Snake Rattle 'n' Roll (1993). Play Free Online

Summary

I love how Snake Rattle 'n' Roll twists the classic platform formula into a slick isometric crawl‑and‑grow experience. Two snakes—Rattle and Roll—can be piloted solo or shoulder‑to‑shoulder, lashing out with tongues to snatch “Nibbley Pibbleys” that lengthen their bodies; the longer you get, the quicker the tail flashes and the level’s scale bell rings. Rare squeezed the game onto a tiny NES cartridge using cheap‑drawn backgrounds, yet the controls feel tight enough that future director Gregg Mayles still praises them. When Sega ported it to the Mega Drive for Europe, they slipped in a secret twelfth level where the serpents crash‑land on an alien planetoid, expanding the quirky story. David Wise’s rock‑n‑roll‑spiced soundtrack even borrows a Jaws‑style two‑note cue, and the whole soundtrack landed on vinyl in 2020. The title earned a 94% score in Mean Machines, landed on Retro Gamer’s best isometric NES lists, and resurfaced in the Rare Replay collection and a 2024 Nintendo Classics rerelease.

Storyline

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll follows the quirky adventure of two snakes, Rattle and Roll, as they slither through a series of eleven isometric stages. Their goal is simple: gobble enough of the oddly named “Nibbley Pibbleys” to bulk up, then ring a weighing bell that unlocks the exit door and lets them advance. Each level rewards weight gain with new obstacles and tighter corridors, making timing and strategy essential. The ending teases a possible follow‑up called Snakes in Space, hinting that the reptilian duo may soon leave the ground. In the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis release a secret twelfth stage was added, sending the snakes into orbit, crashing on a planetoid, and finally hitching a ride home on a brand‑new spaceship.

Edited by Maya Carter