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Game #4369
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Snood    View all Top Dogs in this genreCollection: Indie Underdogs
Puzzle   Brainteaser

Rating: 8.86 (142 votes)

Snood box cover

Snood screenshot
For anyone who likes the Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble series, there's a new kid on the block that is even more fun than the Taito classics. Snood is an insanely addictive puzzler that looks deceptively simple, but will draw you in for endless "just one more game" sessions with its nuances and clever game design. Created by Dave Dobson in 1996 for the Macintosh, Snood quickly spread across campuses and, eventually, the whole world. But for some reason, despite widespread popularity and its being ported to the PC and Gameboy Advance, Snood is not as well-known among "hard-core" gamer crowd. Perhaps it is because the game's cartoonish graphics and simplistic gameplay make many gamers mistake it as another light diversion like Windows Solitaire. As a result, we have a curious case of a game wildly popular among casual gamers, but virtually unheard-of among the "hard-core" crowd. Since most visitors to this site belong to the latter group, this review is an attempt to convince you, the hard-core gamer, that this little gem deserves a permanent place on your hard drive.

In Snood, your goal is to clear the screen of Snoods, little alien creatures, by shooting more Snoods at the existing ones from a rotating cannon at the bottom of the screen. You can only shoot one Snood at a time, and cannot choose which Snood you want next. When three or more Snoods of the same type touch, they explode, causing any other Snoods that are no longer attached to other Snoods to also fall away. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. The more Snoods you fire, the higher the Danger bar on the right of the the screen rises. When the Danger bar is full, a row of brick wall appears at the top of the screen, pushing all of the Snoods down closer to you. If the Snoods ever reach the cannon, the game is over. The only way to make the Danger bar go down again is disconnecting Snoods that are not the same type as the Snood you are shooting. The game is won when the screen no longer has any Snoods attached to the top of the screen, and bonus points are awarded for clearing the screen using a small number of Snoods.

As if strategizing and aiming your cannon carefully is not enough, there are many other obstacle to make your life more difficult – and the game even more addicting. On higher difficulty levels, there are skull-shaped Snoods, that can only be cleared by having them fall off. The latest version of the game features special Snoods such as "wild card" ones that will turn into whatever they touch first. 

In additional to normal play, there are two other modes that are played on more than one screen. The Journey mode takes you through all the levels, starting on Child and progressing in difficulty until you lose. The Puzzle mode – one of my favorite features – takes you through progressively more difficult puzzle levels where you have to ricochet trick shots around walls of skulls to complete the level. In normal mode, you can create your own levels, choosing the number of rows and columns of Snoods that will appear, as well as the Snoods' size. Here you must truly strategize how to make the Snood icons fall in order to advance, and a single poorly aimed shot can mean the end. 

With insanely addictive gameplay, infinitely replayability, and excellent customizability, Snood is one of the best coffee break games ever made, ideal for four-to-five minutes of play at a time. It is well worth the registration price, because you will be playing hundreds of games for hours on end. A modern classic, and a well-deserved entrant into our Hall of Belated Fame.

Note: The official site, linked below, sells versions of the game that have come out since, for all kinds of platforms. Check it out!

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Dave Dobson
Developer: Anonymous
Publisher: Anonymous
Year: 2002
Software Copyright: Dave Dobson
Theme: Unique, Shareware
Multiplayer:  
None that we know of
System Requirements: Windows XP
Where to get it:   Official site
Related Links:  
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Bust-A-Move, Triptych, Xixit

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