Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! (Nintendo Switch) Review

First off, would you ever want to cut someone? Sounds quite brutal, right? Well, at its heart, Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! is exactly that sort of game, as demonstrated by its multiplayer deathmatch mode where four players battle it out to destroy each other the quickest. Beneath all the smiles lies a dark core; however, that is not how this is being sold, and it is also not the primary focus of Snipperclips, instead being more of a light-hearted, family-friendly puzzle affair…with a dark underbelly hidden in that aforementioned multiplayer mode! Before going on, it must be said that there are also more sedate extended puzzle options, plus air hockey and basketball mini-games for up to four people as a bonus, with more unlocked when the game is completed…

Anyway, the direction Nintendo and SFB Games are going for is one of inspiring co-operation to complete fun goals. The main idea is to form various different shapes by interacting with the two on-screen characters, Snip and Clip, either by working together with a friend or loved one, or by switching between the two characters in solo mode, jumping from one to the other to crack the riddles at hand. The two funny-shaped beings can jump around, duck down, and rotate their bodies in a 360-degree fashion, all in the effort to form a specific target shape to fulfil whatever objective is at hand. Sometimes cutting into each other will be necessary, other times just overlapping to fill an outline.

Players can get Snip and Clip to stand together to fit within an on-screen dashed-marking, cutting as needed to fit perfectly or even cutting away sections of a background to only leave a specific shape behind, whilst other times more 'action' is required, with them needing to wander independently around a stage to figure out what must be done. Help a frog leap into a pond where its friends are, pop some balloons, help a girl catch some hearts, catch some fish, sharpen a pencil, protect amoeba from toxic sludge…the list goes on.

When starting a level, it is imperative to check to see if you have managed to achieve the correct form, and then get on with whatever business the stage dictates. Completing tasks is nowhere near as simple as it first seems, and the initial world (of three, in total) comes across as a gentle way to introduce gamers to the idea, before ramping up the difficulty considerably towards the end of this fantastic example of that Switch difference Nintendo is driving home.

The ways and means of completing objectives varies considerably, with no specific right or wrong way (well, there is clearly a wrong way, like cutting too much from one character!), encouraging experimentation each and every time to get the best results. This is where sometimes playing with a loved one can be an issue, because there will be arguments when things do not go smoothly. It can be infuriating enough when playing solo and making mistakes, but when with someone else and they keep messing up, further into the game temperatures will definitely start to rise…

Getting a basketball through a hoop is fair enough - easy pickings for most. Carve a curved shape in the head of one character and try to scoop the ball into it, and then jump onto the other character, let them shuffle slowly towards the basket, and then gently tilt to roll the ball through the hoop. Now think about having to dig up a plant with a very short, elastic stem, with physics being so perfect to the point of driving you nuts. Pull up at the wrong angle and *boing* it flings back to the start position! Players are pushed in their way of thinking, and even with smooth controls (although the analogue stick is nowhere near as accurate as past Nintendo analogue sticks…) there will be times where it all goes wrong and starting afresh is the only option. Patience levels will be tested, as a result.

The complexity of the objectives varies considerably, as mentioned, easing players in to start with, yet offering sufficient challenge for those thinking Snipperclips will be a mere walk in the park. There are also lots of ways to complete each level, rather like in the Scribblenauts series. The beauty is that once one character has been cut slightly, what it means is that there is now a brand new tool to cut a unique shape out of the other partner, and vice versa, constantly creating new templates, which is why a handy 'reset' button is imperative to get back to the beginning, or a quick undo to go back a step, as sometimes the creations get a little too wild and dead ends reached. There is a lot of thinking outside of the box required, getting the ol' grey matter working, and it is all brought together beautifully by some supremely creative minds.

SFB Games' initial concept is obviously the key aspect here, but Nintendo and NST have now added that special touch to give Snip and Clip more life, with amusing facial expressions and some cute sound effects, as well as clearly polishing up some of the later levels so that at no time does the game feel unfair, only overly challenging. A lot of the actual fun is trying to figure out what to do in a level, before then deciding what shapes are required to tackle the various elements dotted around. Sure, it is sometimes frustrating when things do not quite go to plan, but it really is great because it nudges players to keep on trucking, working together to get through, no matter what, with Snipperclips really rewarding creative thinking.