Snipperclips Review

Charming, Sharp, and Witty
By Edwin Velez
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
Released on March 3rd, 2017 for Nintendo Switch
Developer: SFB Games  Publisher: Nintendo

Nintendo has always been a powerhouse when it comes to cooperative and party centric gaming. Many Mario titles have embodied this notion, from the Mario Party and Mario Kart series' to even New Super Mario Bros WiiU. Multiplayer gaming is part of Nintendo’s core, a respected aspect of their roots from the NES' and SNES' historic pasts that is still today a reason that gamers both old and young rely on Nintendo to deliver. With the recently released Nintendo Switch console hitting the market, those who are lucky enough to have gotten their hands on one may be wondering what they can play in the way of multiplayer games. Look no further than Snipperclips, a fun and quirky puzzler that is exceedingly charming, budget friendly, and perfect for any crowd. It has all the charm, look, and sounds that scream authentic Nintendo, and truly delivers on that experience.

In Snipperclips, players control Snip and Clip to solve a variety of puzzles. You can use these paper-esque friends, alone or with friends of your own, to tackle some interesting scenarios in a variety of ways. Snip and Clip can cut each other to change ones shape, allowing for some out of the box thinking that will lead you to solve the puzzles. Whether you round out your center to catch a basketball, or sharpen yourself to poke and pop obstacles, you will find that there is always more than one way to get to a solution. In the main mode, you will travel across three notebooks which each feature 15 levels, summing up a total of 45 varied puzzles. With different themes and objectives, the game offers a solid amount of variety for being a $20 digital download. I played the majority of these levels in cooperative mode with my fiancé, and could not have had a better time. It was fun to play around with different ideas, and when faced with failure, it was easily laughed off due to goofy antics and trying to force our solutions to work. It is without a doubt a great multiplayer game, one that never grows to frustrating and one that has a “just right” amount of difficulty.

​When playing in multiplayer, players can each use a Joy-Con as a controller. The game handles fairly well like this, but sometimes can be hard to do precise movements or stay balanced in the more finicky moments of a puzzle. Aside from snipping and clipping, players can crouch or tip toe (for height based puzzles or precision cutting), as well as jump and rotate. It all plays into how you approach a puzzle, or approach competing with a friend in the games other modes. Aside from the base mode are two additional modes; Party and Blitz.
 
In Party mode, two to four players tackle 12 different puzzles as a team. In two player mode, players manage two characters, and in three player mode one player will manage two. There is a solid amount of variety and ways to play to be found within party mode. I can imagine it is a riot to play with four players with ups and downs happening throughout the course of a puzzle, but I was only able to play in two player mode during my time with the title. 

Blitz mode is another two to four player offering, which features three mini-games. These are Hockey, Hoops, and Dojo. The first two are self-explanatory, showcasing Snipperclips charming imagining of each respective sport. In hockey, you can slide around the field and attempt to score with a nice slapshot. In Hoops, you await a ball to drop and attempt to jump and bounce it into the hoop to gain a point. In both of these modes you can snip your opponents to distract and leave them at a disadvantage, and first to three wins. In Dojo, you use your snipping abilities to battle it out, last man surviving wins. Clip and Snip away until your opponent is no more! Again, three points wins. Sadly, I did not get to play either Blitz nor Party mode in three or four player situations due to lack of controllers, but regardless I enjoyed them in the two player scenarios.
 
Snipperclips is rich with charm and stands out as a clear go-to-game on the Switch. Its whimsical sounds and adorable graphics make it an easily lovable title to play, but all that is backed by its witty but casual appeal. The game is incredibly fun, and if you are looking to expand your collection on the Switch’s currently minimal offerings, there is no reason to overlook Snipperclips. Be sure to bring a friend, as the game is made to be enjoyed with others, a statement that rings true throughout much of Nintendo’s nostalgic history. Snipperclips is a great start to what will hopefully be a great future for the Switch’s inevitable multiplayer games line up.
 

*Note: A copy of the game was provided for the purposes of the review
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Final Score: 8/10

​+Adorable and Charming
+Great Multiplayer
+Budget Friendly Launch Title