Nintendo Swtich - Game Previews (3 of 5)

Thanks to the fine folks at Nyteworks (www.nyteworks.net), I got advanced hands-on experience with the upcoming Nintendo Switch and many of its games. I’ll be covering my game experiences this week, ordered alphabetically for the sake of simplicity, and will be covering my hardware experiences on Episode 36 of the BumbleKast (scheduled Monday, Feb. 6th).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Release Date: April 28th, 2017

Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U is arguably the best edition of the franchise. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will bring Switch users all of the original’s content, including all of its DLC, plus additional characters, items and an improved Battle Mode. 

I got to experience eight-player Balloon Battle using the Switch’s local multiplayer, using the Joy-Con/portable Switch combo. The objective was to drive around, gather up items, and assail everyone else until they lost all their balloons. The player who’s caused the most grief wins. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes a page out of Mario Kart: Double Dash’s playbook by re-introducing double Item Boxes and the ability to hold two items at once - although I believe that's only in Battle Mode.

In terms of gameplay, it felt like a solid return to the old Balloon Battle from Mario Kart 64, which I remember very fondly and many hold as the pinnacle of the series. It looked gorgeous, and it ran extremely smoothly. The only downside was the Joy-Con/portable Switch “controller,” which was destroying my wrists very quickly.

In short: Very pretty, with very promising local multi-player. If you don’t already have the Wii U version, get this one.

Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together!

Release Date: March 2017

Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! is a nifty little physics-based cooperative puzzle game. You and a friend play as a pair of identical shapes on legs. They can crouch, jump and climb over each other, but most importantly, they can cut pieces out of each other. Together you coordinate how and where the shapes overlap, then cut off pieces to create a new shape with a new functions. You can create a concave bowl for holding items, a sharp point for popping balloons, narrow the shapes so they can press recessed buttons, or so that you can fit into a predefined space.

What impressed me the most about the puzzles was that there didn’t seem to be a single “right” way to do them. There were clearly some more efficient ways, but teamwork and use of the shapes in creative ways allowed for a variety of approaches. Solving the puzzles felt rewarding and, honestly, fun.

That said it does appear to be a sequence of simple puzzles. Perhaps the full version will have more to offer, but it came across as a novelty game – not something you’d invest a lot of time in.

In short: Rewarding and thoughtful, but runs the risk of losing its charm quickly.