If you love playing games with friends on social media, then you might want to get in on this: Snake, the iconic mobile game from the 1990s and early 2000s, is now available to play on Facebook Messenger. Huzzah! Like its nostalgic counterpart, learning how to play Snake on Facebook Messenger is pretty easy. Although the game's interface is quite different from the old version that we're all used to, the objective of the game is exactly the same: Move the snake around without bumping into itself.
The launch of Snake on smartphones comes right after HMD Global announced that it would be releasing a new reboot of the classic Nokia 3310 cell phone, which was one of the most popular mobile phones back when it first came out in the fall of 2000. One exciting feature of the rebooted classic is the timeless game Snake, which comes pre-loaded on the phone. Many people became introduced to Snake after they got the Nokia 3310, and the game's popularity peaked and correlated with the popularity of the phone. I was definitely one of those people, except I would temporarily steal my parents' Nokia phones to play Snake. Oh, how I miss my childhood.
Unfortunately, as you may have heard, the Nokia 3310 may not work in all regions, which means tons of people might have to miss out on playing Snake like the good old times. For those of you who, like me, happen to live in one of these regions, playing Snake on Facebook Messenger is a fun alternative.
Don't know where to start? Here's a step-by-step guide for figuring out how to play Snake on Facebook Messenger:
1Go To The Facebook Messenger App
First things first: Find the Facebook Messenger app on your smartphone. If your apps are arranged like mine, then it's probably the next door neighbor to your main Facebook app. (Or, if you need to, you can download it here or here.) If you aren't already logged in, you'll be prompted to do so.
Once you log in to Facebook Messenger, open either a new or existing conversation with a friend you want to challenge or play with.
2Find The Game Console Button
When you've opened a conversation in Facebook Messenger, identify the button that's shaped like a little game console toward the bottom right (but still above your keyboard). Click on the game console.
3Open Snake
A comprehensive list of games to play will show up immediately, and Snake will be somewhere on that list (along with other popular games like PAC-MAN and Solitaire). The icon for Snake has a dark brown background and features an alligator green snake head. Click "Play" on the right-hand side.
4Wait For The Game To Load
Obviously, Snake is going to look a lot different from what it looked like on our old Nokia 3310 phones. On Facebook Messenger, the game features that same olive-green snake head and will tell you how much of the game has loaded, percentage-wise.
5Pick Your Level
Just like with the original Snake game, you'll have to choose what speed level you're willing to play at. The speed level equates to how fast your snake will move on the screen once the game begins. If you haven't played Snake at all before, you may want to pick Level 1 just so you can get used to the game first. Pros, feel free to select Level 3.
6Eat The Apple, Avoid The Walls, And Don't Bump Into Yourself!
The goal of Snake is to eat as many apples on the screen as you can without hitting the walls at the top and bottom of the screen, made of black and green tiles. Once you hit one of the walls, the game is over.
There are four buttons at the very bottom of the screen to help you navigate the snake either up, down, left, or right. This might feel slightly different from the way it did with the original Snake game, which was traditionally played on cell phones that had a keyboard instead of a touch screen. Still, the arrow keys are pretty large in Facebook Messenger so navigating the snake should be pretty easy. Just remember not to bump into your own tail!
7Track Your Score
The more apples you eat, the longer the snake gets and soon it'll become impossible to continue the game. Inevitably, you're going to either bump into one of the walls or your snake's own body. When the game ends, you'll be redirected to the scores page, which will inform you of your high scores and current rank.
Now that you know exactly how to play Snake in Facebook Messenger, don't blame me if you get hooked. Happy gaming!
