Snood (GBA) Review
System Game Boy Advance
Developer Rebellion Development Publisher Destination Software Genre Puzzle # of Players 1-2 Release Date 2001 |
Pros
Fun in short doses Cons Repetitive |
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Review
by Thonos
Snood is one of the games I played on the PC while I was in college back in the early 2000's. It was one of those small games that any computer could run, was quick to play, and was over before you knew it. It was far from a masterpiece, but it was something to kill time between classes or if I was at a friend’s house. What I recently found out was that they made a version of Snood for the Game Boy Advance. When I saw this, I had to pick it up to see how it stacks up to the PC version.
Snoods are the different-colored characters in the game. There are 7 different ones with each having their own name. There is also my personal favorite, Numbskull, who is a hindrance on the stages due to the fact he cannot be cleared normally. In the option screen, you can pick one of these characters to be your character. The character that you choose has no bearing on the game, as far as I can see. There are also special Snoods that match any Snood they touch and one that destroys all Snoods around it.
At its core, Snood is a match 3 game. The goal is to match three or more of the same Snood in order to clear them from the screen. New Snoods are added by shooting them up from a cannon on the bottom of the screen. The cannon has a 180-degree firing arc, and the Snoods can be bounced off the wall to reach their destination. The Snood that you add to the board is shown at the tip of the cannon. Another way to clear Snoods off the screen is if the Snood is either not attached to the wall or to another Snood attached to a wall. For example, in some stages all the Snoods are attached to one Snood that is attached to the top of the screen. If you manage to clear that one Snood at the top of the screen, the rest are not anchored to the wall and fall off. This is the only way to remove Numbskull Snoods off of the screen.
Each stage ends when the screen is cleared of Snoods. As you keep firing off Snoods, there is a gauge that fills up on screen. If the gauge fills up, it makes a warning sound, and the top of the stage lowers a notch and pushes everything on the stage down. If a Snood touches the bottom of the stage, you lose a life and start the stage over. Losing all of your lives ends the game.
There are four game modes in this version of Snood. Classic lets you pick a difficulty and clear a stage of random characters that increases based on the difficulty. Puzzle has you doing increasingly-harder stages that usually require some strategy as to how the stage has to be cleared. Journey is like Classic mode except it starts you off on simple stages and progresses into increasingly-harder ones. Time Attack has you clearing increasingly-harder stages with the catch that the gauge that drops the top of the stage auto fills. While each of the modes has some differences, they all involve the same core gameplay mechanics.
Graphically, the game looks decent. The Snood characters are semi-detailed and animated while the stage backgrounds and UI are rather bland overall. The game has simple sound effects and one music track that keeps looping over and over until the end of the stage. Each Snood has an intro and ending voice, which is a nice touch. As someone who played the PC version, I would say that the graphics and sound for the Game Boy Advance are on par to slightly downgraded in comparison.
For what it is, I like Snood. It is a simple match three game with some puzzle elements. The biggest drawback on the game is that there is not much variety in the game, and long play sessions can be boring. Still, this is a good game if you just want to kill some time with something not too involving.
-This game does have a two player mode that was not tested for this review
by Thonos
Snood is one of the games I played on the PC while I was in college back in the early 2000's. It was one of those small games that any computer could run, was quick to play, and was over before you knew it. It was far from a masterpiece, but it was something to kill time between classes or if I was at a friend’s house. What I recently found out was that they made a version of Snood for the Game Boy Advance. When I saw this, I had to pick it up to see how it stacks up to the PC version.
Snoods are the different-colored characters in the game. There are 7 different ones with each having their own name. There is also my personal favorite, Numbskull, who is a hindrance on the stages due to the fact he cannot be cleared normally. In the option screen, you can pick one of these characters to be your character. The character that you choose has no bearing on the game, as far as I can see. There are also special Snoods that match any Snood they touch and one that destroys all Snoods around it.
At its core, Snood is a match 3 game. The goal is to match three or more of the same Snood in order to clear them from the screen. New Snoods are added by shooting them up from a cannon on the bottom of the screen. The cannon has a 180-degree firing arc, and the Snoods can be bounced off the wall to reach their destination. The Snood that you add to the board is shown at the tip of the cannon. Another way to clear Snoods off the screen is if the Snood is either not attached to the wall or to another Snood attached to a wall. For example, in some stages all the Snoods are attached to one Snood that is attached to the top of the screen. If you manage to clear that one Snood at the top of the screen, the rest are not anchored to the wall and fall off. This is the only way to remove Numbskull Snoods off of the screen.
Each stage ends when the screen is cleared of Snoods. As you keep firing off Snoods, there is a gauge that fills up on screen. If the gauge fills up, it makes a warning sound, and the top of the stage lowers a notch and pushes everything on the stage down. If a Snood touches the bottom of the stage, you lose a life and start the stage over. Losing all of your lives ends the game.
There are four game modes in this version of Snood. Classic lets you pick a difficulty and clear a stage of random characters that increases based on the difficulty. Puzzle has you doing increasingly-harder stages that usually require some strategy as to how the stage has to be cleared. Journey is like Classic mode except it starts you off on simple stages and progresses into increasingly-harder ones. Time Attack has you clearing increasingly-harder stages with the catch that the gauge that drops the top of the stage auto fills. While each of the modes has some differences, they all involve the same core gameplay mechanics.
Graphically, the game looks decent. The Snood characters are semi-detailed and animated while the stage backgrounds and UI are rather bland overall. The game has simple sound effects and one music track that keeps looping over and over until the end of the stage. Each Snood has an intro and ending voice, which is a nice touch. As someone who played the PC version, I would say that the graphics and sound for the Game Boy Advance are on par to slightly downgraded in comparison.
For what it is, I like Snood. It is a simple match three game with some puzzle elements. The biggest drawback on the game is that there is not much variety in the game, and long play sessions can be boring. Still, this is a good game if you just want to kill some time with something not too involving.
-This game does have a two player mode that was not tested for this review