Developer: Brave Bunny
Publisher: Black Shell Media
Platforms: PC, Android, iOS
Tested on: PC
Curvatron – Review
Snake is a classic game that could be found on a lot of brick phones back in the day. While it seems like a very simple and complete game, Brave Bunny has found a way to reinvent it. Curvatron is a modern twist to the classic Snake game that looks simple at first, but will challenge you in every way possible.
Story
Curvatron is basically a minimalist twist on the good old Snake game, so a story shouldn’t really be expected at all. It’s snake after all, what kind of story (that’s not completely ridiculous) could possibly be brought to the game anyway? Curvatron really doesn’t need it and it wouldn’t fit in its minimalist design either, so it’s a good thing there is no story to be found.
Graphics
The game has extremely minimalist graphics. In the background there’s just a solid color, with the rest of the level being filled up with white objects. The objects themselves can be anything from moving platforms to a static wall or your snake, which is a white squiggly line. The objectives consist of simple circle-like objects with a number in them which you have to go through.
Sound
Curvatron’s sound is pretty much spot on. It has a very minimalist design and feel to it, and the music and sound effects reflect this perfectly as well. There are 30 different awesome and soothing sound tracks to keep your head cool during the sometimes frustrating levels. The sound effects are also very pleasant and relaxing, which is a plus because some games can have really annoying sound effects whenever points are gained…
Gameplay
In essence, Curvatron is pretty much a fancy and more modern Snake game which is way more fun than the original Snake. The game can be controlled with the tap of one button, which makes it extremely easy to get in to, but it’s also extremely hard to master.
Unlike the traditional game, the snake in Curvatron does not follow a straight path. It simply swirls around in circles and pressing a button will make it turn the opposite way. With this mechanic, you can move the snake forward by timing your button presses, making it swirl forward in predictable shapes. Even though it’s pretty predictable, it’s still very hard to maneuver in a straight as possible path or through a narrow passage, since you keep heading towards the walls whenever you change direction.
Curvatron also features a couple of different game modes. First there’s the Adventure mode, which has quite a few levels which get increasingly harder as you go. This starts out with very simple levels with no walls, but quickly turns into a maze with moving obstacles that just kill you on touch. In order to beat the levels, you have to collect the markers across the map. These have a number in them, so if you collect number 6, then number 5 appears. This goes on until you reach the last marker. Every time you consume a marker, your snake gets longer, making it hard to maneuver in tight spots without hitting yourself.
Then there’s the Classic mode, which is the mode we all know and love from the old games. You simply keep going until you die by becoming so long you hit yourself. However, there’s also a little twist here: there are power ups which can make you short again, but doing so makes obstacles appear which kill you when you hit them, so choose wisely…
Furthermore there’s Evergrowing, where your snake continuously grow and you just survive as long as possible before you hit yourself because you’re too long. There’s also Creative mode, where you don’t die and can go over your own snake. This game mode is meant to be fun and relaxing, allowing players to be a little bit creative or just draw a phallus, which is the first thing I tried.
A big surprise was that Curvatron also features multiplayer. This is a local multiplayer only with up to 8 players which is a Tron-like game. You can collect yellow balls to become bigger and you have to try and kill the others by making them squiggle into you.
Last but not least are community levels and the level editor. All levels in the game were made by a level editor, the same one that is accessible in the game where you can create your own levels. These levels can also be shared on the Steam workshop, which is a very nice feature!
Conclusion
Curvatron seemed like a puny little game that wouldn’t offer much, but it turned out to be a whole lot different. The mechanics and controls are extremely simple to learn, but some of the levels really challenge quick thinking and patience, because some levels will really make people rage quit after trying 50+ times. There are also quite a few different game modes and Steam workshop with a level editor, which is always nice since it offers more content.
Curvatron - Review,
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