Tips
io games tips: survive longer and climb the leaderboard
The habits that keep you alive in any io arena, plus specific tips for snake, blob, territory and tank games.
3 min read
Coil Clash
Grow a glowing snake in an arena full of computer rivals: eat orbs, boost past danger, and make rivals crash into your body.
Steer toward the mouse pointer, or turn with the left and right arrow keys or A and D. Hold the mouse button, Space, W or the up arrow to boost. P pauses and resumes. M turns sound on or off. F switches full screen. On a touch screen, drag anywhere on the arena to steer and hold the Boost button to dash.
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About Coil Clash
Coil Clash is an arena snake game. Your snake glides freely in any direction around a large circular arena, eating glowing orbs to grow longer and thicker while computer-controlled rivals do the same.
You cannot crash into yourself, only into other snakes. Get a rival to run its head into your body and it falls apart into a trail of rich orbs for you to feast on. It is single-player and plays in your browser on desktop and mobile.
How to play Coil Clash
- Pick how many rivals you want to face and a skin for your snake, then press Play.
- Steer by moving your mouse: your snake turns toward the pointer. On a keyboard, turn with the left and right arrows. On a touch screen, drag anywhere on the arena.
- Glide into orbs to eat them. Each orb adds its value to your length.
- Hold the mouse button, Space or the Boost button to dash at double speed. Boosting burns length.
- Your run ends when your head touches another snake’s body or the red edge of the arena.
Coil Clash controls
| Steer | Move the mouse, or hold Left and Right arrows (A and D) |
|---|---|
| Boost | Hold the left mouse button, Space, Up arrow or W |
| Start or play again | Enter or Space |
| Pause and resume | P (Esc also pauses) |
| Full screen | F |
| Sound on or off | M |
| Steer | Drag anywhere on the arena, like a joystick |
|---|---|
| Boost | Hold the Boost button in the bottom corner |
| Pause and resume | Pause button in the top corner |
Coil Clash rules
Growing
You start with a length of 10. Loose orbs are worth 1 to 3 and orbs close to your head drift into your mouth. The longer you get, the thicker your snake becomes and the wider it turns. Every snake moves at the same speed, whatever its size.
Boosting
Boosting doubles your speed but burns length while you hold it, faster for longer snakes. The length you burn is dropped behind you as small orbs. You cannot boost once your length is down to 6.
Collisions
If your head touches another snake’s body, your run is over. Snakes can cross over their own bodies freely. If two heads meet, both snakes are out.
A fallen snake turns into a trail of orbs worth most of its length. They fade after a minute.
The arena
The arena is a large circle with a red edge. Touching the edge ends your run. The map in the bottom corner shows where you are and where the other snakes are.
Rivals
Every other snake is controlled by the computer and marked AI on the arena leaderboard. Chill has 8 calm rivals that never hunt you. Normal has 12, and some of them try to cut you off. Fierce has 16 quick rivals that hunt and boost.
A fallen rival is replaced by a newcomer a few seconds later. Rivals that grow very large slowly shrink back, so the arena never fills up with giants.
Best length
Your result is the longest your snake got during the run. The best result for each rival level is saved in this browser.
Tips and strategy
- Cut across the path of a rival’s head. If it runs into your body, it is out.
- Boost to get in front of a rival, then turn across its path. Short boosts cost little.
- Big snakes turn wide. Circle a smaller snake to trap it inside your coil.
- Head for the trail a fallen snake leaves. It is worth far more than loose orbs.
- Rivals keep their distance from heads. Cross in front of them, never head-on.
Frequently asked questions
Is Coil Clash multiplayer?
No. Coil Clash is single-player. Every other snake is a computer-controlled rival, marked AI on the leaderboard, and nothing is sent over the network while you play.
Is Coil Clash free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser with no account, download or payment.
Why is my snake getting shorter?
Boosting burns length while you hold it. Let go of the mouse button, Space or the Boost button to stop.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag anywhere on the arena to steer and hold the Boost button to dash. The game pauses automatically if you switch apps or tabs.
Does Coil Clash save my best length?
Your best length for each rival level is stored in this browser on this device. It is not uploaded or shared, and there is no online leaderboard.
Guides and tips
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