One of the common knocks on the Nintendo Switch at launch was its relative dearth of games available Day 1. “Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (deservedly) outshined its launch day peers, but a less sexy puzzle game is proof enough that there’s more than one brand-new title worth players’ time already.
“Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!” has the look of a well-polished mobile game, but don’t be fooled: Multiplayer gameplay makes this perfect for Nintendo’s on-the-go console.
The premise is simple and familiar. As many as four players can work together to solve puzzles by moving objects and hitting buttons. The gimmick — and that’s not a derogatory term here — is players can clip pieces of each other to custom fit the scenario.
The image attached to this review depicts a dotted outline that must be filled using the players’ avatars. By default, each character is shaped like a long oval cut in half widthwise, so to precisely fill the outlined shape the players must a corner off each other. After lining up correctly, the puzzle is solved and everybody celebrates.
The 1-2 player offers three worlds of puzzles, with 15 in each world. These can be done solo when nobody else is around. A separate set of puzzles exists for 2-4 players. When there aren’t enough human players to control all characters at once, players are assigned a second character to switch to on the fly.
The interactive elements of “Snipperclips” are its real drawing power. Playing next to a friend makes several puzzles easier to accomplish, and two heads usually are better than one.
“Snipperclips” is a pretty approachable, even for those who typically don’t play console games. The controls are simple, and only a handful of puzzles require fast reflexes.
Also part of the package is Blitz Mode and its three competitive minigames: basketball, hockey (more like the tabletop air variety) and a battle mode. Battles were the most fun, tasking players with snipping their opponents to bits until only one remains. That game, in particular, would benefit from more than two players.
Completing all the puzzles in the game won’t take terribly long, but “Snipperclips” benefits from high replay value. Some puzzles can be solved in plenty of different ways, and experimentation is fun.
Plus, at about $20, “Snipperclips” is one of the best values on Nintendo Switch.
Available now
“Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!”, developed by SFB Games and published by Nintendo, is out now for Nintendo Switch, $19.99
