Snail Trek - Chapter 1: Intershellar

Released Nov 2017

Chapter 1 is now free! Relive 1980s nostalgia in this text parser driven graphic adventure game. You and your molluscan crew embark on an epic journey to find a new home world. In Chapter 1 - Intershellar, wake up from your long trip only to discover a saboteur has been at work.

94% positive · 182 reviews

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Where to get it

Free on Steam

Steam Free

Evaluation

Snail Trek - Chapter 1: Intershellar launched on November 29, 2017 as the first installment in a four-chapter series. The developer shipped all subsequent chapters in quick succession: Chapter 2 on December 12, 2017, Chapter 3 on January 4, 2018, and Chapter 4 (subtitled "The Final Fondue") on March 30, 2018, explicitly concluding the story. All four chapters were bundled together as a complete set following Chapter 4's release. A cosmetic Rainbow Donation DLC — the only DLC for Chapter 1 — shipped on April 12, 2018, completing the content cycle for this entry. The developer also expanded the series to MacOS and Linux on May 27, 2018. The last developer communication referencing this series was an October 7, 2020 announcement about a separate, unrelated game (Cascadia Quest). No further content for Snail Trek Chapter 1 or the series has been announced. The store description itself links players to Chapter 2, reinforcing that Chapter 1 is a self-contained, complete starting point in a finished series.

Evidence

Rainbow Donation DLC released for Chapter 1 — a cosmetic support DLC. This is the last content released for the game.

news post · Apr 12, 2018 source content shipped

high

Chapter 4, subtitled 'The Final Fondue', released and described as the story's conclusion. All four chapters bundled into a complete set.

news post · Mar 30, 2018 source development ending

high

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Released

Snail Trek 1 - Rainbow Donation DLC

Apr 2018

Media

Details

Developer

Phil Fortier

Publisher

Phil Fortier

Achievements

Platform

Windows, macOS, Linux

Controller

—

Steam Deck

Playable

Players

Single-player

Adventure Indie Point & Click Retro Pixel Graphics Space Puzzle 2D

About this game

Snail Trek - Chapter 1: Intershellar is the first in a series of "20 minute adventures" where you take on the role of a crew of snails on a journey to a new home world.

In the style of the early Sierra Online adventure games, Snail Trek has colorful EGA-ish graphics and a text parser interface. Relive the nostalgia in these bite-sized adventures - but without all the pain. Autosaves, a text parser with auto-suggest, and puzzles with no dead ends, all combine to bring this old genre into the modern era.

In Chapter 1, you arrive at the lettuce-covered (or so you hope) planet. But something is amiss. Your ship has been damaged and you may not be able to land at all! Meanwhile, your home world is dying, and your entire civilization is waiting for your report on this new planet. Is it really a lettuce-covered paradise?

You can find chapter 2 here.

Key Features

Autosaves - no need to save every few minutes (though you still can if you want).
A text parser with both auto-suggest and auto-correct - fat finger your way to puzzle glory (but you can turn them off if you want to suffer more greatly).
A text parser that understands what objects are in front of you, so you can be lazy and just type things like 'get' or 'look'.
CRT emulation mode that gives those pixels an ever-so-slightly fuzzy look.
A stereophonic score.
Cute snails.
Deaths (but hey, autosaves).
No dead ends! Puzzle your way around with impunity!
Widescreen aspect ratio, since monitors are more rectangular now.