Blair Loveday
With the Switch being launched there is a lot of interest in what games can use this unique consoles hardware. Fortunately, SFB Games who have been previously known for making mobile games, have brought to the Switch something special with Snipperclips, the almighty game about snipping paper.
Snipperclips’ gameplay is simple, there are two bullet shaped pieces of paper, which can rotate, move around and cut impressions out of each other. That’s it but using this some extremely creative puzzles can be completed. This truly is where the game shines, in its simplicity to play and the puzzles you need to beat.
Puzzles vary from trying to snip pieces off each other, to combine and make a specific shape like a fish accurate enough to fit in an outline, to cutting each other in shapes manipulating the environment. Manipulating the environment comes by way of pressing buttons, hooking yourself to objects to pull them down and so on. Buttons can reset the puzzles parameters, or get the puzzle underway, such as dropping a key, which you then need to guide into a lock or dropping a ball you need to get through a hoop. Then there are other factors such as a cog you need to spin to make a lever go up and down to either let the second player enter an area or let a creature out, such as the frogs.
It’s the variety in how to work with the environment in simple ways that makes the game special. More importantly it allows the game to become hard but keeps it in reach, with the knowledge you generally aren’t missing something. Every time a puzzle challenges you, it removes a lot of frustration knowing the solution is there in front of you, not hidden in a button you forgot about on your controller.
The players aren’t the only things you can cut either, there are puzzles that set areas for you to cut in the environment, such as having to cut impressions in a large rectangle to manipulate where green ooze goes when you press the button. A personal favourite that uses this environment involves a large rectangle area that you need to cut in to guide a little person through. You are tasked to cut a path that avoids enemies to collect the diamonds set out and when ready you need to push a lever to guide them forward or backwards.
Aesthetically the game is very simple but beautiful giving a look as if it’s on a physical designer’s desk top. The characters do have faces and feet, but aside from some animations giving a very cutesy expressive look to the characters they have little impact on the game, making no changes to the impressions when cutting. It took a moment to appreciate the faces but when playing with someone else it does add to a relaxed fun atmosphere, also emphasized with simple sound effects and music.
The games main mode which consists of three worlds of puzzles can be played in single player, where you switch between characters with a simple button press or with two players which is easily the most fun way to play. There is also a two or four player puzzle mode with similar styled puzzles requiring four characters, so either four joy-cons or two players controlling two characters each and switching as required. Then there is the third mode called Blitz which has three simple games pitting player against player in three different games, Hoops, Hockey and Dojo. Hoops is a mini basketball game, Hockey is a mini air hockey game, neither requiring much explanation, but the gem is Dojo where you need to competitively cut your opponent to nothing. This mode has you running back and forth, competing to get the snip in first to do brutal damage. After an hour or so of puzzles my partner and I regularly would spend 20 minutes in the Dojo, having a blast while laughing a lot.
A simple style and gameplay allow Snipperclips’ puzzles to shine in this great little game. Using the Joy-Cons for two controllers makes the Switch the perfect home for Snipperclips multiplayer nature. It may not be the game you would buy a Switch for but if you own a Switch you are doing yourself a disservice by not trying this wonderful little gem.
Released: March 2017
Rating: G
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Puzzle
Developer: SFB Games
Publisher: Nintendo</p