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Cart #snoot-1 | 2025-01-21 | Code ▽ | Embed ▽ | License: CC4-BY-NC-SA
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Snoot

By Eric Thomas

Snoot is a fast-paced, arcade-style game where you control a small character named Snoot, navigating a grid-like map while collecting coins. The goal is to collect as many coins as possible before time runs out. The game features smooth movement, a countdown before starting, and a timer that challenges you to move quickly and think fast.

Features:

  • Simple, intuitive controls (left, right, up, down) for easy navigation.
  • Collect coins scattered around the map to score points.
  • High score tracking, so you can try to beat your best score each time.
  • A countdown sequence before the game starts, adding some extra excitement.
  • Dynamic gameplay with randomly placed coins each time you play.

Controls:

  • Arrow keys to move Snoot around the screen.
  • Press ❎ to start the game or restart after a game over.

Can you beat your high score? Play Snoot now and find out!

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This is a bit too simple to be compelling, but it wouldn't take much to make it fun.

For some example tweaks, have a look at this minigame from Banjo-Kazooie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfesLhhAw-A
It starts simple but iterates a few times, adding mechanics:

  • Collectibles can disappear
  • Some collectibles are bad
  • Collectibles sometimes switch their good/bad state
  • Rival is trying to get collectibles too. The AI is very simple but this adds a surprising amount of tactical depth -- if you can grab the collectible the rival is trying for, not only are you denying them a point, you're wasting the time they spent moving towards that collectible. This could also be a 2-player mode rather than being AI-controlled.

Here's another similar minigame, from Mario Galaxy 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh1vYvMAf94
Things it does:

  • Some collectibles are worth more than others, making them high priority
  • Collectible/obstacles appear in groups all at once, so you have to develop the skill of rapidly taking the pattern in and planning out a route
  • Groups are are human designed and get more complex as the game proceeds -- and higher scoring, too, because the high-scoring collectibles become more common
  • The movement controls are based on ice-skating and are much more interesting (and potentially frustrating) than just pushing a direction to run in that direction. You have to commit to a direction and changing directions takes time.

The movement controls and the rival are the things that I think would have the strongest return for the least amount of work if you want to pick one of these things to try.



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