This article was originally published in Italian on GeekGamer.it in 2017.
Insisting on that dear concept of local multiplayer also promoted by 1-2-Switch, in an era where everything is connected by the invisible red thread of the internet, Nintendo tries to accompany its two popular titles with a further experiment distributed only in digital format, namely this Snipperclips, born from the creative minds of Adam and Tom Vian during a game jam aimed at independent developers. The concept behind FriendShapes – as it was called by the two brothers – is very simple, and has remained unchanged since its “flash game” genesis: two polygonal heroes made of paper, the ability to “cut” each other to face various challenges, and a good dose of environmental puzzles based on physics. What else needs to be added?
Clearly, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since the prototype was presented, and although the two – or four – characters that populated the Friendshapes levels were little more than anonymous pieces of paper, the transition under the Nintendo label has certainly benefited the artistic direction of this project, giving the whole thing a sparkling and irreverent personality, starting with the facial expressions of the new protagonists. We thus launch into a sequence of levels in which hand-eye coordination, puzzle-solving skills, and creativity must be well dosed to successfully complete the over 45 proposed challenges; skills that must instead be coordinated with those of a second player if one indulges in the two-player cooperative mode, which seems practically tailor-made to effectively accompany the launch of this hybrid console.
Such a basic concept for a realization that takes into account different types of challenges, sometimes repeated during the main mode, but all supported by a sparkling presentation and made digestible by a well-calibrated difficulty curve, to the point of being appealing to both experienced players and “casual gamers,” the segment of the public so pursued by Nintendo after the post-Wii era. In Snipperclips, there is never a definitive solution to every puzzle. In fact, it’s enough to get creative and think “out of the box” to find different solutions, as many as the shapes the two heroes can take during the adventure. It ranges from having to model and combine bodies following the outline of a silhouette, to popping balloons fluttering in the air, fishing, transporting game balls into very high baskets, and so on, in a succession of situations that require a good dose of inventiveness and, at times, even a bit of luck. Perhaps the only sour note in what would otherwise be an enthusiastic critique of the latest Nintendo IP is the lack of a reason to return to past levels, perhaps in search of new ways to tackle the laws of physics or to collect collectibles, which in this case are completely absent. Fortunately, as menntioned earlier, one is never alone (although Snipperclips allows a single player to tackle the levels, in portable mode only, by alternating between the two protagonists at the press of a button), and it is precisely under the banner of cooperative multiplayer that the game takes on the characteristics of one of the most fun puzzle games around, suitable both at home and outdoors, perhaps playable on a train, accompanied by the person sitting next to you.
As already clarified in the review of 1-2-Switch, Nintendo’s desire to re-propose the “warmth” of multiplayer with human connotations, promoting communication and interaction between those playing “on this side” of the screen is now well known, and also in this Snipperclips it is required that the two players communicate continuously to propose solutions, ideas, or perhaps laugh and joke in front of the sparkling personality boasted by the two protagonists. The beauty, however, is that it all doesn’t end with just the adventure mode: once the game is completed, it is possible to tackle new levels, challenge each other, or collaborate with up to four players and multiply by two the genuine multiplayer appeal of this little digital-only gem. The price to pay, however, is the need to own two pairs of Joy-Cons (it’s no coincidence that a physical bundle combining two Joy-Cons with Snipperclips is available at the uninviting price of approx. €90) for a total of four controllers. A solution not exactly within everyone’s reach and that clashes a bit with the spirit in which the game is proposed, at the modest price of approx. €20 on the Nintendo eShop, effectively the only Nintendo Switch title to present a convincing quantity/price ratio – besides the obvious The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – especially by virtue of its originality compared to the blanket of enhanced and non-enhanced ports that affects and will affect this first phase of the Nintendo console’s life. Yet, some try, and SFB Games’ product does it very well.
There’s little to say except that Snipperclips represents the only true experience truly worth pairing with the new Zelda episode on Nintendo Switch. It won’t revolutionize the puzzle game genre, but at the price it’s offered and with the amount of multiplayer fun it provides, it can only be considered a must-buy.
