Snipperclips Plus: Cut it out, together! Review (Switch)

When the Switch launched in March three games were picked by a hefty percentage of early adopters - pretty much everyone bought The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, plenty purchased 1-2-Switch despite some sensing they were potentially making a mistake, and the most successful download title was Snipperclips - Cut it out, together!. All were published by Nintendo, but the latter was created and developed by two brothers and a small team called SFB Games, based in the UK. As a vehicle for promoting co-op and multiplayer on the Switch it was a puzzle-filled delight.

Its impressive sales on the eShop encouraged Nintendo to 'go retail' and release Snipperclips Plus: Cut it out, together!, though in practice the real addition is a reasonably priced DLC add-on; those that already own the game can simply top up with that extra content for $9.99USD. As we've already reviewed the original release we're going to summarise the basics and then focus on what the 'Plus' content provides.

Though occasionally launch hype and excitement can encourage kind eyes on early games, our thoughts on Snipperclips - in terms of our glowing praise for what it has to offer - remain unchanged. It takes a simple but smart idea, wraps it in cute visuals and executes it with terrific skill; in fact before we realised it was developed by SFB Games we thought it was a 'typical Nintendo game', which is quite a compliment.

Snip and Clip are still cute and also delightfully mischievous. The stationery aesthetic is enhanced by the devilish streak of the characters, with hilarious facial expressions and animations. Through snipping, crouching and going on tiptoes, you manoeuvre these basic but brilliant characters in smart ways to fill gaps, create makeshift tools and more besides. As was the case in March you can play solo but, let's be blunt, this is a multiplayer game. If you have friends and family up for the task it's borderline irresistible, but it's awkward and unsuited to single player.

While it is accessible for all players, that's not to say it's not a genuine challenge. By the time you get to World three of the main mode it gets tricky, and that's where the new 'main' content comes in. There are two new Worlds, 'Cosmic Comics' and 'Toybox Tools', and they match the difficulty of what was previously the 'last' world. You need to clear about half of World three to get four, and then the same again to unlock the last World, ensuring you at least master the game to a reasonable degree before advancing.

The new Worlds offer plenty of playtime, especially as it can take 20 minutes+ to figure out some of the trickier stages, and even once a method is surmised the execution is still - at times - tricky. There are some lovely puzzle ideas in these new stages, with most of them standing up well and even introducing smart new ideas. There were a few we didn't like and ended up skipping - you can unlock 'star' levels by clearing about two-thirds of the levels - because they crossed the line from 'tough' to 'frustrating'. One level had falling parts to redirect, but the margin for error was so tiny that we gave up - it felt harsh rather than clever, but moments like that are rare.

That's a lot of game, then, but the additions can be found elsewhere. There are some new levels in Party mode, which are larger levels where up to four players can tackle the challenge. The minigame-based 'Blitz' mode has a few new additions too; these are still fun in short bursts but otherwise are rather throwaway additions - the Hockey remains our favourite.

There's also an unlockable option - it makes you earn it - to replay stages and modes with random shapes, a nice addition for extra challenge. 'Stamp' mode is also a decent arrival for artistic types with time on their hands, as you can attempt to create clever artwork using the characters. The main attraction of the DLC is the two extra worlds in the core 1-2 player campaign, but the extras in the 2-4 player modes also add to a welcome sense of value.

Another change worth mentioning, though it's part of a free update with the original too, is the addition of controller support. At launch you were forced to use sideways Joy-Con - a fun way to pitch the controllers, but not the best solution for those with other options. Now you can use conventional control options - such as Joy-Cons in a Grip or the Pro Controller - which is a neat touch.

What Snipperclips Plus offers, then, is more of a very good thing. The original offered excellent value - considering how tough some of the puzzles were - to keep players busy, and for an extra ten bucks you get more of the good stuff. The game is fundamentally the same - so remains unconvincing at best for solo players - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the Plus campaign levels will certainly test a duo's team spirit and puzzle-solving ability. The party-style extras elsewhere add to the package too, fully justifying the budget retail price for the original and that 'Plus' content.