Everyone's favourite danger-prone invertebrate is back again with a Neverending Story type twist in the point-and-click puzzle game Snail Bob 7: Fantasy Story by Andrey Kovalishin. When Snail Bob's bedtime story lands him in a freaky fantasy world filled with magical dangers, he needs your help to guide him safely to the exit in each stage. See, all Snail Bob will do is keep moving forward regardless of what's in front of him unless you tell him not to. (What do you expect from a creature who can be fatally caught with a cup of flat beer?) Hitting [spacebar] will make Bob retreat into his shell, while the buttons in the upper left corner will tell him to turn around or speed up. You can also interact with a lot of other things within the environment itself, like buttons and switches, simply by clicking on them if your cursor changes. (Be warned that clicking the portraits of other Snail Bobs scattered throughout the levels will open a new window to the sponsor's site to play the corresponding games.) Doing so could lower a drawbridge or open a door to allow Bob to pass through. Some levels will need a little help from Bob's ant buddy, who you can direct to hit buttons you can't manipulate yourself, and still other levels will cause Bob to undergo... changes. Just keep an eye out for the three stars hidden in each level if you're a completionist, and you'll have Bob home in no time. I know this shortcut through the Swamp of Sadness. It's perfectly safe. We'll even go on horseback!
It takes a while for Snail Bob 7 to develop any challenge, with the first seven levels or so dedicated to teaching you the mechanics like how to deal with ghosts, portals, and so forth. As usual, the one-hit-KO can be frustrating when you're dealing with levels that can require a lot of timing and patience, but most levels are tightly designed enough that having to start them over if you take a faceplant into lava or wind up a ghostly hors d'oeuvres isn't a dealbreaker. Despite a very sleepy soundtrack, however, Snail Bob 7 has some really clever and fun new elements that make for engaging level design once they all start mixing up together. The Snail Bob games have always been very whimsical in their design, but the fantasy motif here allows for even more creative surprises. Before the adventure is over, you'll have squashed skeletons, outwitted dragons, transformed trolls, and more, and it makes you want to keep playing to see what happens next in a way few other puzzle games can manage. The levels where you play as plain ol' Bob actually feel more imaginative and engaging than those that have you simply flying around hazards, but the more elaborate stages and slow climb in difficulty make up for it. There's even a pretty climactic final level where... well, I guess that would spoil it. Suffice it to say Snail Bob 7: Fantasy Story is another great installment in a beloved series that uses its theme in inventive and interesting ways rather than simply as a new visual style. It's funny, silly, and just the right amount of challenging, and perfect for fans and newcomers alike. Hey, if you don't want to go through the Swamp of Sadness, how about the Fire Swamp? It's not as dangerous as it sounds. Does have a little rodent problem though...
Level 23 is very difficult.
At least until you remember the lever.
Probably the easiest of the lot so far, 1st where I managed to get all stars on my 1st go.
Discourse:
I've always enjoyed the Snailbob series, even as an experienced gamer. Honestly, the difficulty is pretty nil. But it's so well made that I don't care; it's just a joy to play. Also, I can certainly see the appeal for younger gamers, who are just learning to use logic and planning.
To me, it's very comparable to "The Room." Whereas The Room and its sequel are billed as adventure/escape games, but really it's really just moving along doing things, so is the Snailbob series billed as puzzle games, but there's really not a whole lot of puzzle to it. At least not for those who have adjusted to thinking for these sorts of games.
The point being, that for a lot of games, the quality is too low for the finished product to be enjoyable unless you're the specifically-catered audience for the game. However, Snailbob (and The Room) succeed in transcending their audience to capture others who would otherwise not care. It's a great accomplishment, and I'll gladly play the next one that comes out. :)
Does anyone know how to clear your browser cache or whatever in Google Chrome? I'm having a bit of an issue with lag on level 15.
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