Snake Rattle 'n' Roll

A pair of snakes who devour little balls called Nibbley Pibbleys in order to grow, all while weaving through an isometric world full of spring-loaded bounces and chasms, that sounds like a feverish dream. And that's exactly what Snake Rattle 'n' Roll looks like, one of the craziest and technically most polished games the legendary British studio Rare created for the NES.

The game was developed by Rare (then operating as Rare/Ultimate), a studio that built up a reputation on the NES thanks to technically impressive and inventive titles. Snake Rattle 'n' Roll is built on an isometric perspective, which on eight-bit iron was no given, and it demands precise estimates of depth and distance from the player when jumping. Two snakes, Snake and Rattle, can play simultaneously, making the game another entry in Rare's long tradition of titles focused on shared play at one screen.

The core of the mechanic is delightfully absurd. Your snakes must first eat enough Nibbley Pibbleys to grow and gain a body long enough to weigh down the scale that opens the level's exit. Along the way you use springboards, trampolines, and elevated platforms, with the isometric view constantly testing your orientation. The game is famous for its difficulty as well as its specific, British humor that seeps out of every detail of the design.

Technically, Snake Rattle 'n' Roll proved what Rare's programmers could squeeze out of the NES hardware. The smooth movement in isometry, the animations of the growing snakes, and the music with its characteristic witty tune gave the game an unmistakable flair. No wonder the title became a cult affair among connoisseurs of the NES library.

Today Snake Rattle 'n' Roll is seen as one of the proofs of why Rare had already earned respect in the eight-bit era, which it later cashed in on Nintendo consoles with titles like Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye. For fans of the studio it's an essential stop, and for others a fresh and original challenge outside the mainstream.

Why play it: For original isometric action with growing snakes, British humor, and two-player co-op, showing Rare at the peak of its creative form.