by Amr (@siegarettes)

• Snakeybus
• Developer: Stovetop Studios, Stage Clear Studios
• Publisher: Digerati
• Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One

After ten minutes driving around the suburbs my bus had grown several times in size, stretching through a residential street down to the soccer field and arcing into the air and crossing over itself several times. At this point the Switch’s framerate began to dip and I promptly crashed my bus into itself setting it ablaze and ejecting passengers everywhere. Snakeybus is at its best here, where your inevitable failure is met with absurd humor and the ability to survey the wreckage you leave behind.

Snakeybus falls apart right as you unlock its time trial mode. What feels like it should be the main attraction of the game ends up revealing the game’s weaknesses. The more seriously you take it the less enjoyable it becomes. The chaotic physics and ever expanding bus line that makes the game entertaining in a more casual setting becomes frustrating the instant you try to play it skillfully. 

In a tighter game, the main mode would be the perfect way to get familiar with the various settings, memorizing their bus stops and being able to sneak through the alleys and streets while dealing with the complications made by your ever extending bus line. But as you attempt to drive Snakeybus’ roads under a time limit it becomes clear that the steering is too slippery to move with any precision. 

Snakeybus puts the comedic spectacle of its physics ahead of consistency. It’s lighthearted and casual, but never gave back when I tried to dig deeper. Hints of more interesting design begin to come through as you grow and levels force you to take divergent paths, but it doesn’t encourage the kind of intimacy with the area that its lovingly rendered landscapes might initially suggest.