The story of Snipperclips is not common and undoubtedly deserves to be told, because it also reflects Nintendo's desire to work differently with independent developers. Because even if Snipperclips is "branded" in the colors of Nintendo, the game is above all a personal project, that of two brothers: Tom and Adam Vian. Together, they founded the company SFB Games in 2012 and specialized mainly in games for mobile terminals. But it is by going to the EGX (a video game fair that takes place every year in September in Birmingham) in 2015 that the Vian brothers will catch Nintendo's eye. At the time, Snipperclips only existed as an embryonic project, which really took shape during a game jam. It was this prototype (born from the creative mind of Tom Vian in a single day) that immediately seduced Nintendo, which therefore took them under its wing. The year 2016 was therefore devoted entirely to the development of the game, and from a team of usually two, SFB Games has grown to 6 employees. The icing on the cake for the two young developers: Snipperclips was chosen by Nintendo to be part of the Nintendo Switch launch games, giving them an incredible spotlight at the same time. Sold only on the eShop, Snipperclips: the two make a pair is by far the other game in which you must invest after Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here's why.
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To do this, it is already essential to explain the concept of the game, atypical in many aspects. And because you always have to categorize the games to better situate them, know that Snipperclips is what we call a puzzle-game, its objective being to make the neurons of the players work, too accustomed to pressing triggers or slicing monsters using bladed weapons, each more stylized than the other. Joy-Con in the hands, the players (this is a game that is enjoyed above all by several people – from 2 to 4 people) find themselves at the controls of two paper characters, funny to watch because full of mischief. Together, they must solve various puzzles ranging from cutting paper to adopt the correct shape, routing a basketball (or baseball) to its basket, passing through the release of a hamster in a ball, or even allow pliers to grab an object. To achieve their goals, our little pink (Snip) and yellow (Clip) men have several maneuvers and ways of reacting to each other. Snip and Clip can jump, crouch, rotate their shape with the slice buttons, but most importantly they are able to slice each other by overlapping. All you have to do is merge the part of the body you want to separate to reveal a cutting area, then press the right button and the piece will come off naturally. Fortunately, if the scissor kick is gone too quickly, it is quite possible to regain its initial shape by holding down a key, always with that little grimace that accompanies the action rather well.
Snipperclips is unique in that there are no hints on the screen to help us solve the puzzle before us. Like the Sanctuaries of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it is up to the player to synthesize what is happening on the screen, finding the problem and the solution by himself in order to be able to solve it.
Snipperclips is unique in that there are no hints on the screen to help us solve the puzzle before us. Like the Sanctuaries of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it is up to the player to synthesize what is happening on the screen, finding the problem and the solution by himself in order to be able to solve it. This deliberate choice not to take the player by the hand pushes the players not only to think as a duo (or as a team), but also to try different things even if it means taking the wrong direction. It is also in these moments of exploration, doubt and hesitation that we most often laugh, but also that we understand that the partner chosen does not necessarily have the same spirit of deduction as oneself. Take the example of balloons that float. Nothing on the screen indicates that they should be exploded, and above all, if this is the case, how to proceed. It is at this point that ideas flow, that we try things, often eccentric, in the hope of finding the precise objective of this puzzle as quickly as possible. Once the player has understood that he must indeed pop these balloons, how do you go about it? By simply transforming his character into a blunt object. Hop, 2/3 cuts later and we end up with a character with a point instead of the head. But how to reach the balloons that are on the ceiling? And why not adopt a special shape to make sure to hang the dangling rod? You will have understood it, you will have to show good judgment in Snipperclips, especially since at no time, and we can identify ourselves, the players are not guided.
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If there is a solution imposed by the developers, know that the game encourages players to find their own way, each expressing their creative side. Nothing is fixed or frozen to overcome an enigma, even if we know that there is still a certain guideline to follow. Beyond these moments of headache, which we consider more on our side as a form of freedom of expression, Snipperclips is a game that is easy to access and above all easy to decipher. The goal of the brother developers not being to make their game an elitist product, it was important for them that Snipperclips remain readable to any audience. No wonder that the game transcends its concept to several, because as everyone knows, we think better and faster when we are accompanied. The socialization of the players is also the other great strength of the game, which is never stingy in situations where the discussions between the players begin very quickly, sometimes turning into a verbal contest if one of the two do as you please.
Beyond these moments of headache, which we consider more on our side as a form of freedom of expression, Snipperclips is a game that is easy to access and above all easy to decipher. The goal of the brother developers not being to make their game an elitist product, it was important for them that Snipperclips remain readable to any audience.
We have already mentioned it, but Snipperclips is a game that is best enjoyed by several people. In twos, then, but also in threes or fours, through classic puzzles but also through dedicated events such as Deathmatches (where the goal is to cut out all the opponents), basketball matches (where you have to try to score as many baskets as possible), or ice hockey. Despite its friendliness and joviality, Snipperclips is also playable solo. The player then takes control of Snip and Clip in any role, with the possibility of switching on the fly by pressing Y. This is obviously not the ideal configuration that we will recommend to you, but at least the developers have also taken into account that a solitary player can also take his time by cutting. Moreover, on the content side, the game offers at its launch no less than 60 different events. A substantial figure, of course, but which tends to be reconsidered once you have acquired the gameplay mechanisms and realize that some puzzles are repetitions of the first puzzles. The surprise effect is therefore reduced, not to mention that in terms of replay value, the game does not bring much. Redoing a puzzle when you know the solution is immediately less fun. We must now wait for a follow-up from the Vian brothers who may succumb to the call of the DLC. To be continued.
