Snake
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About Snake
Snake is the classic: a green snake slides across a square grid, you guide its head toward a glowing red apple, and every apple makes the snake longer. The catch is that the snake never stops moving, and the longer it gets, the less room there is. This version keeps the original rules, with smooth motion and gentle effects added.
It is easy for anyone to understand and quick to replay, with most runs lasting two to five minutes. A good run is steady, not flashy. You plan routes along the edges, leave space to turn, and keep your composure once the snake has sped up to its maximum pace.
How to play Snake
- Turn the snake toward the red apple. It moves by itself, one square at a time.
- Eat the apple to score a point and make the snake longer.
- Avoid the four walls. There is no wrap-around, so touching an edge ends the run.
- Avoid your own body as well. The snake is a moving obstacle for itself.
- Keep going until the board is too crowded to survive.
Controls
| Keyboard and mouse | Steer with the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. You can queue up to two turns quickly, which helps in tight spaces. |
|---|---|
| Phone and tablet | Swipe in the direction you want the snake to turn, or use the on-screen arrow buttons if you prefer them. |
Scoring
Each apple is worth one point, so your score is simply the number of apples eaten. A small combo label appears when you eat quickly after the previous apple, but it is only visual. Scores in the teens or twenties are solid, and thirty or more takes real planning.
Tips and strategy
- You cannot reverse straight into yourself. The game ignores a 180 degree turn, so make a two-step turn around a side instead.
- Move in wide, regular sweeps, such as along the outer lane and then back through the middle, rather than zigzagging toward each apple.
- The snake speeds up as you score, reaching top speed after around 37 apples. Build habits at a slower pace early on.
- A queued turn is stored, so you can press two directions quickly to make an immediate U-turn pattern without waiting for each step.
- When the snake is long, keep your tail path in mind. The last segment moves out of the way as you move, so following your tail is safe.
Snake FAQ
▸Can the snake go through the walls?
No. Hitting any wall ends the game immediately, so keep a square of space when you turn near an edge.
▸Why did my turn not register?
A turn straight back into the direction you came from is ignored, as is a repeat of the current direction. At most two turns are queued.
▸Does the game speed up?
Yes. The snake takes a little less time per step with each apple until it reaches a fixed top speed.
