Hustle

Hustle is variant of the Snake game, developed by Gremlin Industries. The original snake variant was Blockade, also a product of Gremlin, before it was cloned into various similar video games by different companies. In 1977, the company decided to create a new and innovative version of the Blockade game and they released Hustle. The original Blockade game is an arcade title under the maze genre, which was initially released in 1976. You are required to control the character when playing and the game has a monochrome graphic design. The character moves around the field of play while trying to avoid hitting the opponent or the boundaries within a limited period of time. Arcade titles with similar features are Amargetron Advanced, Rattler racer, Snakeball, and Nibbler Quest.

Hustle could be grouped into either the action or maze genre of arcade games, although it boasts of a fixed screen visual where the player’s perspective is from top-down. In this game, you are required to control a snake that goes around the screen. The focus of this game is for you to collect objects worth different points while avoiding collisions with the wall (perimeter of the game) and the snake’s tail. The more objects the snake collects, the longer it becomes, and the harder it gets to navigate the field of play. It is a timed game and you are only allowed to play for 90 seconds before the game ends.

Objects come in different values, each has its value displayed on it and they appear randomly on the screen. Sometimes random objects with unknown values appear on the screen and you have to get them to know how much they are worth. Objects with unknown value usually come with a question mark sign and offer a “win or lose” option, as it can either deduct up to 900 points from your current score or add between 0 to 900 points.
When the objects on the screen are not eaten by the snake in a few seconds, they disappear, and new ones replace them and the maximum number of objects that can appear at the same time on the screen is two. These objects can be close to each other or at different ends of the screen. When the snake hits a target, the game freezes for a few seconds while the point is being added (or subtracted as the case may be) to the score.
At the beginning of the game, the snake moves at an average speed but its speed increases as it picks up more targets. The snake eventually starts moving at an insane speed when over 10 targets have been collected without colliding with any objects. The sound of each target hit varies and when the snake hits the wall, his own tail, or the opponent’s tail, a loud crashing sound is made.

This is a competitive game and offers two playing options. Two players can play simultaneously or you can decide to play by yourself. In a game played by two players, when your opponent loses, the value of all targets on the screen plus 400 points are added to your score. If the targets with unknown values are on the screen when the other player crashes, their values become positive and it is also added to the winning player’s score.

Hustle is an amusing game to play. Being one of the oldest variants of Snake, most of its features are elementary, there are no special features or challenges, just the basics. However, the game still offers the same excitement as any of its counterparts. The graphic is simple and plain, with a background in black and all other characters in green color. The sound in the game is mostly produced by the snake eating up objects, crashing the wall, or the tail. A slight flaw in the gameplay is the part where everything freezes when the snakes hit a target, while the time continues the tick. Asides from its other addictive features, the constant need to top your previous high score is one of the reasons that will get you constantly playing the game.