@Velsy In this case, the snake formation was actually a good choice. He has 1 target, clustered, right in front of him. It would be bad in a real battle, especially if troops laid wait for an ambush, but here it is a good choice.
On the other hand, "lost formations" are actually a thing, even in real life. I'll take an example from Hindu myths, the "invincible" Chakravyuha. It was a defensive formation so strong that you could count the number of times people broke through and survived on one hand.
However, as time went on, warfare changed, and the formation was "lost", even though some principles of it can be seen applied in modern times.