reaction didn't make up for the dozens of "welp I grabbed a couple wisps and see a tougher part coming up, better go back and hit the checkpoint". It's too much tedium, and in a slower game like this, it doesn't work well. Lastly, it would've been nice to see different aesthetic themes and more variety there. What if there was an industrial world where bamboo is replaced with pipes, the wind currents are relegated to steam vents, boiling concoctions replace fiery coals, etc..

That said, those criticisms didn't put a dent in me really enjoying the game overall because the level design and playing as Noodle is just too good. I also don't think they could've done much more here considering the game was only developed in a year. Which is why I hope this acts as a proof of concept and these guys want to do a big sequel because there's so much potential here. I just want more.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Just playing this now and kind of digging it. Letting go of my need to collect everything has made the game much much more enjoyable.

Also 10/10 thread title.
 
C

Chauzu

Member
Started doing Time Trial properly on the Switch today. An half hour grind got me 3rd place on leaderboard on 1-2 but without vastly improved movement or new strats I can't see myself matching the top two times. Grind shall continue tomorrow!
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
Chauzu said:
Started doing Time Trial properly on the Switch today. An half hour grind got me 3rd place on leaderboard on 1-2 but without vastly improved movement or new strats I can't see myself matching the top two times. Grind shall continue tomorrow!
Click to expand...
The player who had first at one point (Evan) was bragging on FB about his times. I still don't understand how he logged such a fast time on 1-1. I only found one place you could jump/skip over a ledge to cut time off, but the exit portal burns 6-8 seconds activating.
 
S

Stoze

Member
Chauzu said:
Started doing Time Trial properly on the Switch today. An half hour grind got me 3rd place on leaderboard on 1-2 but without vastly improved movement or new strats I can't see myself matching the top two times. Grind shall continue tomorrow!
Click to expand...
I played through all the time trials as well, once again I'm astonished at the skill gap between when I started and now. Nothing top 3 but I hit top 20 a number of times by just going for beating the par times.

My favorite technique is if you set yourself perpendicular-ish against a horizontal bamboo stick or even a sloping straight edge, you can basically rocket across it like you're grinding a rail.
 
Z

Zedark

Member
€12 is a very affordable price imo, cheap enough to take the lead with this title for me, so that's a really nice sale. Probably will purchase it somewhere this week.
 
M

Marow

Member
I recently bought it and just played through the first three levels. After a few minutes the controls clicked with me entirely and I managed to 100% both level 2 and 3. It was such a joy snaking around, climbing and discovering the goodies. I even understand the grip button, which I've personally read lots of confusion about. So I don't understand a lot of the criticisms so far, but perhaps they'll make more sense on the more advanced levels (perhaps you cannot return to checkpoints?).

Basically, I love the game <3
 
G

ghibli99

Member
Bought this on sale plus that eBay 20% off thing... really enjoying it for the most part. Love the atmosphere, design, music, and the snake mechanics are satisfyingly realistic. Camera is driving me nuts at times though, and dying after spending countless attempts at getting tricky gold coins before getting back to a checkpoint has me nearly ready to snap my Switch in half. I guess it prevents people from cheesing coins by grabbing 'em while suiciding, but still. Anyway, I've managed to 100% the first three levels so far. Like DKCR and DKC:TF, I can only really 100% one level at a time before I have to take a break. For a game that looks so harmless, this is extremely demanding. I had no idea. LOL

Edit: Finished and 100%'d the first world. This game is intense. And wow, this water world is magical. :)
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
I haven't been playing the game at all since the Time Trials update came to Switch. Have Sumo (re)fixed the HD rumble yet?
 
J

Joelstinton14

Member
Picked this up too. Enjoying it, it's quite a nice relaxing game to pick and play. Not getting frustrated with it either, i can see people doing so , and understand why, but i;m just appreciating the game, it's really charming. Also i got a thing for games with analogue movement, and i like learning the intricacies of the physics in place.

Also suspect i am enjoying it a lot more because i'm literally playing it as Donkey Kong Country canon. Slippa's grand day out! Wise Music. Glorious!
 
K

Kamek Koopa

Member
I got this game recently and after the first world I'm totally in love with it. It's incredible how well the snake mechanics are implemented and executed, having in mind the freshness of the game. I was expecting the typical title that, while it's very original, everyone hopes the sequel refines it to a playable point, but actually this is already pretty pretty good. Once the controls click the game becomes fascinating.

Up to this point I haven't suffered any issues with the camera or the checkpoint system, which were the two more extended critics I remember reading about in reviews (were any of those two aspects patched or something?). I think it's fine that if you go to a previous checkpoint, it saves all the collectibles you've gatered since the last time you passed through it, so you can return there after and before a tricky segment. On the other hand, that HD rumble needs a fix, yeah, and I would appreciate too an option to skip cutscenes.

I would have loved if every level was truly unique in its own way given that there are only 15, but since all are quite challenging I'm okay with it, specially if each world manages to introduce different hazards.

The music is OUTSTANDING, by the way. Long tracks that are quite ambient and never get repetitive even if you spend half an hour in the same level. Wise has done it again.
 
U

Unai

Member
I just wish there was a way to save mid level. Sometimes I just want to play for 5 minutes or so and go to something else, but that's not really possible in bigger stages so I just don't play at all.
 
M

MarionCB

Member
I watched Yogscast Zoey playing this and it was the funniest stream I've ever seen. I was surprised to see such a long OT for this too; I didn't realise it was a GAF favourite. Anyway I just bought it on Steam. I hope I enjoy it as much as I think I will!
 
I

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
I was enjoying this game until death came in to the equation.

So I enjoyed the first 2 levels then the game started to piss me off. Managed to get the annoying coin in the third level and now there's basically an identical thing right at the start of the fourth level. I am angry enough for today. Think I'll just call it quits here. I dont get it. Game hasn't taught me how to stick to a pole that pokes straight out and it isn't going to. It's clearly a key thing to learn but I dont get it and if I'm not going to be taught then I might as well concede defeat and play something that makes me less angry.
 
M

Marow

Member
So I completed and 100% (well, except time trial as that's not my thing) the game just now. Loved every second of it. Still can't understand any of the complaints the game received in reviews. Checkpoints aren't any issue, the controls are great... I could possibly understand the camera, though I myself never had that issue. Strange stuff. It's like most people didn't even try to experiment when playing the game?

Really looking forward to what seems to be more levels DLC in the future!
 
Kremzeek

Kremzeek

Member
Once I turned on Easy controls in the settings, I found the game much less aggravating.

Surprised it wasn't the default, because I had 2 other friends play it and they HATED the default controls.
 
P

PhoenixSFT

Member
I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I was enjoying this game until death came in to the equation.

So I enjoyed the first 2 levels then the game started to piss me off. Managed to get the annoying coin in the third level and now there's basically an identical thing right at the start of the fourth level. I am angry enough for today. Think I'll just call it quits here. I dont get it. Game hasn't taught me how to stick to a pole that pokes straight out and it isn't going to. It's clearly a key thing to learn but I dont get it and if I'm not going to be taught then I might as well concede defeat and play something that makes me less angry.
Click to expand...

Wrap around the pole and use the L button to grip, take it slow as you go.
 
C

CyanideFuse

Member
Marow said:
So I completed and 100% (well, except time trial as that's not my thing) the game just now. Loved every second of it. Still can't understand any of the complaints the game received in reviews. Checkpoints aren't any issue, the controls are great... I could possibly understand the camera, though I myself never had that issue. Strange stuff. It's like most people didn't even try to experiment when playing the game?

Really looking forward to what seems to be more levels DLC in the future!
Click to expand...

I never bothered reading any reviews; I knew I would most probably like it from the videos I watched.

I can imagine people getting frustrated and not looking at the game for what it is - perfecting the controls, being methodical and looking at the environment to plan the best method and route. It is a shame that the game might have been written off because it requires learning a control technique.

Checkpoints have been fine and I have never felt hard done to; they are plentiful enough and you can always go back to checkpoint any collectibles you have done. I sometimes do a self-imposed don't-use-the-checkpoint-until-I-have-tackled-a-very-tough-bit just to test myself.

The most 'glaring' thing (and I say this having only just found it out) for me is having to finish a level or nothing will be saved. I am generally 100% each level as I go and put the Switch into sleep mode if I cannot finish. I actually hadn't tested the stage saving until last night, when, the game hung and I lost 90% of progress on stage 11. I wasn't aware that all progress is lost without finishing the level.

The camera does act up a bit in places but it hasn't affected me hugely so I don't have huge complaints there.
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
Kremzeek said:
Once I turned on Easy controls in the settings, I found the game much less aggravating.

Surprised it wasn't the default, because I had 2 other friends play it and they HATED the default controls.
Click to expand...
What's the difference with Easy controls?

I tried changing to them thinking maybe that was how the #1 times on the Leaderboard were achieved, but either they don't work how I think, or aren't allowed in Time Trials; which still leaves me wondering how the fuck the top times are ~10 seconds shorter than I can get on the first stage.
 
C

CyanideFuse

Member
I've had problems two nights in a row now. Sure to be a third I guess...

On stage 10 or 11 there is a part where you have to get the stone ball down from a platform by creating paths for it by pulling switches. I pulled the switch positioned in the lava, where opposite to it, the floor rotates. As I swung round to move on the camera zoomed way in on me and the next thing I know I am crushed to the side of the rotating floor and left dangling underneath. I spent ages seeing if there was a way to free myself so I could fall to my death but no such luck. I'd collected all the blue orbs and only had one coin and key so I lost a lot of work.

This is why I wish the game saved the checkpoint progress in the event you want to stop playing or there is a crash / glitch.
 
J

jholmes

Member
Sumo said they were resetting the leaderboards in the near future, any idea if that's happened yet?

I finally beat the game today, had a lot of fun once I got my head around the controls (pardon the pun), have to agree that the camera is the biggest knock on a great game here.

EDIT: Also, anyone else having the same bug on PC where the graphic options revert to default when you boot up, but go to your saved settings when you open the options menu? Such a weird bug.
 
K

KooopaKid

Banned
I'm not getting this game. I played the first 5 levels and stopped trying to 100% them, the risk/reward just isn't worth it with that saving system. Collecting stuff just for collection's sake is useless, are the following levels even gated behind a % completed?
Does the levels introduce new ideas and mechanics? I just reach the level where you can swim under water but it doesn't change the game much.
I think just getting the 3 colored stones will be enough for me, moving around is just not rewarding/fun enough for me and a bit too random.
 
H

Hybris

Member
Loving my time with this on the Switch. It's the perfect game to play before bed. I can definitely notice the fuzziness and slow down in places, though the portability is worth the trade off for me. Spent the weekend at my parents' house and knocked out 5 levels or so. Getting near the end of it, 2 levels left in Cin-derr's realm 100% collectables so far. Hardest part was getting used to the controls and nabbing the coin below the bridge in the first level. Since then, I feel like I have a grasp over the controls so nothing has been on that level of difficulty for me. There's definitely some tough spots still though, and there are some rare instances where the checkpointing is not generous enough (especially in one of the Cin-derr levels where a coin is on a long rotating stick jutting out over a cliff).
 
L

llehuty

Member
Wow, I stopped playing the game for a week after a couple of hours and now I suddenly get the controls. So damn weird, I was struggling a lot before.
 
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