Above Snakes Review - A Wild West Journey with an Unwanted Twist

Having never dived into a survival game set in the wild west, I was eager to get my hands on a console version of Above Snakes. With all the vibes I was looking for, including being set in the desert, having to consistently find sources of clean water for yourself and crops, and building a sweet log cabin, I knew I wanted to see what the title had to offer. This is how I feel, both the good and the bad, in my Above Snakes review.

Wild West with a Twist

Above Snakes is a survival world-building game set in the wild west before it was tamed. It offers two modes. The story teaches you the basics, unveils what's special about the land, and unlocks new biome tiles to expand the world. For returning players or those who'd rather have a sandbox experience, all biome tiles will be unlocked in creative mode, but there's no story to play through. 

The ability to change the design of the world through biome tiles is the best thing Above Snakes has to offer. It costs little to delete a tile and be able to replace it, there are a number of different layouts you can select, depending on what you want, and each biome has its own unique resources to collect. The biomes blend well into each other with well-designed spaces and new enemies to encounter. This is what gives the game its replay value.

The biggest issue I have with Above Snakes is the story and how it progresses. I was ready to enjoy a full wild west survival game, complete with ranching, catching criminals with a lasso, sourcing water, and surviving in harsh environments. The game does have those elements, but the inclusion of an asteroid that turns people into Lost Souls, aka zombies, really threw me for a loop. Having to face the undead, whether it's skeletons, regular Lost Souls, or the giant version, took me out of the world completely.

The plausibility of the story is also concerning. It's set up where Aiyana and her mother are close. Her mother is where the asteroid hit, where the most damage was done. Yet, there's no urgency in getting to Corpse Creek, learning what occurred to the people there, or even sending a letter to her mother directly. People mention they fled from the town and asking after her mother isn't even a dialogue option. This was very odd to me, and every additional quest taken on added to that feeling. 

On top of that, the general writing comes off as shallow. Aiyana is supposed to be part Native American, though the specific tribe isn't named. Her encounters with other tribes, especially those that say what their heritage is, are the same as her conversations with settlers. There's no difference in the way she speaks, even though there should be. The instant trust from strangers, while necessary for a game, further chips away at any remaining realism. Settlers and Native Americans were wary of each other, and strangers had to earn trust before being allowed access to people's homes and secrets. 

The controls on PlayStation were smooth and easy to use. Mechanics were easy to pick up, and the first half of Above Snakes felt almost relaxing in nature. Along with the bird song and soft music in the background, I found myself thinking the title was more of a life sim than a survival game. There were multiple times that I almost dozed off, partly due to the relaxing vibe and partly due to the lack of action or progress to be had at that time in the game. 

The most difficult thing I came across was accurately aiming my bow. It'd often select the nearest target, including animals to hunt, instead of the one with the most aggression towards you. If you move to reposition yourself, you'll lose your target. There were many times that I'd have a Lost Soul bearing down on me and shoot a series of arrows at a tree or kill a rabbit instead. This lack of locking onto a target or prioritizing hostile creatures over can cause you to die. At the very least, I wasted a large number of arrows shooting at nothing important when in combat.  

Many of the Wanted Board side quests revolve around defeating an outlaw or Lost Souls. General exploration has you running into skeletons, zombies, wolves, and more. Not having a fine-tuned way to target your enemies negatively impacts the battle experience. I avoided combat as much as possible due to this.

Above Snakes Review | Final Thoughts

Overall, Above Snakes attempted to be unique with a mash-up of undead and the wild west. If this was initially advertised or included in the general information about the game, I would've had far different expectations for my play experience. Instead, I found myself wanting a traditional wild west survival experience. While my initial time in-game was easy to get the hang of and relaxing, I soon found myself frustrated by a surface-level story that didn't line up with the opening cinematic. 

Above Snakes could be enjoyed by a specific niche audience looking for what it has to offer. That audience just isn't me. 

Above Snakes was reviewed on PlayStation 5 with a copy provided by the developer over the course of 15 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of the review.