Game: BederSNAKE
Genre: Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Yuri Bederov
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Playable
Price: US $14.99 | UK £12.79 | EU € 14,79
Release Date: August 29th, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Yuri Bederov.
BederSNAKE – A Twist on a Classic
If you grew up in the late ’90s or early 2000s, chances are you remember Snake on the old Nokia phones. For many of us, it was the game, guiding a little line across the screen, eating pellets, and trying not to crash into yourself or the edges. Simple, addictive, and kinda tense. BederSNAKE asks the big question: what if we flipped the rules a bit and turned Snake into a puzzle game? The answer is something familiar but also completely different, a quirky logic puzzler that’s equal parts relaxing and frustrating, with just enough draw to keep you hooked.
Snake, But… Different
The key twist in BederSNAKE is simple yet strange: the snake’s mouth isn’t at its head, but at its tail. Instead of chomping apples head-on, you need to back your snake into them. At first, this feels like a prank. Years of muscle memory say, “eat with the head,” but BederSNAKE forces you to rethink everything you know about the formula.
Each level is a small, self-contained puzzle: a grid, a few walls, and a set of apples to collect. Your job is to guide the snake so that its tail-mouth lines up with each apple. Some puzzles are straightforward, while others are brain-bending labyrinths where every move matters.
Short Sessions, Big Challenge
This is very much a pick-up-and-play kind of game. You can complete a level in under a minute, or spend ten stuck on a tricky layout. The simplicity is deceptive, the more you play, the more the levels demand foresight and clever manoeuvring as layouts become increasingly complex.
BederSNAKE offers hints you can buy with coins earned for solving puzzles efficiently, but here’s the irony: if you’re good at the game, you don’t really need them. If you’re struggling, you probably won’t have enough coins to get much help. Personally, I found myself ignoring hints altogether and just enjoying the trial-and-error process. I wasn’t chasing high scores or the fewest moves, I was just relaxing, eating apples at my own pace. But it’s nice the game cleverly caters to different players’ play styles.
The Controls and the “Tail Problem”
Moving forward feels fine, but reversing with the snake’s tail is where things get a little fiddly. Sometimes the controls feel unintuitive, especially if your snake is already quite long and coiled up. There were moments where I got tangled in my own logic just because I couldn’t quite judge how the inputs would play out.
This is where I really wished for an “undo” button. One wrong move often meant restarting the entire puzzle, which isn’t a dealbreaker, but it does add some unnecessary repetition of restarting the level. It’s the kind of small quality-of-life feature that could make a big difference.
Style and Presentation
Graphically, BederSNAKE keeps things minimalist. You won’t find flashy effects or sprawling environments here, it’s just clean mazes, simple apples, and a snake that does its job. That said, it looks much nicer than the monochrome Nokia version, and you can unlock a few cosmetic skins, including a crocodile. It’s a small touch, but it adds a bit of personality.
The audio is equally restrained. There’s not much in the way of standout music or sound design, but it fits the low-key, puzzle-focused vibe. This isn’t a game that’s trying to wow you with spectacle, it just wants to be a neat little brain-teaser.
A Relaxing Puzzle Box
Despite its occasional frustrations, I found BederSNAKE oddly relaxing. There’s something satisfying about slowly working through its puzzles, backing into apples, and watching a plan come together. Just to the point gameplay without any overbearing story between levels. It’s not ground-breaking, and it won’t blow your mind, but as a straightforward, bite-sized puzzle game, it absolutely does the job.
There are 284 levels in total, which means plenty of content to chew on. Some are breezy, some are head-scratchers, but all of them fit the same simple mould. It’s easy to play in short bursts, put down, and return to later.
Conclusion: Better Snake?
BederSNAKE is not “Snake but better”, despite what its name cheekily implies. It’s something different, a twist on a classic turned into a minimalist puzzle game. The controls can be fiddly, and an undo button would have been a lifesaver, but at its best, it’s a relaxing, clever little puzzler that’s worth dipping into if you’re curious. Want to give it a try? A free demo is available on Steam.
Final Verdict: I Like It.
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