Review: Iron Snout (Nintendo Switch)

Iron Snout is an action-arcade fighting game developed by SnoutUp Games and published by Ratalaika Games. This busy publisher has brought a bunch of games to the Switch over the past couple of years. This latest one puts a spin on the old pigs-versus-wolves fairytale. How does it fare? You could say it’s the piggy in the middle.

In Iron Snout you play the role of a pig who stands alone in the middle of a field just waiting for the wolves to attack. And boy do they attack! As the unnamed pig, you can’t walk at all. Instead, you can jump, crouch, punch and kick while hordes of wolves throw themselves at you.

To be perfectly frank, this game has its charm and is quite fun to play – in short bursts. The violence is cartoony and plentiful, with wolves coming at you from every angle and using anything at their disposal. Some run up with butcher knives while others ride rockets à la Wile E. Coyote. There’s even a wrecking ball that swings past, complete with a Miley Cyrus-inspired wolf. Yes, Iron Snout definitely has a humorous side.

It’s also a very simple game. Its mobile origins are obvious; while playing, you can’t help but think this game would suit a smartphone very well. It works well enough on the Switch of course, but it’s definitely made for quick bouts of mayhem between bus stops or lectures.

Despite the lack of depth when it comes to gameplay, there are a fair few features thrown in to provide some incentive to replay. You can unlock three environments and nine costumes. The simple environments consist of a forest, street and pirate’s ship. The ridiculous costumes include the likes of Santa Claus and Sailor Moon.

I also like the persistent statistics on the menu screen. This list shows your tally of kills, strikes, combos, and even how many heads you’ve knocked off. It provides an immediate look at the level you just finished, followed by your running total. On average, I managed to knock off one head every minute!

There are four modes to choose from, though three of them are virtually the same with different rules. Firstly, there’s the classic endless mode where you play until your health has depleted. The aim is to kill as many wolves as you can and earn a higher score. Sudden death mode is the same, albeit with only one bar of health from the beginning. In Pig vs 100, you face 100 wolves – which is exactly like endless mode, except that it ends. Getting to 100 is quite difficult regardless.

The fourth mode is for two players and offers some variation on the formula. In fact, there’s no blood or gore here at all. Instead, your pig guards a button as you face your opponent pig. A ball is tossed into the air, which you must kick, punch or simply dodge in order to hit your opponent’s button. It’s a simple premise that offers a few options, like gravity speed, ball size, and the number of goals to win. It’s silly, mindless fun and serves as a bonus minigame more than anything. Now, a two-player, co-op, wolf-killing mode? That would be something else entirely…

Overall, Iron Snout is a simple, fun game that probably makes more sense on a smartphone. At $4.99 it won’t break your piggy bank, but it also won’t provide more than an hour or two of total amusement. A sale might make this very casual title more desirable.