If any of you have perused the PlayStation Store recently, you may have noticed a free demo for Snakeball available for download. What you may not have realized is that the full game is also available for ten dollars. As far as we can tell, the only way to buy the game is to download the demo and purchase the full game from within the demo itself. This somewhat convoluted method of delivery is unfortunate because Snakeball is a fun title and people should definitely take a look at it. Be wary though: this article contains the word "balls" a few too many times and may induce immature jokes. You've been warned.

Some multiplayer action.

Developer: Gamoola Soft
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Party
Release:

Snakeball, developed by Gamoola Soft, is a (as I like to call it) semi-casual game. Mixing very simplistic, pick-up-and-play elements with complex weapon power-ups, movement strategies and multi-tiered challenges, this title will definitely please both casual and more serious gamers. Snakeball places you in control of a Hover Snake and has you jet around disco-pulsing environments gobbling up different colored balls, usually with the ultimate goal of dropping the balls off and at various scoring locations. In the grand scheme of things, the game's premise is straight-forward and strongly reminiscent of classic games such as the original Snake, which involve the lengthening of your tail with each item consumed. Just put a groovy sci-fi spin on it and you have Snakeball.

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Right off the bat, you'll notice that Snakeball has fantastic presentation. Sharp, neon lights and pulsing music dominate the entirety of this game and mesh very well together with the idea of a "futuristic sport." Even the arena floor glows with light and changes color depending on what items are placed above it. Little details fit together to form a visually striking experience which we must strongly praise, especially considering the low price of the game.

Putting all the flashy elements aside, Snakeball plays very well and is extremely entertaining, especially when played with friends. You have several modes to start with, including Snakeball, Challenge and Ball Frenzy. Snakeball mode can be played online or offline, single-player or multiplayer. Snakeball mode involves a variety of different game types which usually center on the aforementioned mechanic of dropping balls off at a goal and defending yourself against other players and obstacles. Challenge mode initially offers up fifteen different challenges that can be played either alone or cooperatively with another player, and Ball Frenzy tasks you with collecting up to 1,000 balls and only one life to do it in. Madness!

It's difficult to say precisely what makes Snakeball so fun because there's a surprising amount of things to do, especially for a downloadable title. But when it comes to the primary gameplay mechanics, Snakeball is very rewarding. In the beginning, all players really need to worry about is driving their Hover Snake around, braking and boosting, and dropping the balls they collect off at the iridescent goal at the center of the arena. Technically speaking, this approach is perfectly fine and you can usually win against the AI opponents on the easier difficulties.

However, the real bulk of the game comes in when you begin to piece together all the advanced techniques and game modes. For example, there are several different colored balls. Dropping one ball off at a goal rewards you with 100 points. End of story. However, if you get two or more of the same colored balls in a row, a multiplier of is added to that score. When facing aggressive opponents, these color sequences become increasingly important.

There are also several weapons to use, some of which take advantage of Sixaxis support for secondary control. For example, one power-up allows you to fire lasers out of the sides of your Hover Snake. Tilting the controller in one direction will concentrate more power on that side and thus lengthen the distance of the beam. This Sixaxis support isn't necessary to use, but it adds another degree of control that you can take advantage of if you wish. We're not saying that the motion implementation is the best -- controlling your Hover Snake while using motion to control your weapon can be somewhat counter-intuitive, but it works nicely on occasion. The option is there for those who want it.

Besides these more palpable elements, Snakeball also revolves around your ability to effectively use your tail as a weapon or shield, depending on the situation. Only the head of your snake can take damage, so if enemy fire is heading your way, you can quickly curl up and deflect the danger with your tail. Or, if another player is headed for the goal with a huge train of balls, you can quickly cut them off and force them to run into your tail, destroying their ship and leaving their balls for the taking.

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There are several other neat things you can do in Snakeball worth mentioning. If you need to score a goal quickly, you can actually launch the balls you've collected and try and get them in the goal from afar. Furthermore, certain balls are explosive and begin a countdown once you've eaten them, forcing you to hustle to the goal before your Hover Snake is blown to bits. This is yet another example of how the simplistic foundation of Snakeball is suprisingly deep.

Most of the modes in Snakeball are great fun and offer a wide variety of different challenges, like weaving through mazes or taking on a host of turrets with the weapon of your choice. Playing with three other people locally is a lot of fun, but playing online might be problematic for the time being. As of right now, no one is playing Snakeball, presumably because no one seems to know it's available. We managed to play a few matches with gamers from the UK, but the controls were laggy enough to ruin the experience. This was likely an isolated issue though, considering the geographical location of our opponents. When we played an online match within the office, we had absolutely no problems. The game ran smooth as silk.

Snakeball has a lot of great things going for it, but it's not completely devoid of problems. Several of the specific game types within a particular mode feel similar to each other and almost unnecessary. Beginners may also have a very hard time differentiating between certain items in the midst of all the action because certain enemies look similar to the balls you're supposed to collect and so do the weapon power-ups. And while Snakeball's music is fun and admittedly funky, it can be somewhat repetitive.

Lastly, there doesn't seem to be any option for voice chat online, and even though you can take a picture of yourself to put on your little Snake rider, the picture isn't saved and must be retaken each time you quit out of the game.
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