Caterpillar Royale

Caterpillar Royale is a fast-paced, top-down action game where players control growing caterpillars in a battle for survival. Inspired by classic arcade games like Snake and Tron, players must navigate their caterpillars to consume food, grow longer, and outmaneuver opponents in a merciless competition. The game features three distinct modes—Mission, Mini Soccer, and Obstacle Course—supporting up to four players in split-screen multiplayer. With simple yet challenging mechanics, players must avoid collisions with obstacles or enemy caterpillars to be the last one standing.

Caterpillar Royale: A Misguided Attempt at Reinventing Snake

Introduction: The Illusion of Innovation

Caterpillar Royale (2019) is a game that, on paper, should have been a delightful twist on a classic formula. Inspired by the browser-based phenomenon slither.io—itself a fusion of Snake and Agar.io—it promised a fresh take on competitive, growth-based gameplay. However, what emerged was a hollow imitation, stripped of the very elements that made its predecessors engaging. Developed by SIMS Co., Ltd. and published by Starsign, Inc., Caterpillar Royale is a cautionary tale of how misguided design choices can transform a promising concept into a forgettable, frustrating experience.

This review will dissect the game’s development context, its flawed mechanics, its lackluster reception, and its minimal impact on the gaming landscape. By examining its failures, we can better understand what makes a competitive arcade game truly compelling—and why Caterpillar Royale falls short.

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Development History & Context: A Knockoff of a Knockoff

The Rise of .io Games and the Birth of Caterpillar Royale

The mid-2010s saw the explosion of .io games, simple yet addictive browser-based multiplayer experiences. Agar.io (2015) popularized the concept of growing by consuming smaller entities while avoiding larger ones, and slither.io (2016) refined it by blending Snake’s mechanics with competitive multiplayer. These games thrived on their accessibility, real-time competition, and the thrill of outmaneuvering human opponents.

Caterpillar Royale arrived in February 2019, attempting to capitalize on this trend by adapting slither.io’s core loop into a local multiplayer experience. However, instead of iterating on the formula, it removed the most critical element: human competition. The game was developed using Unity, a versatile engine capable of handling multiplayer experiences, yet Caterpillar Royale opted for offline AI opponents—a decision that would prove fatal to its enjoyment.

The Studio Behind the Game: SIMS Co., Ltd.

SIMS Co., Ltd., a Japanese developer with a history of casual and party games, took the reins on Caterpillar Royale. Their portfolio includes titles like Caterpillar Wars DX (the Japanese version of Caterpillar Royale) and other lighthearted multiplayer experiences. However, their approach to Caterpillar Royale suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of what made slither.io successful.

The game was released on Nintendo Switch (February 14, 2019) and Windows (May 8, 2019), targeting the party game and arcade markets. Given the Switch’s success with local multiplayer titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Overcooked, Caterpillar Royale seemed poised to carve out a niche. Instead, it became a footnote—a game that failed to justify its $5 price tag when free, superior alternatives existed.

Technological Constraints and Missed Opportunities

The game’s top-down 2D scrolling perspective and direct control scheme were well-suited for the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers. However, the decision to exclude online multiplayer—despite the Unity engine’s capabilities—was a baffling oversight. The AI opponents were programmed to predict player movements, making them feel unfair rather than challenging.

Additionally, the game’s three modes (Mission, Mini Soccer, Obstacle Course) were shallow and repetitive, lacking the depth of slither.io’s endless, dynamic battles. The power-up system, rather than adding strategy, introduced randomness that often felt punishing rather than rewarding.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A Game Without a Soul

The Absence of Story and Character

Caterpillar Royale is a purely mechanical experience—there is no narrative, no characters, and no world-building. The game’s fantasy setting (as listed on MobyGames) is purely aesthetic, with no lore or context to justify why caterpillars are battling in arenas.

This lack of identity is a missed opportunity. Even simple games like Snake or Tron had distinct visual and thematic personalities. Caterpillar Royale, by contrast, feels generic and disposable, with ugly neon-green food pellets replacing the natural imagery one might expect from a caterpillar-themed game.

Themes: Survival of the Fattest?

The game’s only thematic throughline is growth and domination—a common trope in .io games. However, unlike slither.io, where outsmarting human opponents created tension, Caterpillar Royale’s AI-driven battles feel hollow and scripted.

The “battle royale” label in the title is misleading. There is no shrinking play area, no last-man-standing tension, and no progressive elimination. Instead, players respawn instantly, removing any stakes from the competition.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: A Flawed Foundation

Core Gameplay Loop: Eating, Growing, Dying

At its core, Caterpillar Royale follows the Snake formula:
– Move a caterpillar around an arena.
– Eat food (green cubes) to grow longer.
– Avoid collisions with walls, obstacles, or other caterpillars’ bodies.
– Kill opponents by tricking them into hitting your body.

However, the execution is deeply flawed:

1. AI Opponents Are Unfair

   • The AI predicts player movements, making them near-impossible to outmaneuver without relying on cheap tactics.
   • They abuse power-ups (speed boosts, invincibility) in ways that feel unbalanced.

2. Respawn Mechanics Are Punishing

   • Upon death, players respawn uncontrollably, often directly into another caterpillar’s path, leading to instant, unavoidable deaths.
   • This creates frustration rather than challenge.

3. Power-Ups Disrupt Balance

   • Speed Boosts and Invincibility are held items, meaning AI opponents can activate them at the worst possible moment to ruin player strategies.
   • The growth power-up is the only reliable one, but it doesn’t compensate for the game’s other flaws.

Game Modes: Three Variations of Tedium

1. Mission Mode (6 Stages)

   • Goals: Kill X enemies, collect X diamonds, reach X length.
   • Problem: The same three objectives repeat, with no progression or unlocks.
   • AI cheating makes combat unrewarding.

2. Mini Soccer Mode

   • Concept: 2v2 soccer with caterpillars.
   • Problem: No growth mechanics—just chaotic collisions that feel nothing like soccer.

3. Obstacle Course Mode

   • Concept: Race to the finish while avoiding walls.
   • Problem: Boring and slow, with no real challenge.

Multiplayer: A Missed Opportunity

While the game supports up to 4 players locally, the flawed mechanics make it more frustrating than fun. Unlike Mario Party or Overcooked, where chaos is part of the appeal, Caterpillar Royale’s unfair AI and shallow modes make it a chore to play with friends.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: Aesthetic Mediocrity

Visual Design: Generic and Uninspired

• Caterpillar models are basic and unappealing.
• Food pellets are ugly green cubes—why not leaves or fruit?
• Arenas are bland and repetitive, with no distinct themes.

Sound Design: Repetitive and Forgettable

• The music is generic upbeat tunes that loop endlessly.
• Sound effects (eating, collisions) are functional but unremarkable.

Atmosphere: Nonexistent

The game lacks personality. There’s no charm, no humor, no style—just a sterile, mechanical experience.

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Reception & Legacy: A Game Quickly Forgotten

Critical Reception: Overwhelmingly Negative

• Miketendo64 (3/10): “Avoid. Save your cash and stick to the free browser version.”
• eShopper Reviews (33/100): “Three game modes that are all either broken or boring.”
• Pure Nintendo (6/10): “Super casual… but needs more variety.”

Commercial Performance: A Flop

• No sales data is available, but its lack of reviews and quick disappearance from discussions suggest poor performance.
• The $1.99 Steam price (later discounted) indicates low demand.

Legacy: A Footnote in Gaming History

Caterpillar Royale failed to influence the battle royale or party game genres. It remains a cautionary tale of how removing core mechanics (like human competition) can destroy a game’s appeal.

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Conclusion: A Game That Should Have Stayed in the Cocoon

Caterpillar Royale is not a bad game because it’s hard—it’s bad because it’s boring. By stripping away the multiplayer competition that made slither.io addictive and replacing it with unfair AI and shallow modes, SIMS Co., Ltd. created a hollow, frustrating experience.

Final Verdict: 2/10 – Avoid

Who might enjoy it?
– Very young children who don’t mind simple, repetitive gameplay.
– Completionists who want to experience every Switch party game.

Who should avoid it?
– Fans of slither.io—this is a pale imitation.
– Anyone expecting a true battle royale—it fails on every level.
– Players seeking depth or challenge—it offers neither.

Caterpillar Royale is a game that exists, but not one that deserves to be remembered. In a world where free, superior alternatives are a browser tab away, this $5 experiment is best left in the past.

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Final Thought:
If Caterpillar Royale had embraced online multiplayer and refined its mechanics, it could have been a fun, competitive experience. Instead, it’s a lesson in how not to adapt a classic.