Coming off the catastrophic failure of the Wii U, Nintendo had a lot to prove with the original Nintendo Switch. Not only was it the first hybrid console that the company had ever made, it was also one of its pricier systems at the time. Even though it had a lot riding on it, the Switch's launch lineup was relatively modest. Early Nintendo Switch adopters had just 9 games to play on release day, and only a few of them were Switch exclusives. The system did have some first-party Nintendo releases, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2 Switch, but its selection of third-party titles was unusually limited, perhaps because developers were still not confident that the Switch would be a success.
One of the more intriguing additions to the Switch launch lineup came not from a major third-party publisher, but rather from an independent developer known as SFB Games. The company, which most recently made the 2024 horror game Crow Country, released a 2D puzzle game called Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! For the Switch. The game was developed in collaboration with Nintendo, and it was specifically conceived with the Switch's all-new Joy-Con controllers in mind. In Snipperclips, players had to control two characters (or rather, sentient pieces of paper) at the same time and solve puzzles by cutting each of them into certain shapes using the game's snipping mechanic. For those who enjoyted this release, it would be worth keeping an eye on Mouse Work, a title with some clear similarities.
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Mouse Work Looks Like a Spiritual Successor to Snipperclips
Snipperclips was a digital-only release and didn't have a large marketing budget behind it, but the fact that it was published by Nintendo and was a launch title for the original Switch helped it greatly. The game sold around 350,000 copies on the Switch eShop in a month, according to Nintendo, and it even received an expanded DLC, which added some new levels and bonus modes. Snipperclips hasn't gotten a sequel yet, but another indie developer is seemingly aiming to replicate its success by releasing a similar-looking game for the upcoming Switch 2.
Mouse Work is a Co-Op Party Game That Uses the Switch 2's Mouse Controls
Last week, a new party game called Mouse Work was announced, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is played primarily with the Switch 2's new Joy-Con mouse controls and, fittingly, it features a group of mice (a.k.a. The animals) as its protagonists. Mouse Work's overall gameplay loop largely consists of completing mini-game challenges, most of which utilize two Joy-Con mice at once. In some mini-games, players must drag a cursor around to guide NPCs up a climbing wall, while in others, they need to paint a picture as fast as possible before a time limit expires. Mouse Work can be played entirely in single-player, but it is primarily meant to be experienced with up to four players.
Mouse Work is being developed by an independent studio named Nitrome, which is located in London, U.K. The company recently released the 2022 roguelike platformer Shovel Knight Dig, but it is perhaps best known for its web browser games, many of which are still playable on its official website. Thanks to its cartoony 2D art style and simplistic, but inventive gameplay premise, Mouse Work seems to share a lot in common with the Adobe Flash games of yesteryear, and considering the experience that Nitrome has in this field, this isn't a big surprise.
Nitrome started working on Mouse Work in January 2025, but it intends to complete the game before the end of the year.
Mouse Work and Snipperclips are Different Games, But they Have Some Similarities
Even though Mouse Work and Snipperclips are in completely different genres, they do have a few notable similarities. For one, they are both gimmicky indie games that heavily utilize the Joy-Con controllers on the Nintendo Switch systems, albeit in different ways. They are also being released on or near the launch of a new Nintendo console, and are potentially some of the first third-party titles to utilize the system's new functions to the fullest extent. It remains to be seen if Mouse Work will end up finding the same success that Snipperclips did in the long run, but at the very least, it will likely stand out among all the other indie games that will be released on the Switch 2 this year.
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Operating System
- Proprietary
- Storage
- 256GB internal / MicroSD
- Resolution
- 1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- App Store
- Nintendo eShop
- Wi-Fi
- Yes
The successor to 2017's Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on June 5, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info