Eating is a way out in Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll. Rattle and Roll must catch enough of the creatures called Nibbley Pibbleys to grow heavy, find a scale and ring its bell. That opens the exit, but the snake still has to reach it.
Rare’s game first appeared on the NES in 1990. Its isometric view looks diagonally across a landscape of platforms and drops. Moving through that landscape involves jumping between different heights while judging where the snake will land.
Growing and surviving
In the NES version, food colour affects growth. A Nibbley Pibbley matching the snake’s colour contributes two units, another colour one, and yellow three. Four units add a body segment. Yellow is therefore especially valuable, rather than simply the ordinary food type.
A flashing tail signals enough weight for the scale. Enemy hits remove segments, so progress towards an exit can be lost before the player gets there. Length serves as both progress towards the weight requirement and protection against damage.
Tongue extensions increase reach, not attack strength. They help catch moving food, whose forms become more varied as the game goes on. Club Nintendo described creatures with legs, wings and springs, as well as bombs masquerading as food. Catching something is not always the same as catching something useful.
Sharing a dangerous route
The landscape supplies obstacles as well as enemies. Lifts connect heights, deep drops threaten the snakes, and hazards can push or crush them. Water is not automatically fatal: the snakes can swim, although the manual warns against lingering where sharks appear.
Two players can play simultaneously. The NES manual awards a bonus to the first snake through the exit, while Club Nintendo describes another for taking the final morsel in a bonus area. The shared journey therefore includes competition over rewards.
Versions and returns
A Mega Drive version followed; Sega Retro’s release record dates the European edition to 1993. The detailed growth rules above come from the NES manual, rather than being assumed identical across conversions.
The NES game later joined Rare Replay for Xbox One in 2015. Nintendo added it to the Nintendo Switch Online NES library in February 2024, alongside R.C. Pro-Am. These rereleases preserve an approach to platforming where feeding, weight and surviving the route are connected parts of the same task.
Sources
- Nintendo/Rare, NES instruction manual, 1990, pp. 4–10: growth units, exits, damage, tongue reach, multiplayer and water.
- Club Nintendo (UK), vol. 3 no. 1, 1991, pp. 8–9: landscape, food varieties, hazards and bonus areas.
- Sega Retro, Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll: Mega Drive release record. Secondary catalogue; exact launch day is not claimed.
- Xbox Wire, Rare Replay announcement, 16 June 2015: original year and compilation inclusion.
- Nintendo, 21 February 2024 Partner Showcase: NES library addition.