Coming off the catastrophic failure of the Wii U,Nintendohad 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-partyNintendoreleases, likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand1-2 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 tothe Switch launch lineupcame 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 gameCrow Country, released a 2D puzzle game calledSnipperclips: 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. InSnipperclips, 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 onMouse Work, a title with some clear similarities.
Mouse Work Looks Like a Spiritual Successor to Snipperclips
Snipperclipswas a digital-only releaseand 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.Snipperclipshasn’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 calledMouse Workwas announced, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is played primarily withthe Switch 2’s new Joy-Con mouse controlsand, 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 Workcan be played entirely in single-player, but it is primarily meant to be experienced with up to four players.
Mouse Workis being developed by an independent studio named Nitrome, which is located in London, U.K. The company recently releasedthe 2022 roguelike platformerShovel 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 Workseems 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 onMouse Workin 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 thoughMouse WorkandSnipperclipsare in completely different genres, they do have a few notable similarities. For one, they are both gimmicky indie games that heavily utilizethe 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 ifMouse Workwill end up finding the same success thatSnipperclipsdid 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.
Nintendo Switch 2
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 06, 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.
