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

At its heart, Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! is quite brutal, with opponents slicing each other apart! Well, obviously that is not the direction Nintendo and SFB Games are going for, since this is meant to be a family-friendly title that inspires co-operation to complete fun goals… but the temptation to chop each other up is strong with this one! The main idea, though, is to form various different shapes by interacting with the two on-screen characters. They can jump around, duck down, and rotate their bodies, all in the effort to form a specific target shape, cutting into each other where necessary, or just overlapping at times.

Sometimes it will be a matter of standing together to fit within an on-screen outline, whilst other times the requirement is to make two separate shapes and then wander separately over to the different markings elsewhere in the area to see if you have managed to achieve the correct form. Some in-challenge challenges also involve completing a level without making any cuts to your partner at all. Other times it is not just a matter of filling outlines, but completing certain tasks or creating bridges for objects to be transported across.

Getting a basketball through a hoop by carving a curved shape in the head of one character and trying to scoop the ball into it, and then jump onto the other character, before tilting to drop the ball through the hoop is just one instance of how players are pushed in their way of thinking. The complexity of the objectives varies considerably, 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.

SFB Games' initial concept is obviously the key aspect here, but Nintendo has now added its special touch to give the two characters more life, with funny facial animations, as well as a gorgeous soundtrack with amusing sound effects included…although hearing that over the screams of "Cut me, cut me! No…not like that! Cut my bottom not my top!" is debatable. Part 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 - like, for example, making one into a pointy shape to burst balloons, but needing the other to be hook-like to actually grab some of the higher up balloons and pull them down for popping. It is sometimes frustrating when things do not quite work straight away, but it really is great because it encourages players to plug away and work together to get through, no matter what, with Snipperclips really rewarding creative thinking.