Snafu (video game)
A snake game with trap and bite variations.
In 1981, Mattel released *Snafu* for its Intellivision console, joining the wave of snake-style games from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Players guide growing serpents, trying to box in rivals and force crashes. A version later appeared on Mattel’s short-lived Aquarius home computer in 1983.
The game offers 16 variations split into two formats: "Trap" (12 variations) and "Bite" (4). Before starting, players pick a speed, a variation, and the number of rounds (up to 99). In "Trap," one or two players can compete; unused controllers let the computer take over. Each round begins with colored serpents inside a rectangular field, growing as they move. The goal is to trap opponents so they hit the field’s edge, another serpent, or themselves. Movement is usually horizontal or vertical, though some variations allow diagonals. Certain modes add obstacles or two extra computer-controlled lines, bringing the total to four. Points go to surviving players when an opponent crashes.
"Bite" games require two human players, with no computer opponents. Serpents grow to a set length at the start. Players aim their serpent’s head at the opponent’s tail; contact removes a segment from the opponent. Colliding with the field edge or an obstacle also costs a segment. After a delay, serpents can regrow segments, up to twice their original length. The round ends when one serpent loses all its segments, making the other the winner.
Programmer Mike Minkoff started development under the working title *Blockade+Snakes*, inspired by the board game *Blockade* and an unreleased Mattel Electronics handheld prototype. He later called it *Ssssnakes!*, even putting that name on the startup screen. Mattel, however, chose the title *Snafu* after the military acronym, though Minkoff saw no link between the game and the term’s meaning.
The game was reviewed in issue #44 of *Games* magazine. It later appeared in the *Intellivision Lives!* compilation. For reference, the Aquarius version is playable online at the Internet Archive, and the Intellivision Lives site also features the game.
- Release year
- 1981
- Platform
- Intellivision
- Developer
- Mattel
- Programmer
- Mike Minkoff
- Genre
- Snake game
- Number of variations
- 16
Quick Facts
- Title
- Snafu
- Developer
- Mattel Electronics
- Designer
- Mike Minkoff
- Composer
- Russell Lieblich
- Platforms
- Intellivision, Aquarius
- Released
- Intellivision · October 15, 1981 Aquarius · 1983
- Genre
- Snake
- Modes
- Single player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Snafu contains 16 different game variations based around two game formats: 'Trap' (12 variations) and 'Bite' (4 variations). Before gameplay begins, players select the speed of the game, then the desired gameplay variation, and finally the number of rounds (up to 99). In 'Trap' games, one or two players control colored serpents inside a rectangular playfield, aiming to box in opponents and force collisions with edges, other serpents, or themselves. Points are scored by surviving players when an opponent line crashes. 'Bite' games are played by two players with no computer opponents; serpents grow to a set length, and players direct their serpents toward the opponent's tail to remove segments. Segments are also lost upon collision with edges or obstacles, and after a period, serpents can regrow segments up to double the original length.
Reader's Guide
Programmer Mike Minkoff began work on the game under the working title Blockade+Snakes, inspired by the board game Blockade and a prototype handheld game developed by Mattel Electronics but never released. As development continued, Minkoff called the game Ssssnakes!, including the name on the start-up screen, but Mattel decided to name it after the military acronym SNAFU, despite Minkoff believing there was no connection between the game and the acronym's meaning. Snafu was reviewed in Games #44 and later re-released as part of the Intellivision Lives! collection. The Mattel Aquarius version can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive. The game represents a notable entry in the early snake game genre, offering multiple variations and both single-player and two-player modes.
Did You Know?
- Snafu was originally called Ssssnakes! by programmer Mike Minkoff, who included that name on the start-up screen.
- The game was named after the military acronym SNAFU, though Minkoff believed there was no connection to the acronym's meaning.
- A version of Snafu was released for Mattel's short-lived Aquarius personal computer in 1983.
- Snafu includes 16 game variations: 12 'Trap' and 4 'Bite' formats.
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