Serpent (1990)

Developer: Naxat Soft
Publisher: Naxat Soft, Taxan
Platforms: Game Boy
Genres: Strategy
Rating: 1.8 of 5, 3 player ratings

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The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A futuristic snake-combat sport where two serpentine robots maneuver to box each other in and claim victory.

strategicfuturisticsnake-likecompetitivearcade-stylesci-fi

About

Serpent is a Game Boy snake game exclusive for the North American and Japanese markets. In the future, there is a sport called Serpent. Two fighters in serpentine robotic machines try to box each other in to win the fight. The serpents are detailed in the fact that they aren't just a line, giving a greater sense of realism to the game. Each snake has a fixed amount of lives; with losing a life being a representation of "losing the war." The "game over" message is a simple message saying "the bitter taste of defeat" with an animated picture of a snake crying and accompanied by a melancholic music in a waltz rhythm. There are two modes with four difficulty levels; level 1 is considered to be the easiest (normal speed and enemy performance) while level 4 is the hardest (fast speed and enemies are likely to cheat death). The first mode allows players to simply compete against an opponent while the second mode brings in a series of small snakes that emerge when players take too long conquering a level. Missiles can be launched when the player collects them on the field. White numbers help the player develop a longer body while black numbers make the body shorter. Missiles can either make the enemy faster (black missiles) or slower (white missiles). Winning 7 of the 13 possible matches automatically makes the player into the "champion of serpents."

Screenshots

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More by Naxat Soft

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.