Snipperclips Review: You Oughta Know How To Cut It Out
Fun with friends, Snipperclips is a pleasant couch co-op experience that best demonstrates the full use of the Nintendo Switch hardware.
Developer: SFB Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: March 3, 2017
The reason that people own a Nintendo Switch right out the gate is not for Snipperclips. Instead of focusing on what it isn’t, you should cherish it for what it is; an affordable, sensible introduction to the mechanics of the Nintendo Switch in a pleasurable, intriguing, and thought-provoking way.
Snipperclips is a two-character game you can play by yourself or up to four people at once. In the main gameplay mode, there are plenty of mini-games to complete that act as levels. In each, you control two filled-in rounded rectangles, each of which is controlled by a single Joy-Con or by an attached Nintendo Switch tablet.
Each level requires you to complete a task using your characters. Sometimes you need to fill in the outline of a shape in the stage, doing so by pressing A with one character to snip part of the other character’s outline. That way, you can better fill out the shape in order to successfully move on to the next stage.
Other Snipperclips stages include guiding car parts from one side to the other, scooping a basketball and shooting it into a net, using your character’s outlines as mimicking Stands to move eggs into a basket, and so much more. Essentially, the developers threw a fun few dozen quirky brainteasers at players, offered up 20 stages for those in groups, and three competitive mini-games that include air hockey, basketball, and cutting up your friends to bits.
In Snipperclips, creativity is the name of the game.
Plenty of these puzzles require an “aha” moment, and I was glad that getting the puzzles wrong doesn’t require a complete do-over each time. One button press and you can cycle between the last shape transformation or a complete restore. This makes it easier to experiment with different shapes for different scenarios.
Sometimes you want to create a thin, sharp platform with a curve to whip a ball further in the distance. Other times, you might opt to create the perfect cradle to hold another object. In Snipperclips, creativity is the name of the game.
Snipperclips is okay by yourself, but the chaotic nature of trying to solve a puzzle together with friends is the true catalyst of fun. Cradling an egg from one side to the other using a Joy-Con controller and a shared tablet caused quite the kerfuffle, but made our inevitable success that much more rewarding. Plus, the controls are intuitive and easy enough for players of most skill levels to enjoy.
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If anything, Snipperclips is a demonstration of personality, with unvoiced characters interacting with a series of grunts, smiles, grins, eyebrow twitches, and shocked expressions. Pair that with the enigmatic, vibrant backgrounds that reflect an art student’s notebook, and you can’t help but feel immersed in an alternate, creative universe.
The game is not long at all, as you can complete everything there is to do in a few short hours. However, coming in as a budget title at launch, it serves to show just how effective every part of Nintendo’s newest console can work for friends and family, alike. I wasn’t convinced multiplayer would work on such a small tablet, but clearing levels with a friend was no problem.
I understand it’s a small title, with almost 70 different mini-games included, but I feel as though the competitive mini-games could have been expanding upon just a bit more. Air hockey feels too floaty and quick, basketball works on its own, and the race to cut your friends before they cut you drives laughter and energy from its tense structure. If there was more of a focus on these, I could see Snipperclips having a bit more replayability than it currently does.
Overall, there’s not much to harp on about. It’s a cutesy little game with a cutesy little soundtrack with cutesy little characters making funny faces. Snipperclips is designed to tease the mind and tickle your funnybone when playing with friends. The game is designed in a way to free your mind and relax, and it certainly set out and accomplished that goal.
Snipperclips is what you make of it. It’s a non-stop puzzler joy that you can share with friends to demonstrate what the Nintendo Switch can actually do. There’s fairly little depth in terms of replayability, but at a budget price, it fits the niche that can serve seasoned players and newcomers, alike. Try getting through this without a laugh or two!. SFB Games. . Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!. 8
A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.