[b]snaliens[/b] is a sokoban/snake/circuits hybrid with [b]no timer and unlimited undo[/b], just the way I like it, and yet another game that's as cute as it is hard (very), so family-friendly in the sense that you'll need all the family to crack the levels, but don't think kids would get very far on their own.
the story is told in a couple of short, dialog-free cutscenes, and is as follows: 3 snaliens are minding their own business in their spaceship (snailship?) when suddenly they have to crash-land on an unknown planet. they end up on different continents and have to find each other, then repair their ship and amscray.
there are [b]5 continents with their own mechanics and theme[/b] (desert, forest, red forest, north pole, south pole). 92 regular levels, not all of them are required to reach the end (some optional ones are really tough), but if you solve everything in an area, a bonus level is unlocked, and when you solve all of those, the very last one becomes available, so [b]there are 98 levels altogether[/b].
the literal world map offers [b]branching progression[/b], so you're rarely stuck on just one level, or even one continent. I found that it provided a lot more variety than banging your head against the wall while trying to figure out just one puzzle, or several different ones using the exact same mechanics.
as mentioned above, [b]the core gameplay is pushing stuff around[/b] sokoban-style, making way for aliens so everybody can reach the exit, activating switches and pistons, and so on. there are also [b]pieces to pick up, turning snaliens into snakes[/b]. pickup order and positioning the pieces are the key to several puzzles. there are also ice blocks to melt or turn into smaller pieces and use on switches or to block pistons from closing, etc. [b]electricity[/b] is another important component, there are various things to power (or unpower) in various ways, directly or remotely. other mechanics are present as well, won't spoil everything here though.
the 3 snaliens also have different skills. well, not so much the green one, but the other two, and while on the subject of pushing, it's important to note that [b]snaliens can push each other and more than one object at a time, but not when they're 'inside' something[/b]. so if there's a U-shaped object and you move the snalien inside, it won't be able to move, only push it from the outside. a bit unconventional, but comes into play later in the game, those puzzles would be trivial otherwise.
[b]default controls are a bit weird, but everything's rebindable[/b] and prompts always display the currently set keys, which should be a given, but it rarely is. mouse and controller also work, haven't tried the latter and keys worked perfectly, so didn't bother with the mouse. it's click and drag to move a tile (right click to undo), so using the keys is way more comfortable.
zooming in/out is possible with the mousewheel and often necessary. the camera is centered around the currently selected character, which often makes some of the level not visible on the screen even though it could fit, but the [b]dynamic camera setting[/b] mostly solves this issue. windowed mode and resolution options are also available, and a single volume slider, but since there's no music, only sound effects, it's enough.
[b]snaliens is an excellent puzzle game[/b] and clearly a passion project with a lot of attention to detail, technical or otherwise (you might notice changes on the world map as you progress). it might not be as difficult for others as it was for me, but I'm really bad at sokoban and snake, i.e. the majority of the gameplay mechanics, though initially I was more worried about sokoban, yet snake turned out to be my undoing. it can be so frustrating to figure out the order in which the pieces have to be picked up, then the way you're supposed to move around so they all end up in the right position without you getting stuck somewhere. my brain just isn't wired to handle such things.
it was still a lot of fun, and whatever I solved on my own was satisfying, but I'm glad there was some activity on the forum right after release (always good to see an active community for a puzzle game, however small) and that the developer was around as well, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get very far. [b]highly recommended for any puzzle lover, even at full price[/b].
