Snaliens

About

Snaliens is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by JFerreira and was released on February 27, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

"Snaliens" is a puzzle-based video game where players help adorable extraterrestrial creatures escape a challenging planet by manipulating different devices and pieces. Each Snalien has a unique skill, and players can explore five continents with no timers or limited moves. The game offers puzzle variety and flexible controls using keyboard, gamepad, or mouse.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 46 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Snaliens features a charming art style and a variety of engaging puzzle mechanics that provide a mix of challenges.
The game includes some clever puzzles that require creative thinking and exploration of its unique mechanics.
Many players found the game enjoyable and recommended it for its solid puzzle design and fun gameplay.

The difficulty level is inconsistent, with many puzzles being too easy and lacking challenge, especially in the mid-game.
Some mechanics, particularly the trailing tiles, are unintuitive and could have used more polish, leading to confusion in solving certain puzzles.
The game suffers from uneven puzzle quality, with some levels feeling like filler and lacking depth compared to others.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The gameplay in Snaliens is characterized by a diverse array of mechanics that blend classic sokoban elements with innovative circuitry-based puzzles, offering players a rich and engaging experience. While many mechanics are well-explored, some, like the trailing tiles, lack polish and can lead to confusion in certain levels. Overall, the game encourages experimentation and problem-solving, though some design choices may frustrate players due to their unintuitive nature.
- “It's got a varied set of mechanics and some great puzzle design that at its best packs multiple discovery moments in a single puzzle.”
- “Snaliens has quite a mixture of different mechanics and explores how they work together, building circuitry-based contraption puzzles out of the various cables, switches, gates, and other such devices.”
- “The mechanics in this game are really neat, and come with a fair bit of nuance that you'll have to discover as you play.”
- “This is exacerbated by some design elements that aren't entirely clear (e.g. in level 53, I didn't find it at all apparent or intuitive that only the center tile provided electricity), and a few game mechanics with very unintuitive corner cases (I still don't entirely understand the solution to levels 24 and 66; the solution to the first section in level 70 visually makes no sense; and nor does the solution to level 92, where the energy-transferring laser can activate wires even though they don't point towards it; and separately in level 92, for some reason it's possible for the snail wire thing to have multiple potential orientations).”
- “More fundamentally, I didn't like the core puzzle mechanic of having a chain or snail of wires behind your characters, because these snails move in seemingly unpredictable directions and are extremely tedious to reason about.”
- “There's a lot of mechanics, you don't just push blocks.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics are described as functional and minimalist, with a cutesy art style that contrasts with the challenging puzzles. While there is no music, the overall presentation is appreciated for its simplicity and effectiveness.
- “I appreciate the art style in this game.”
- “Don't be put off by the cutesy graphics, the puzzles pack a real punch.”
- “The visuals are functional, and there's no music, so the presentation is quite minimalist, but that's okay.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game features a minimalist presentation with no music, which some players find acceptable given the functional visuals. Overall, the absence of a musical score is a notable aspect of the game's design.
- “There's no music in the game.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being inconclusive and lacking depth, with many users expressing frustration over the perceived lack of a meaningful narrative payoff.
- “The payoff is dumb - an inconclusive story bit in a game without a coherent narrative.”
- “The payoff is dumb - an inconclusive story bit in a game lacking a meaningful story.”
- “The payoff is dumb - an inconclusive story bit in a game that fails to deliver a compelling narrative.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to the core puzzle mechanic involving unpredictable wire chains or snails, which they describe as tedious and difficult to manage. This design choice detracts from the overall enjoyment and flow of gameplay.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found the grinding mechanics to be overly tedious, often feeling like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “The constant need to grind for resources detracts from the overall experience, turning what could be exciting gameplay into a monotonous task.”