Pixel Snake still starts with a simple job: steer towards an apple without running into your own tail. Each apple makes the snake longer and the field harder to navigate. I kept that part, then added a choice of modes, touch-screen controls and goals to come back to.
A familiar round
I liked how little explanation Snake needed. Head for an apple, watch your score, make a mistake and try again. I wanted a round of Pixel Snake to feel just as easy to start. One tap from the main menu starts a new game.
Classic mode has no obstacles inside the field. Move off one edge and the snake reappears on the other side. The boundary will not end your run, but your own tail can.
Obstacles change the route
In Obstacles mode, the field has a boundary: crossing it ends the run. There are blocks inside the field, red in the regular theme. Hitting one without a heart ends the run too, as does running into your own tail.
A yellow square gives you a heart. It saves you from one collision with a block, but not from your tail or the boundary. A gift box adds points. The blocks make you think ahead about where the snake can turn after the next apple.
Adding obstacles did not mean replacing Classic. Both modes are available from the start, without unlocking them through achievements.
Buttons as an alternative to swipes
Pixel Snake began with swipe controls. I added on-screen buttons later. You can switch between them in settings without changing the rules of a run.
Goals between high scores
The score is still the clearest goal: beat your previous result. But a good run does not always end in a new record. I added achievements for individual runs and progress over time, with a place to see them inside the game.
I wrote a separate story about why local records and achievements sit alongside Game Center. If you want a familiar round of Snake, choose Classic. If you want to dodge blocks, choose Obstacles. Both are in Pixel Snake for iPhone and iPad.