After the notable failure of the Wii U, Nintendo found itself in a position where it needed to make a strong comeback. Enter the original Nintendo Switch—a console that was both unique and expensive, blending handheld and home gaming in a way Nintendo hadn’t attempted before. Despite the weight of expectations, the Switch debuted with a modest game library. On launch day, players had just nine titles to choose from, only a few of which were console exclusives. Featured among them were stalwarts like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2 Switch. The limited selection of third-party games was perhaps indicative of developers’ skepticism over the Switch’s potential success at the time.
Among the more intriguing launch titles, however, was Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!, a game that didn’t come from a big-name publisher but from an independent studio, SFB Games. This studio, better known for its later work on the 2024 horror game Crow Country, collaborated with Nintendo to develop a 2D puzzle game designed with the new Joy-Con controllers in mind. Players had to maneuver two characters—each a piece of sentient paper—solving puzzles by cutting them into various shapes. Those who found Snipperclips enjoyable might want to keep an eye on Mouse Work, a new release with similar vibes on the horizon.
Despite having no physical release and a modest marketing push, Snipperclips, being a launch title for the Switch, was buoyed by Nintendo’s own marketing. It quickly became a popular download, selling around 350,000 copies within a month on the Nintendo eShop and even receiving an expansion with additional levels and modes. It hasn’t seen a sequel yet, but a similar concept is about to enter the fray: an indie game for the soon-to-be-released Switch 2.
Recently announced is Mouse Work, a co-op party game tailor-made for the new Joy-Con mouse controls of the Switch 2. The game, starring a troupe of mice, revolves around completing various mini-game challenges that make full use of the console’s dual controller capabilities. From helping characters scale a wall to racing the clock with art challenges, Mouse Work offers gameplay fit for solo or up to four players.
The creative minds behind Mouse Work, Nitrome—a studio based in London known for 2022’s Shovel Knight Dig—certainly aren’t strangers to this style of gameplay. Their history of producing engaging browser games, oozing with playful 2D art and creativity, has paved the way for Mouse Work’s unique charm—paying homage to the kind of Flash games that once captivated online audiences.
From its inception in January 2025, Nitrome set a brisk pace, aiming to complete Mouse Work by year’s end. Although it diverges genre-wise from Snipperclips, the two games do share more than a bit of DNA. Both lean heavily into the innovative use of the Joy-Con controllers while launching close to a new Nintendo console debut. It’s uncertain if Mouse Work will achieve the same level of success as Snipperclips, but it looks poised to make a significant impact amid this year’s slew of indie releases for the Switch 2.
As gamers eagerly await the Switch 2, pain-points from the past have been addressed: backward compatibility and enhanced features like 4K resolution in docked mode. While anticipation builds for its official unveiling on April 2, 2025, the console’s new offerings promise to extend Nintendo’s unique blend of nostalgia and innovation further into the future.
