Snekburd
Snekburd is a Pico-8 demake of Snakebird, by Noumenon Games, with new puzzles and mechanics! Navigate the snakebirds to eat all the fruit and head through the portal to complete the levels on each island. The first island's levels should serve as a quick tutorial to new players or a refresher for returning ones.
The full game has about 70 levels in it, ranging from a little tricky to absurdly hard, and is available for free (donations enabled with Noumenon Games' permission). You can also find the game on the Lexaloffle BBS. (Maybe give it a star while you're there!)
The pause menu has options for enabling a grid, disabling music, level resetting, and other Pico-8 options.
The browser version on itch.io has an additional, less distracting, grid option to the right of the game.
(z,x,c,v also select on the level selection screen.)
(Shown controls are primarily for QWERTY keyboards.)
(X and O are Pico-8 buttons, primarily for mobile and controllers.)
Demake by Werxzy
Original Snakebird by Noumenon Games
Testers
- Karoo13
- Tuure
- Pancelor
- Squidlight
- LokiStriker
Extra thanks to Karoo13 for Pretty much testing every version and offering great suggestions and Zep for creating Pico-8!
If you somehow stumbled upon this without playing Snakebird or Snakebird Primer, I highly recommend you check them out as well! (or Snakebird Complete, which is both.)
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Snekburd Patch - v1.1b22 hours ago
- Snekburd Update - v1.13 days ago
Comments
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Amazing game from the puzzle master of PICO-8! Recently started a playthrough for on Twitch/YouTube for anyone interested on the first island!
Graphically and mechanically the game is amazing, smooth and polished to the maximum. Puzzles feel layered and very well designed!
the best pico8 game! but sometimes it's so hard
I have been stuck on J, i, and 1 for 1 week now. every movement brings me great pain. I have lost all sanity and sense of self. please help me. I am trapped in the developers basement. please... my coordinates are-
For I, an inverted L on the middle platform can let you go under the T.
For J I can’t help you, i am in the same trap than you
did you check the hints in the comments below? and please people put your hints in spoilers https://itch.io/post/12746436
yes. I did check the hints. I even left a comment.
is there something I am missing? I keep seeing people say to "make an inverted L". What in gods name does that mean, and how are you supposed to do that without getting the grapes?
J was very tricky, but I eventually got it.
Solution for Intro J
Fruit order is Bananas, Grapes, Orange. Use only one snake to grab all three.Think of it like this: One snake is your pusher, the other snake is your eater.
Bananas requires you to use your pusher snake as a flat platform in the corner. The goal is to make your eater snake move in a way that creates an L shape while it moves into the bananas crevice. You will have 3 segments in a single row, and 1 segment sticking out vertically. This is the handle you need to allow your puller snake to move underneath, and then yank the eater snake out of that crevice.
Grapes is where I got stuck forever before I went around raging for hints like an alcoholic stepfather. Turns out it’s simple. You move your eater snake in an intentional way to create another 1 segment handle. This time, the handle must stick out upwards. Your puller snake can just barely climb over, and then push the eater snake while it’s riding on top of it. Yes, this is Looney Tunes logic, but it works.
Orange nearly stumped me if I hadn’t accidentally figured it out. I knew what the theme of the level was, so I just had to find out if the puller needed to be on the top or on the bottom - turns out, he goes on the bottom.
Get the puller up on the cliff, and lay him over the left edge in an L shape. He should have his tail sticking over the left edge. Move the eater snake from atop the puller’s head, to directly into the orange. The eater’s tail should still be on top of the puller. Now get your puller snake to push the eater’s tail all the way up, and this will bring the eater’s head level with the cliff. Just move him onto land, and the level is complete.
playthrough?
how do you beat level d
you get the fruit on the right first
Absolutely fantastic. I'm not far in yet but as a big fan of the original Snakebird, this not only hits the same great notes but has some great difficulty and solutions too, something Primer was sorely lacking. Thank you for making this!
i'm stuck here heelp
Same !
Me too ):
The bird can lift the object by making an inverted L shape and holding it up with its tail. This allows the bird to pass underneath without the structure collapsing
i don't get it. isn't the snake too short for that.
im stuck on level g I've gotten both fruits but cant get them both into the portal help?
you need to push the snake while it's facing the island with another snake
Great demake, great Pico-8 game, I had to buy this. Thank you!
you need to push the snake while it's facing the island with another snake
It's truuuue!! I'm so stupid!! It's so obvious now that you say it! Ugh, I can't believe I didn't realize it lolol
This is an abolute mastercraft in its dificulty range and the coding needed to make this in pico 8 is just as impressive. Charming artstyle is just a bonus like wow
getting into an actual level is the first puzzle
It could be some keyboard layouts are different in a way that the standard zxcv inputs, from the qwertry keyboard, don’t work. I don’t have a good fix for this unfortunately.
Difficult is umbalanced by the way.
Nice gimmick... But I think ive see it before. 7/10
it says right in the title and all over the page that its a demake of snakebird, of course you have seen it before? though this game has several new mechanics and is more like a sequel
fr this guy sucks
Oh dear, I didn't read anything.
Amazing game!!
can some one please tell me how to do j I'm stuck and can only get the banana and the hint didn't help please and thank you.
same I just want the grapeee and the other comment says they cant be the same size so i'm very confused I feel like i've tried everything.
i added a second hint for J though the first one should be sufficient if you actually read it https://itch.io/post/12746349
How to solve D...
Awesome game
Is there a tip to keep the save ?
When I wait a few hours, I loose my save (iphone, safari, connected with an account on itch.io).
Maybe some codes than allow you to jump to a level, like the good old days ?
stan
Sorry about that, progress should automatically be saved. Some browser options might be preventing it from being saved, but I’m not sure what they would be.
However, there is a secret way to unlock all the levels.
you should be able to find a hint on the itchio page.how
Thank you for this great game :)
It feels like level E just impossible. The snake-bird just lacks one of the seven body parts to get to the last fruit.
I love the game. Heads up though: there’s a strange bug where the snakeburd just drops with the gravity automatically disregarding the snakeburd shape movement and fruits as a platform mechanic. It starts off with a repetitive movement sound, then gravity kicks in. Like I have encountered it twice with refresh
temporary fix I found: pause the game then unpause
I'm not quite understanding what's going on. I haven't noticed any issues with the movement for a while. Could you send a screenshot/recording/gif of what's happening?
Actually, it sounds like your keyboard, or other input device (or pico8 itself?), is sending that it is being pressed twice. Since there's queued movement, your single input might sometimes be counted twice.
in level a, all i see is a letter a. i pressed every key but idk what to do! someone help me I'm so stuck
I meant, how do you select the level?
click x on keyboard
stuck on g :/
The fruit on the left is the first one to be eaten, which requires a specific movement. This will be similarly required for the second fruit
how
yeah, how I've tried everything
Hint: on first fruit, bottom snake faces right
I also don't get it
So charming!
Fantastic game and beautiful game page! I love the aesthetic. I could just stare at it.
I needed more snakebird in my life. Thanks
I loved original snakebird, complete it fully two times and now you giving me this! Thank you so much! ❤️🔥
I don’t believe in giving out the solution to a puzzle, only giving hints that make it easier but still allow you to say you solved it yourself. If you think a hint doesn’t help enough, reply and I will try to improve it.
General Tips
You don't need to solve the levels in order, they are roughly sorted by difficulty within each island, with the hardest ones optional in the corners. You may find upper jungle levels easier than snow.Don't expect to make constant progress, take a break and come back with a fresh perspective. When you solve a level and don't understand how, go back and analyze what you did to learn from it, this will help you tackle harder levels.
Intro
A
check the controls below the gameB
no hint neededC
save the apple to stand onD
x/v to swap control, eat both with the same snakeE
save the grapes to stand onF
don't get the block stuck against the right wallG
this level showcases "reverse parking" multiple timesH
save the apple to stand onI
move down while the block is on your head to get under itJ
eat all with the same snake, using the same trick in different orientations... fruit order is
banana, grapes, orange... further hint for grapes
you can push something that you are standing onK
eat banana first, pear can't be eaten from the bottom platformSnow
1
to eat the banana you must have eaten just the pear and 1 orange2
eat the banana in a way that leaves that snake extractable3
eat with yellow, reach exit from the right... further hint
recall level J4
repeat the trick you did in the bottom right5
eat with red, then get the block hanging off the left edge6
eat with yellow, ratchet up7
you can push the elevator up into your retracting tail to change green's shape inside... the end state is
full elevator with green left of blue8
turning blue around by supporting with green off the right edge won't work... elaboration
you still need to turn blue around, just not there9
eat the grapes from left10
no hint needed11
eat apple first12
leftmost fruit is eaten with red, 3rd-from-left fruit is eaten with green13
clear out the fruit in the rightmost 3 and leftmost 3 columns early, besides the 4 you will get on the way out14
set up under one side of the block, then push across to the other side (or there is an alternate solution)Upper Jungle
15
no hint needed16
eat leftmost first17
eat bottom-left second18
save a bottom corner and bottom center for last19
eat candy last20
eat and fall in same move, but don't fall again the very next move21
save 2nd or 4th for last22
eat top-right first23
eat top-right with blue first, bottom-right last24
no left-moves are needed until after you eat the candyLower Jungle
25
in case you missed it in 22, reaching length-1 does something useful26
no hint needed27
no hint needed28
you can't save the box after blue exits29
jump30
no hint needed31
eat apple first, gain 1 height with each other fruit32
get all under the wall keeping 2 empty rows between the bird and lower spikes33
you can elevate with the bird on top or bottom of the snake34
recall level 2935
eat all with green going counterclockwiseSunset
36
each snake eats one on left, then one on right37
pear, banana, orange, apple38
no hint needed39
turn around while standing on the fruit40
eat both with blue41
to get a lower block over, you might need to lift the block that is on top of it up42
wrap around one side while dropping the tail off the other43
4 and 3 is enough to wrap around a spike44
recall levels G and I45
get under the block by going down 2 with right prong on you, or down 3 with left prong on you, 4 times46
LURU shape needed to get in second pocket, but when could you have gotten the other bird in position?47
for getting block off the spike, 4+1 and 2 is enough to wrap around a spike... for getting to exit
use rightmost column48
push the block while your tail is on it49
push the block while its on your tail50
stand on the fruit and reposition the other two so you can recover from eating itCloud+
*1
this is just a tutorial showing you can push into the side of your tail*2
set up the shape of purple in the middle, then push it off with yellow*3
eat with 3 on 4 on 3, exit with 2 on 3 on 4*4
you will need to move sideways with red to get into the right position*5
to get red back to the left it will be in a P shape... to get back to the right
it will be in a shape with the same outline rotated 180 (or there is an alternate solution)Void
W
you need the space between the spikes to turn aroundX
save the second-highest fruit for lastY
find both ways to gain height in *4, then you will need to find 2 more tricks to turn around inside the rooms and get an UUR hook in the right placeZ
tail hook again?
input the shortest solution without undoing. this unlocks a bonus variation of 7, 24, 35, 48, *2 which I will not give hints forThanks for the hints. How do you do the drop down on your post though?
Thx. That is super helpful!
nevermind
For J, I cant figure out how to get the first fruit, any tips?
can i get another hint for 7?
i added a nested hint to that, though the second one gives away a lot of the solution
im still stuck, is there a way to get the across the spikes as different shapes?
i can make a flipped upside down "L" shape with green and get it in the box facing exit but then blue is stuck on the spikes, and i cant seem to manage to get them to climb over each other in the box any other way
EDIT: i think i may just need the solution
you dont need to get across the spikes in any fancy shape
on j intro which order do you do the fruits in
you are a god send thank you i was so stuck
Elaborate on Intro-J. For such an early level, many people are stumped.
Getting the banana is easy. Create an L-shape when your snake heads inside the crevice, so that your other snake can push the handle left and let them escape. You now have a 4-snake and a 3-snake.
Getting the grapes is possible if you’re willing to make two 4-snakes. Make an S-shape, like the Tetris piece, with the head facing to the right. Make your other snake push the S-shape off the ledge, and use them as a platform to easily get the grapes and still let both snakes live.
But getting the orange is impossible with two 4-snakes. There’s nothing that lets both snakes get up there. Someone else commented that you’re supposed to make sure that only one snake eats all the fruit… Which might make sense, if it wasn’t seemingly impossible to get the grapes that way.
ive added a nested hint, but the first hint should have been sufficient
is it? I have been trying for literal hours man! at the very least, could you give away the order the fruits should be eaten?
Same, I'm stuck on J too. Got the banana, can't get the grape or the orange. Need hiiiiintttt!
As someone who has completed all the Intro levels, I'll give you this hint for the grapes:
Hint
When eating a fruit, the base of the snakebird doesn't actually move, the head simply grows forwardsive added a hint that tells you the fruit order, but the first and third hints are way more likely what you are missing
Thanks. I was attempting to solve it in the wrong order and the hint confirms my suspicions. I think I'll have to solve more and come back to it because I'm too dumb right now to solve J 😂
Hey, can you please give another hint for #3?
I've figured out how to stack blue on top of yellow, get the fruit, and have deduced that I need to go to the right side of the screen to get both birds to the exit. The problem I am having is that I have no idea how to get the yellow bird in position for them to bring blue and themselves to the exit, as every time I try to get them over, they just get stuck. Any tips?
ive added a second hint and reworded the first one slightly
I am still stuck on 8. I'm not sure if I just don't get it but the hint seems pretty unhelpful as you would realize that isn't a solution as soon as you tried it and green gets stuck in an unsaveable position. I would appreciate some further explanation in addition, because currently that hint doesn't help too much.
added a nested elaboration
Thank you!
This game has so much polish that it's hard to believe it's "just a PICO-8 game."
You need to publish a full walkthrough. I’ve already hit a level that’s driving me insane.
And I won’t tell you which level it is, because just like everyone I’ve ever met, you will only just give me a hint for the one singular level that I mention, and never publish a walkthrough.
So, PUBLISH THAT WALKTHROUGH!
One of the great thing about the level selection menu of the Snakebird games, is that usually multiple levels unlock and once. So if you're stuck on one level, you can try one of the other ones and come back to it later. Unless you're stuck on Level A, in which the order of the fruits you want to take, is the middle one, the left one, then the right one. :)
I'm actually wanting to avoid posting the walkthrough myself, as I think it would be nicer if other players got the chance to do that themselves. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin the experience of solving all the levels for the players.
what if I already finished all of the level I can finish also how does the big bird work
have some patience and try the remaining ones again. maybe take a break and come back to them with a fresh perspective. ill try making a list of hints but it will take some time, since there are a lot of levels to cover.
Puzzles are very fun to solve, until you get hard stuck. I understand that this is PICO-8, and the limitations on what you can include (such as help systems) are extremely heavy, but it is ultimately incredibly tempting to simply curse your name like it’s Roberta Williams, leave a terrible review, and walk away.
yeah ingame help system is not possible to add due to pico-8 limitations, make do with the hints or spoilers in the comments. getting stuck and overcoming it is a part of the puzzle game experience, its not for everyone
This game looks awesome and feels great as well. The puzzles are cool, well developed game overall!
I love this game, super simple and interesting gameplay! It feels very polished and complete. The art, sound and music all work really well!
Also, I love the effort you put into the game page! I don’t think I have ever seen a better game page on itch.io.
Please give me a hint for level E. I feel like an idiot but I can’t figure out how to get the pear :C
Thank you!
Hint
The pear should be the second fruit you eat.wait why does it work like that? Edit: I get it now
what?