Snakesss Review
Advert: this game was gifted by Big Potato Games, this has not affected our opinion.
I should’ve probably written a review of snakes a month ago, but instead I took four weeks pondering plays on words. I think it was time well serpent!
Snakesss is another party game from Big Potato Gamesss. I’m a big fan of their party games as they often have me in hiss-terics. So I was particularly keen to adder’nother one of their titles to my board game shelves!
Anyway, I still have to viper a review of it, so perhaps I should asp myself if the delay was actually worth it (it was).
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Setup
Count how many players you have. Hopefully it will be between four and eight players else, you’ve got the wrong game off the shelf! Assuming you have the right number of people around you, work out how many character tokens are required. Then, give each player a set of answer chips and allocate one player to be the scorer. You’ll need to find a pen for them to use too as there isn’t one in the box. Finally, set the Mongoose of Truth in the middle of the table and you are ready to play Snakesss.
Gameplay
This party game is played over six rounds. The player with the most points at the end of all the rounds wins.
A round begins with the allocated moderator shuffling and dealing each players secret identity. They will either be an Ordinary Human, a Snake, or the Mongoose of Truth, if the latter they reveal themselves and take the wooden mongoose for all to see.
The moderator will then read the question and possible answers on the question card. Everyone will then close their eyes. The moderator will then ask only snakes to open their eyes. The moderator will then turn the question card over to reveal the answer to the snakes. The moderator will have to do this with their eyes closed unless, of course, they are a snake. The moderator then asks snakes to close their eyes and then everyone to open their eyes
Then comes a short period of discussion. Snakes will be trying to bluff and double-bluff people away from the correct answer as they score points based on incorrect answers from non-snakes. The Mongoose of Truth is the only player known to be believable, but they still may not know the answer. The Ordinary Humans (and Mongoose) who answered correctly, score a number of points equal to how many people got it right (including themselves). Any player who guesses the wrong answer gets zero but gains the Snakes a point. Tally the scores and move onto the next round, which starts again with secret identities being shuffled and redistributed.
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What it’s like
Snakesss is a party trivia game through and through. The trivia is multiple choice. Questions are generally obscure general knowledge, which some may know, but many will also be guessing. That makes it quite a nice level playing field regardless of general knowledge. Because it is obscure, it is arguably easier to get points as the snakes, but there isn’t a lot in it. I’ve played with Harrison (13) and his mates and they are perfectly competitive.
The hidden roles do change the dynamic and stop Snakesss being just another trivia game you get at Christmas and could throw away after boxing day. There will be moments where snakes are revealed and groans, or ‘I knew it was you’ will rumble around the table. This adds to the social interaction of the game. Bluffs and double bluffs will fly about during discussions and this all adds to the gameplay.
Someone having to manually moderate is okay, but does feel a bit clunky sometimes.
While it works at four player, the bluffing game has to be stronger as this game works best with a higher player count. Just to be clear, that’s not a negative in the party game genre!
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Table Presence
The box art is trippy to say the least, but as always, Big Potato Games are leading the charge on plastic free games, so there was no shrink wrap or single use plastic in sight.
Trivia games don’t tend to be a feast for the eyes in the same way as board games can be, but the design is strong and palette choice is bold. I like the styling a lot. It’s clean and sleek design without being understated.
The Mongoose of Truth token is pretty cute, although largely superfluous as you get a card that also says you are the Mongoose of Truth. But hey, I am here for a photographic Mongoose marker, even if it is arguably unnecessary to everyone outside of the Instagram board game community!
The cards and answer tokens are thick card stock with a linen finish. Mine are already looking a little loved or as a vintage toy dealer would put it, a bit play worn. It doesn’t affect the game so I’m okay with it.
The question cards are plentiful, you probably will run out over time, but at that point you will have played it enough to get your money’s worth out of it AND probably forgotten most of the answers!
Final thoughts on Snakesss
I enjoy a trivia game and equally a party game but the genre is often predictable. Snakesss bucks the trend by adding in the hidden identities. This clever social deduction element really makes you question the answers of your team mates, who may not know the answer even if they aren’t Snakesss. It feels fresh and different enough to set it above many other trivia games.
One thing I particularly like about Snakesss is the player interaction. This is high and strong and an integral part of the game. Often one player will need to instigate the conversation to get everyone at ease discussing their answers out loud and while at it, trying to work out the Snakesss in the grass!
If you like trivia games, Snakesss certainly adds enough to warrant adding it to your wishlist!
Key Facts
Number of players: 2 to 4
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 12+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 12+
Playing Time: 25 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 1 minute
Designers: Phil Walker-Harding
Publisher: Big Potato Games
RRP: £25.00
Summary
You will probably already know if you like Trivia games or not, if you do, this is an excellent twist for the genre and worth your consideration. In the party/trivia game genre Snakesss adds something different with the secret identities and will provide plenty of entertainment. That’s what you want from a party game right?
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Easy to learn
- Good general knowledge isn’t essential
- Quick and fun to play
- Something different for the trivia genre
Cons
- Components may show wear
- Not as good at lower player counts
- Someone needs to moderate
Need more games?
If you already own Snakesss and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- The Chameleon
- Coup
- Half Truth
- Herd Mentality
Buy Snakesss
If you want to buy Snakesss after reading our review click on one of our affiliate links below (note there has been no affiliate links until this point)
Reviewer’s Note
For clarity. We don’t get paid for our reviews. We were kindly gifted this game by Big Potato Games, this has not affected our review in any way.
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