When Cutting Your Friends Is Appropriate
With the Switch being almost two years old now, its launch week now induces some nostalgia. Back then, the size and portability of the console amazed me. I actually played in portable mode occasionally. I had hope for a Virtual Console and a solid online system (may both dreams rest in peace). The eShop had yet to drown in its own games and inadequacies. I didn’t even have enough games to fill the main menu.
Initially, I only owned three games: Breath of the Wild, Super Bomberman R, and Snipperclips. Zelda was and is a masterpiece, breathing life into me after so many hard years with the Wii U. Bomberman just kind of sucked. Neither of those games emphasized the novelty of the Switch, but Snipperclips showed just how cool it was to hand a Joy-Con at a friend and play anywhere, at any time. At launch, Snipperclips stood out as a must-have for co-op gamers, and to this day, it continues to rank as one of the best multiplayer games on the system.
What is it?
Snipperclips is a cooperative puzzle game in which your solutions depend on your characters’ shapes. Snip and Clip (short for Snippery and Clarence, respectively) begin each single-screen level shaped like bullets. They can overlap each other and cut away the covered section with the A button. Using the shoulder buttons, they can rotate their bodies, and the Y button allows them to undo a recent cut or return to their original shapes. If they lose too much of their body matter, however, they die of blood loss and respawn.
Each of the game’s 45 levels poses a different challenge, requiring you to create specific shapes out of Snip and Clip. Some task you and your partner to fill a stenciled shape. Others ask you to move or escort an object from point A to point B. Most puzzles can be tackled in different ways, yet you’ll often find yourself sculpting your paper characters into ramps, sharp points, hooks, containers, and phallic objects. Completing challenges will open up new ones, and beating those allows you to progress through the game’s three worlds.
Apart from the two-player mode, Snipperclips features a batch of levels designed for up to four players, introducing Snip and Clip’s inbred siblings, Snop and Clop. These challenges tend to be more complex given the fact that all four players contribute to the overall solution. The game also includes three minigames (under the umbrella of a “Blitz” mode) which provide a reprieve from the brain-teasing puzzles. You can play basketball, hockey, or participate in death match to cut each other into scraps.
What’s good?
- The puzzles will tease your brain in a whole new way, much like a stroke. Identifying the solution is much easier than executing it. Each player must act precisely and as a team in order to succeed, and this system prevents gameplay from devolving into one person telling everyone else what to do.
- Snipperclips achieves accessibility without dumbing down gameplay. The controls are simple, and puzzles primarily focus on creating shapes, a skill we have honed since preschool and later failed to understand in geometry. With multiple solutions and little penalty for messing up, the puzzles can be tackled by anyone. On top of this, because you have a buddy, the two of you can make up for whatever the other person lacks, just like true love or co-dependency.
- The game bleeds cuteness and character. Our two main heroes respond to each snip and cut with silly expressions, whether it’s slight bewilderment, anxious agony, or murderous glee. The environments look like they came from the scrapbooks of a style-savvy kindergartner. Colors pop, and the soundtrack (while at times annoying) creates a tone of innocent fanfare.
What’s bad?
- The puzzles can be redundant, especially those which ask you to fill a stenciled shape. Most ideas aren’t used more than twice, but general mechanics (such as becoming cogs) appear in a number of levels. Snipperclips is so darn creative, so I can’t help but think the developers could’ve produced more variety in their missions. Just don’t look to me for ideas.
- The Blitz modes are about as fun as being Belgium in World War II. Basketball and hockey are theoretically good past times, but just like the latter sport, most games become focused on physically destroying the opposing team. Because everyone will fixate on cutting each other, baskets or goals will feel coincidental rather than intentional. All told, these modes may occupy 10-15 minutes of your time.
- Solo players should avoid the game because you can’t spell “co-op” with “crippling loneliness.” This isn’t really a criticism from me, although other reviewers somehow think a cooperative video game meant for two or more players needs a solo mode. I know the Switch is starved for single-player experiences, but Snipperclips need not address this problem.
In regards to Snipperclips Plus
The DLC comes with two new worlds (comprised on 30 levels), a smattering of four-players puzzles, and three Blitz games. It’s all very much more of the same, so if you liked Snipperclips, the DLC is just more gravy on the gravy, and let me tell you, I love gravy. However, no matter how much gravy you add, it will still only taste like gravy, so don’t expect the DLC to introduce any game-changing mechanics like corn.
What’s the verdict?
You’d be forgiven for thinking Snipperclips is a Nintendo-developed game, considering its clean presentation, whimsical gameplay, and sheer inventiveness. This is an achievement for indie developer SFB Games because they managed to present a launch title which made 1-2-Switch look like a worthless third-party product. Apart from those who abhor human company, anybody can enjoy Snipperclips. If you’re still hesitant, get the demo, test the game, like it, buy it, and murder your friends. It truly captures what makes the Switch special.
Arbitrary Statistics:
- Score: 8.5
- Time Played: Over 10 hours
- Number of Players: 1-4
- Games Like It on Switch: Human: Fall Flat, Death Squared