Snake Rattle 'n' Roll

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Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Rare
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code EU 1993-10 1541-50 UK 1993-10 £39.9939.99 1541-50
Non-Sega versions Nintendo Entertainment System

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll is a video game developed by Rare for the NES, which was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive. The Mega Drive version of the game was released exclusively in Europe with the box calling it Snake Rattle n Roll.

Gameplay

The game is an isometric platformer featuring two snakes, named Rattle and Roll, who are climbing a mountain to reach a spaceship in which to return to their home planet. In each level, Rattle and Roll must eat a certain amount of "Nibbley Pibbleys" (small round creatures) to gain enough weight to ring a bell on top of a weighing machine. When they have done this, the exit for the level opens. The snakes' tails grow as they eat; they grow more quickly when they eat Nibbley Pibbleys of their own color and grow the most when they eat yellow ones. When a snake becomes long enough to ring the bell and exit the level, its tail begins to flash. Each level contains various obstacles and enemies. Nibbley Pibbleys are often hidden under "lids" (which resemble manhole covers) or spewed by dispensers. Some levels contain hidden warps to later levels. The game supports two players playing simultaneously, and the player that exits the level first receives bonus points.

The snakes move in any direction using the D-Pad. The cardinal directions follow the orientation of the isometric plane, while the diagonals follow the orientation of the screen (meaning that the snakes can only move along the vertical and horizontal axes). They jump with or . They lash their tongues with , which can be used to attack enemies or to gobble Nibbley Pibbleys. Most enemies can also be attacked by jumping on them.

The snakes lose a segment of their tails when they are hit by an enemy, and they lose a life if they are hit with no tail segments remaining. They are revived in place if the player has extra lives left; otherwise, the game ends, but players have a limited number of continues. The snakes can also lose a life if they fall too far, they touch a sharp object, or they are squashed by a falling object (in which case they are revived in the nearest safe spot with the same amount of tail segments as before). Every level is timed, and the snakes lose a life if time runs out, restarting the level from the beginning.

Objects

	Nibbley Pibbley
	Consume to grow the snake's tail. A Nibbley Pibbley of the same color as the snake (red for Rattle and blue for Roll) is worth 1 unit, a Nibbley Pibbley of the other color is worth 2 units, and a yellow Nibbley Pibbley is worth 3 units. It takes 4 units to grow the snake's tail by one segment.
	Lid
	Contains a Nibbley Pibbley, an item, an enemy, or occasionally an entrance to a bonus room. Activate by standing on top of it with a snake and pressing .
	Dispenser
	These dispense Nibbley Pibbleys when a snake comes near. However, some of them have fuses and explode and hurt the snakes instead.
	Scale
	These weigh the snake when it moves on top. If the snake weighs enough, it rings a bell and opens the exit door.
	Exit
	This is the exit to the level. In most levels, the exit must be opened by the Scale first.

Items

	Tongue Extension
	Extends the length of the snake's tongue for the rest of the level (even after losing a life).
	Clock
	Adds another 30 seconds to the timer.
	Speed Up
	Increases the movement speed of the snake for a duration.
	Helmet
	Makes the snake invulnerable to damage for a duration.
	Reverse
	Reverses the player's directional controls for a duration.
	Snorkel
	Allows the snake to scale a waterfall.
	Extra Life
	Gives the player an extra life.
	Extra Credit
	Gives the player an extra credit.

Levels

Nibbley Pibbleys behave slightly differently in each level.

	Grassy Greens: Home of the Rolling Pibbleballs
	Pibbleballs bounce around like balls.
	Jaws Shores: Home of the Leaping Pibblesprings
	Pibblesprings are attached to springs and jump around.
	Razor Ravine: Home of the Athletic Pibblejoggers
	Pibblejoggers have legs and can run away.
	Anvil Alley: Home of the Elusive Pibblesplats
	Pibblesplats jump and splat into puddles when they land, then reform and jump again.
	Arabian Plains: Home of the Airborne Pibblebats
	Pibblebats have wings and can fly.
	Cannon Bell Canyon: Beware the Bells of Doom
	This level does not contain Nibbley Pibbleys.
	The Fountain Mountain: Can You Scale the Not-So-Easy Geysers?
	This level does not contain Nibbley Pibbleys.
	Snake Lakes: Home of the Aquatic Pibblefish
	Pibblefish have fins and can swim. This level consists of multiple underwater segments, which have their own exits that open when the snakes have eaten enough fish. The snakes swim by pressing or .
	Slippery Slopes: Home of the Shy Pibblecopters
	Pibblecopters can fly like helicopters. This level introduces ice tiles that cause the snakes to slip off.
	Ice Cube Cliffs: Face the Fearsomely Frosty Ice Foot
	Like the previous level, this level has flying Pibblecopters and slippery ice tiles.
	Lunar Showdown: The Fight for the Flag
	The goal of this level is to attack the foot holding the flag while avoiding being crushed by the flying rocks (or stomped by the foot). When the foot is destroyed, it drops the flag and summons the spaceship, then the snakes can board the spaceship to end the level. The level has limited gravity, so the snakes have a floatier jump and lose their momentum more slowly.
	The Great Rocket Race: Home of the Alien Pibbleboppers
	This is an additional level that is exclusive to the Mega Drive version. After escaping on the spaceship, it is hit by an asteroid and crash-lands on the surface of a planet. The snakes must make it to the top of the mountain, where another spaceship awaits. Like the previous level, this level has limited gravity. It consists of multiple segments in which the snakes must eat enough Nibbley Pibbleys to activate a teleporter to the next segment. Pibbleboppers have rabbit ears and hop away.

Magazine articles

Main article: Snake Rattle 'n' Roll/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in LeveL (CZ) #1: "Leden 1995" (1995-01-24)

Print advert in Velikiy Drakon (RU) #33: "xxxx xxxx" (1997-08-07)
also published in:

• Velikiy Drakon (RU) #34: "xxxx xxxx" (1997-09-01)
• Velikiy Drakon (RU) #35: "xxxx xxxx" (1997-10-18)
• Velikiy Drakon (RU) #36: "xxxx xxxx" (1997-12-07)

Print advert in Velikiy Drakon (RU) #38: "xxxx xxxx" (1998-04-12)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 30 Cool Gamer (RU) 70 Freak (IL) 75 Joypad (FR) PAL 75 Mega (UK) PAL 70 Mega Action (UK) PAL 84 Mega Force (FR) 85 MegaTech (UK) PAL 71 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 78 Player One (FR) 65 Power Unlimited (NL) 75 Sega Power (UK) PAL 57 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 78 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 68 Tricks Gold (RU) 64 Video Games (DE) PAL 70

	70
Based on 16 reviews

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Technical information

Main article: Snake Rattle 'n' Roll/Technical information.