Game review: Slither.io is a blast from the past
Inspired by very popular game Snakes, seen on the Nokia feature phones, 'Slither.io' is one of the best spin-offs we have seen recently
Mobile developers have been coming up with spin-offs of popular games from time to time. Some look beyond the smartphones and use feature phone games for inspiration. Popular Indie game Flappy Bird, which went viral despite its ordinary looks, was inspired by a game called Bounce where a user had to get a red ball through the rings without touching any of the obstacles. Slither.io is an online game developed by Lowtech Studios, a US-based gaming company. Inspired by the good old Snakes game where a user had to control a snake until its growing body became an obstacle for itself, the Slither.io is a free to download game with modern graphics.
The new game follows a similar storyline but on a much bigger canvas where the snake alone isn’t an obstacle. But there are many similar obstacles that a user has to avoid bumping into. Slither.io is basically a multiplayer game where every user is active on the same canvas. Users can see the ranks and name of the top scorers in a leaderboard on the right side of the screen all the times. The score is based on the length of the snake which increases as the snake eats up the colourful dots on the screen.
The leaderboard doesn’t interfere with your gameplay, though. The snake’s movement can be controlled through touch-based gestures. So, to turn right, you have to swipe towards right. Similarly to turn around, you have to swipe backwards. There is a way you can pause in a game, which makes it really challenging. There is also a map at the right hand side of the screen, so you can keep track of your position.
The graphics are considerably better than any of the Snakes’ spin-offs we have come across. The background which looks like snake skin successfully creates the ambience of a dark underground world. The colourful snakes helps user identify their snakes from others’. With the presence of so many characters, the game is tougher than the Snakes game. The fact that you compete with so many people makes it a lot more fun than the single player Snakes.
You can also play the game without downloading it. You can open it on any web browser, type slither.io, provide your user name and play the game. Downloading the game has its advantages, such as the option to change snake skin, and the cursor design. It also has an offline mode where you play with multiple AI controlled snakes, which you won’t get on the browser.
You can share your high scores on Facebook and Twitter, to keep a record and show off your performance.
Slither.io is a rare game which brings a popular mobile game from yesteryear back into limelight. It is highly addictive and easily accessible, which makes it even more irresistible. And you don’t really need a very powerful Android phone to enjoy this.
Price: Free
Available on Google Play Store, Apple App store, web browser
File size: 61MB
Tested on: OnePlus One (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 3GB RAM, 64GB storage, 5.5-inch Full HD screen)
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