If you are from the generation of keypad phones, you must have played the snake game. It was one of the most simple yet addictive games. If you still miss that game you can play Slither.io. It is one of the free-to-play game with bare-bones mechanics and without any microtransactions.
This game was developed by a developer named Steven Howse in 2016. He wanted to create a simple game that can give short refreshing breaks to the people. Taking inspiration from the popular Miniclip game Agar.io and combining it with the classic snake game, he developed something extraordinary.
How to Play Slither.io?
In Slither.io, you control a small snake. The game uses either a mouse or touch controls, depending on the device you’re using. From a top-down view, you guide your snake to eat tiny glowing orbs scattered all around. Each orb you eat makes your snake longer and larger.
Keeping the gameplay simple, it is based on just three rules:
- Eat orbs to grow
- Don’t collide with other snakes
- Hold the mouse to increase the speed when you’re long
But what makes this game challenging as well as addictive is that you are not the only snake playing. There are 50 players playing with you and you have to stay away from them until and unless you are big enough.
Here’s how it works:
- Your snake never stops moving, and it follows the direction of your mouse or finger.
- You have to avoid crashing head-first into other snakes. If you do, it’s game over.
- But there’s a twist: if another smaller snake crashes into you, they die and turn into a pile of glowing orbs. You can gobble up those orbs to grow even bigger!
- Your size becomes an advantage. Larger snakes can trap smaller ones, circling around them until they crash into you. This tactic is a popular strategy for advanced players.
Unlike the original Snake game, you can cross over your own body without dying. However, touching another snake’s body spells instant death. The game also features a leaderboard in the top right corner, showing the current top 10 longest snakes. At the bottom left, you can see your own length to compare your progress. There are no second chances; one wrong move and you’re out. The fast-paced, high-stakes nature keeps players coming back for more.
The Widespread Popularity
The game did not need any appealing advertisements or even in-app purchases to popularize the game. Still, it was largely based on the game’s insanely colourful gameplay and a pinch of YouTube. The event that changed it was when the largest YouTuber, PewDiePie, began making videos about Slither.io. In total, the two gameplay videos, which PewDiePie posted, garnered millions of views and introduced almost 100 million subscribers to the game.
Also, it is noteworthy to mention that Howse didn’t ask PewDiePie to play his game. The YouTuber found it all on their own and chose to bring it to the attention of their followers. This organic exposure was a big shot in the arm. Players enjoyed playing the game because of its humble but engaging mechanics and the flow of gamers did not dip after some time. That the game was free and did not necessarily involve harassing users with in-game purchases made the situation even better.
How Slither.io Made Money Without Microtransactions?
Surprisingly and given the fact that the game is free, Slither.io turned out very lucrative. There were no force or mandatory advertisements in the game and even if they were there then too, for $4, one could avail of the service to get rid of them. At it is Apex in 2016 it was generating over $100,000 per day through advertisements. Steven Howse needed to spend as much as $15,000 monthly on the servers so as to meet this demand.
To the best of my knowledge, this is one of the very few success stories of a game that merely survived on popularity and recommendation. This is just one shameless example of what is possible if an otherwise basic idea is correctly carried out and developed.
Where Can You Play Slither.io?
Even years after its release, Slither.io remains available on multiple platforms:
- iOS and Android: Downloadable from the App Store and Google Play.
- Web Browser: You can play it online for free at sites like Crazygames.com.
On Android alone, the game has over 100 million downloads! While many clones and imitators have tried to replicate its success, none have managed to capture the magic of the original.
The Final Line:
Slither.io stands as a classic example of a simple game done right. It brought people together, fueled friendly competition, and created memorable gaming moments. Even if you’ve never played it before, it’s worth a try. The game shows that with a bit of creativity and a lot of passion, one developer can make a big impact on the gaming world.
So next time you’re looking for a quick game to pass the time, try Slither.io.
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