A classic Snake game written in Python, designed specifically for the Raspberry Pi Zero W paired with the Waveshare 1.44inch LCD HAT (ST7735S Driver).

This project uses the luma.lcd library for rendering and RPi.GPIO for the HAT's joystick and button inputs.

1. Raspberry Pi Zero W (v1.1 or similar).

2. Waveshare 1.44inch LCD HAT (128x128 pixel resolution).

3. MicroSD Card (8GB+).

4. Power supply (Micro USB).

If you have a brand new Raspberry Pi Zero W, follow this guide to set it up "headless" (without a monitor/keyboard attached).

You will need a computer (Windows/Mac/Linux) with an SD card reader.

1. Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager.

2. Insert your MicroSD card into your computer.

3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager.

4. Choose OS: Select Raspberry Pi OS (other) -> Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit).

   • Note: The "Lite" version is best for this game as it uses less memory and boots faster.

5. Choose Storage: Select your SD card.

6. ⚙️ IMPORTANT: Configure Settings (The Gear Icon) Click the gear icon (bottom right) to open Advanced Options. Set these up now so you don't need a monitor later:

   • Set Hostname: e.g., snake-pi.

   • Enable SSH: Check this box. Select "Use password authentication".

   • Set username and password: Create a user (e.g., User: pi, Pass: raspberry).

   • Configure Wireless LAN: Enter your Wi-Fi Name (SSID) and Password. Select your country code.

7. Click Save, then click Write.

8. Wait for the verification to finish, then remove the SD card.

1. Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi Zero W.

2. Attach the Waveshare LCD HAT to the GPIO header.

3. Plug in the power cable. Wait about 2-3 minutes for the first boot.

4. Open Command Prompt (Windows), PowerShell, or Terminal (Mac/Linux) on your computer.

5. Type the following command (replace pi and snake-pi with the username/hostname you set in Phase 1):

   ssh [email protected]
   
   

   • If you didn't set a hostname, try ssh [email protected].

   • If that doesn't work, check your router to find the Pi's IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50) and run ssh [email protected].

6. Type yes when asked to continue connecting.

7. Enter the password you created. You are now controlling your Pi remotely!

Once logged in via SSH, run:

sudo raspi-config

1. Navigate to Interface Options.

2. Select SPI.

3. Select Yes to enable the SPI interface.

4. Select Finish and ask it to Reboot.

5. Wait 1 minute, then SSH back in (ssh [email protected]).

The screen drivers require specific system libraries. Copy and paste this command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-dev python3-pip python3-pil libjpeg-dev zlib1g-dev libfreetype6-dev liblcms2-dev libopenjp2-7 libtiff5 git -y

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/Shrees1ngh/pi-snake-game.git](https://github.com/Shrees1ngh/pi-snake-game.git)
   cd pi-snake-game
   
   

2. Install Python requirements:

   pip3 install -r requirements.txt
   
   

3. Run the game:

   python3 snake_game.py
   
   

pi-snake-game/

│── snake_game.py      # Main game script

│── highscore.txt      # Auto-created

│── requirements.txt   # Python dependencies

│── README.md          # Documentation

• High Score: Automatically saves your best score to highscore.txt.

• Speed Ramp: The snake gets faster as you eat more food.

• Colors: Dark Green head, gradient body, red food.

• "Host not found" when SSHing? Ensure your computer and the Pi are on the exact same Wi-Fi network. If snake-pi.local fails, you must find the IP address of the Pi using your router's admin page or a phone app like "Fing".

• Screen is black? Make sure you enabled SPI in sudo raspi-config.

• Colors look inverted? Open snake_game.py and change bgr=True to bgr=False in the device = st7735(...) line.

• Screen has static on edges? Adjust v_offset or h_offset in the st7735 initialization in the code (currently set to v_offset=2).

Open Source. Feel free to modify and improve!