The classic game “Snake” was compressed to 56 bytes and fit into a QR code

A developer with the nickname Donno2048 presented an incredibly compact version of the classic “Snake”, released back in 1998 for the Nokia 6110 mobile phone. The total data volume is only 56 bytes – all the information fits into a QR code. The arcade version, prepared specifically for MS-DOS, can be considered one of the smallest working games in history.

Image Source: TechSpot

For comparison, even the simplest Hello World program using modern compilers will take up several kilobytes (a basic executable file is about 10 KB). The legendary Pac-Man from 1980 “weighed” about 12 KB – a gigantic volume compared to “Snake” from Donno2048.

Of course, such radical miniaturization could not do without side effects. If, for example, the length of the snake itself reaches three links in the game, then an attempt to move in the opposite direction leads to its self-destruction. However, experienced gamers may regard this as an additional complication of the gameplay.

There are also compatibility difficulties. In DOSBox and the web emulator everything works flawlessly (an online demo is available here), but on original computers compatible with MS-DOS, the game’s speed will be too high. When creating the ultra-compact version of Snake, the enthusiast used advanced compression algorithms and utilities like Crinkler.