A Snake's Tale (Android)
Nice little (and rather inexpensive) puzzle game, this one. Available for both PC and mobile devices, you get a Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android version if you buy it
over at itch.io. And given its nature and casual gameplay, I opted for installing it on my phone and playing it a few puzzles at a time either on the bus or in bed.
It's got a few number of different levels, and though the initial ones are straightforward and pose no challenge at all, the introduction of new mechanics (i.e. new types of snakes) allow for some difficult ones as well. You start at a predefined spot in the levels map, and once you solve one puzzle, new ones become available. Depending on which ones you solve, you'll progress towards different zones, so it's entirely possible you end up in a difficult level employing a mechanic you haven't seen yet. In such cases it's better to try your luck with other available levels from the same zone, as chances are that new mechanic is introduced with an easier puzzle elsewhere.
There's no story at all and once you've completed all the puzzles, a new one appears at the bottom-right part of the map. This final level combines all the different types of snakes and mechanics of the game and it admittedly took me a good while to solve. Once I did it, the only thing that happened was that the nuclear plant chimney in the map started spewing out multi-coloured clouds, so unless I missed something I guess that was game over.
Despite its slightly underwhelming ending, I can recommend this game to puzzle fanatics and newbies alike. The former will probably rate it on the easy side, but I bet it's a perfect entry point to the genre for the latter.
My list of finished games in 2018