4 games that inspired slither.io

We all love slither.io, right? I mean, what's not to love about a game that involves scooting around the screen, eating as much as you can, and trying to get as big as possible?

That's right, nothing.

But where did slither.io come from? What games inspired it, shaped it, and turned it into the money-gobbling behemoth that it is now?

Don't worry, we've got your back. Here's a little history lesson, presented with both jokes and serious bits, that highlights the games which inspired your current extendable crush.

Snake

This is probably the big one. If you've never played Snake, well it's a game about being a snake. You move through levels gobbling up little pellets that cause your lizard-self to grow.

The main obstacle here is yourself, as you weave around your own tail to try and grab another mouthful and gain another point. The game contains a lot of the same DNA as slither.io, and it's been around for donkeys years. I used to play it on my first ever mobile phone (Ed - it's his favourite mobile game of all time).

Agar.io

Another massive influence, Agar.iois a similar multiplayer-focused riff on some older arcade classics. You move around a massive, open level, eating anything you can, getting bigger, and trying to avoid the attentions of the other players who are doing precisely the same.

Essentially slither.io takes a lot of ideas from Agar.io and blends them in with the ideas it takes from Snake.

Crossy Road

A bit of a leftfield choice this one, but Crossy Road started the push of reshaped arcade classics on the App Store. It's basically a re-skinned Frogger with the gameplay shifted towards the more casual end of the spectrum.

It doesn't share many gameplay mechanics with slither.io, but the pair share a similar grounding in gaming history, and that can't be ignored.

Curiosity

Okay, if Crossy Road was leftfield, this counts as so far to the left it's gone full circle and ended up on the right, but bear with me. Curiosity was a game about an awful lot of people doing the same thing at the same time, much like slither.io.

It was incredibly simple to play, much like slither.io. It had a solid but far from flashy art style, much like... Well you get the idea. Sure Curiosity had badgers in it for some reason, but there are so few simple games on the App Store that let you play with a massive bunch of strangers, and this did just that.

Know of any other games that may have inspiredslither.io? Let us know in the comments below!