Snail Mail (video game)

Last updated

Snail Mail
Snail Mail Cover Art.jpg
Windows cover art
Publisher(s) Sandlot Games
Platform(s) Windows, Wii, OS X, iOS, Android
ReleaseDecember 3, 2004
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Snail Mail is a racing video game released by Sandlot Games for Microsoft Windows on December 3, 2004. [1] Versions for Wii, through the WiiWare service, and iOS were released in 2011. [2] The player controls a snail named Turbo, with a jetpack strapped to its back, avoiding various enemies and obstacles. [2]

Contents

Gameplay

The game features the main protagonist, a snail, whose task is to deliver mail throughout various worlds and levels. Set in space, the game features cel shaded graphics. [3] Snail Mail offers three different modes of play; postal mode, time trial mode and challenge mode. The snail (named Turbo, the purple one pictured on the cover art of the game) has to navigate throughout the levels whilst avoiding various enemies and obstacles, using a jetpack which is strapped on to its back. [2] In multiplayer, other players use different colored snails to do the same thing. The levels are filled with powerups, as well as packages that can be collected. There are 50 levels in the game altogether.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews from critics. A review by Nintendo-video game review site, Nintendo Life on the other hand, praised the art style and the colorful visuals. [2] The same review however, mentioned how awkward the controls in the game were, which impacted on the gameplay. The review also found the levels to be too similar and repetitive to make the game an enjoyable one. In addition to this, the review noted that the graphics occasionally made the game difficult to play, for example the way that the camera in the game moved with the player.

TouchArcade gave the iOS version mostly positive feedback, saying that "everything about the game was fun". [3] IGN also reviewed the iOS version of the game, and gave it in an 8/10. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Balloon Fight</i> 1984 video game

Balloon Fight is an action video game developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The original arcade version was released for the Nintendo VS. System internationally as Vs. Balloon Fight, while its Nintendo Entertainment System counterpart was released in Japan in 1985 and internationally in 1986.

Bonk, known as PC-Genjin in Japan and as PC Kid or BC Kid in PAL territories, is a video game character and former mascot for NEC's PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 video game console. Three platform games featuring the character appeared on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, as well as two spin-offs featuring Air Zonk. The protagonist is a bald caveman named Bonk who attacks using his comically large head.

<i>Splatterhouse</i> 1988 video game

Splatterhouse is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Namco in 1988. It was the first in a series of games released in home console and personal computer formats. This game would later spawn the parody Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, the sequels Splatterhouse 2, Splatterhouse 3, and the 2010 remake Splatterhouse, with the classic games being added to Namco Museum since 2017.

The Virtual Console is a defunct line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

<i>Toki Tori</i> 2001 puzzle-platform game

Toki Tori is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Two Tribes and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color. The game follows a young chick, Toki Tori, and his quest to rescue his younger siblings, still in their eggs. To progress through the game, the player must pick up each egg on a level using a set number of tools, with new tools being introduced as the player progresses through the four worlds. This usually involves careful planning and creative thinking.

<i>Brain Challenge</i> 2007 video game

Brain Challenge is a mental exercise video game, featuring "brain exercise puzzles". The game was developed by Gameloft Beijing for mobile phone and iPod and released on September 5, 2007. In 2008 was followed by a Nintendo DS version on January 8, an Xbox Live Arcade release on March 12, and a PlayStation 3 launch on November 27. The N-Gage 2.0 version was released on the day of the service's launch, April 3, 2008. A version for WiiWare was released in autumn 2008 on all three regions. The Wii version also uses Miis for the players profile. OnLive also had launched their new streaming game platform with Brain Challenge on July 27, 2010. The game was released for Mac OS X in January 2011.

<i>Defend Your Castle</i> 2008 video game

Defend Your Castle is a series of video games developed by XGen Studios.

<i>LostWinds</i> 2008 video game

LostWinds is a 2008 platform video game developed by Frontier Developments and published for the Wii as a launch title for WiiWare. In LostWinds, the player controls a young boy named Toku and the elemental wind spirit Enril as they travel Mistralis in order to rescue it from the antagonist Balasar, a vengeful spirit.

<i>Bobby Carrot</i> Video game series

Bobby Carrot is a video game series developed and published by German company FDG Mobile Games. The series currently consists of five games, all originally developed for mobile phones. The fifth game was also released for iOS as well as a WiiWare game for North America on July 21, 2011. The first game of the series has been offered for free as a pre-installed game on numerous Samsung phone models, presented by eFUSION Mobile. In 2006, Bobby Carrot 4 won the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis for Best German Mobile Game.

<i>Crystal Defenders</i> Two tower defense video games by Square Enix

Crystal Defenders is a set of two tower defense video games developed and published by Square Enix. The games use the setting of Ivalice and design elements from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, forming part of the wider Final Fantasy franchise. The games feature a selection of characters sporting Final Fantasy-based character classes, and play out tower defense scenarios against recurring series of monsters. The first game in the series is Crystal Guardians, which was released in three parts for Japanese mobile phones in 2008. It was adapted for iOS later that year as Square Enix's first game for the platform, and renamed Crystal Defenders. Under that name, the game was also released between 2009 and 2011 for Android, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, and PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable via the PlayStation Store. It was re-released with graphical improvements for iOS as Crystal Defenders Plus in 2013. A sequel, Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm, was released for iOS in 2009.

MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade is a WiiWare puzzle video game developed by Mindware Corp. Its Japanese title, Katachi no Game: Maru Bou Shikaku. It was released in 2008, in Europe on August 29, in Japan on October 7, and in North America on December 29.

<i>Midnight Pool</i> 2005 video game

Midnight Pool is a sports simulation video game by Gameloft Montreal. The pool simulator was originally released for mobile phones. Versions with enhanced graphics were later released for Windows, WiiWare, and iOS and under the name Midnight Pool 3D for phones and the N-Gage platform. It is part of Gameloft's Midnight series, which includes Midnight Bowling, Midnight Casino and Midnight Hold'em Poker.

<i>Midnight Bowling</i> 2005 video game

Midnight Bowling is a bowling video game by Gameloft originally released for mobile phones. A version with enhanced graphics was also released for WiiWare, and under the name Midnight Bowling 3D for phones. It is part of Gameloft's Midnight series, which includes Midnight Pool, Midnight Casino and Midnight Hold'em Poker, and the game was also included in the Midnight Play! Pack compilation for the Nintendo DS. In November 2008, it was made available for the iOS via Apple's App Store.

<i>Bit.Trip</i> Video game series

Bit.Trip, stylized BIT.TRIP, is a series of nine video games developed by Choice Provisions and published by Aksys Games for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft Windows, macOS, PS Vita, and PS4. It was published by Arc System Works for WiiWare and Nintendo eShop in Japan, and by Namco Networks America Inc for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Each game revolves around the adventures of a character named "Commander Video", and features "a crazy mix of 80s aesthetics and modern game design". The styles of the games range from pong-like, to platforming, and shooting. Each game in the series features a chiptune-inspired soundtrack, but a different style of rhythm-based gameplay in each. Most games in the series have few levels; Beat, Core, Void and Flux have only three levels each while Fate has six and Runner has 36. Most of the games feature levels lasting between 10 and 25 minutes to make up for having such few levels. The games also consists of 8 modes; Nether, Hyper, Mega, Super, Ultra, Extra, Giga, and Meta; which changes based on how well the player does. Each successive game adds a new mode, the highest being Mega in Beat, and Meta in Flux.

<i>Bit.Trip Beat</i> 2009 video game

Bit.Trip Beat, marketed as BIT.TRIP BEAT, is an arcade-style music video game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service. It was released in 2009 in North America, and released in Japan and PAL regions in the same year. It was later released for the Windows and Mac OS X through the download service Steam in 2010, while Namco Bandai published it for iOS on iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad in both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Beat HD versions. Android and Linux versions debuted in the Humble Android Bundle 3.

<i>JellyCar</i> 2008 video game

JellyCar is the first in a series of side-scrolling driving and platform games developed by Tim FitzRandolph and released under the pseudonym Walaber. Initially released independently through Xbox Live Indie Games and later ported to devices using Apple's iOS operating system, JellyCar requires players to drive a car across a two-dimensional landscape while maintaining balance by means of accelerometers. The game features soft body physics that give it its distinctive gameplay and style. JellyCar's success led FitzRandolph's employer at the time, Disney Interactive Studios, to pick up the series and release two sequels for multiple platforms. As of December 8, 2022, FitzRandolph, now an independent developer, has released a new sequel, JellyCar Worlds, with permission from Disney.

<i>Bit Boy!!</i> 2009 video game

Bit Boy!! is an action video game developed by Austrian studio Bplus for Nintendo's WiiWare service. It was released in Europe on July 3, 2009, North America on July 13, 2009, and in Japan on March 30, 2010 as Bit Man!! by Marvelous Entertainment.

<i>Voodoo Dice</i> 2010 video game

Voodoo Dice is an action puzzle game produced by French studio Exkee and distributed by Ubisoft on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and WiiWare. In Voodoo Dice, the player rolls dice through a path containing barriers, switches, conveyors and trap doors. The game consists of 60 single-player levels and 20 multiplayer levels. There are four multiplayer play modes. In single-player mode, the player must finish each level within a set time limit in order to win achievements.

<i>3D Pixel Racing</i> 2011 video game

3D Pixel Racing is an arcade-style racing game developed by Vidia and released in 2011. The game was released as a downloadable game on WiiWare and in the App Store for iOS devices. 3D Pixel Racing heavily capitalizes on its graphical uniqueness. Unlike most 3D games, every object in 3D Pixel Racing is made of multi-colored voxels that are reminiscent of old 8-bit games from the 1970s and 80's.

<i>Jetpack Joyride</i> 2011 endless runner video game

Jetpack Joyride is a 2011 side-scrolling endless runner action video game created by Halfbrick Studios. It was released for iOS devices on the App Store on September 1, 2011 and has been ported to other systems. It was released online as a Flash version on May 11, 2012; on Android on September 28; on PlayStation Portable on November 20 in North America and November 21 in Europe; on BlackBerry PlayBook on December 13, 2012; on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on December 21 in Europe and December 31 in North America; on BlackBerry 10 on March 6, 2013; and on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 on June 5. It was also released on PlayStation 4 on April 26, 2016. A mobile version using the keypad was released in 2021 for KaiOS devices.

References

  1. "Snail Mail [Download]". Amazon. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Reed, Phillip (June 24, 2011). "Snail Mail Review – WiiWare". nintendolife.com. Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Patterson, Blake (November 26, 2008). "'Snail Mail' from Sandlot Games: An iPhone Gem". TouchArcade . Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  4. Buchanan, Levi (December 12, 2008). "Snail Mail iPhone Review". IGN. Retrieved April 30, 2016.