Cut the Rope

Cut the Rope
Logo of the original Cut the Rope
Developer(s)	ZeptoLab
Publisher(s)	Chillingo (original Cut the Rope only), Activision (Cut the Rope: Triple Treat) Kairosoft (to be approved)
Platform(s)	iOS Android Windows Phone Leap Motion BlackBerry 10 Symbian BlackBerry PlayBook[1] DSiWare Mac OS X Browser[2][3] Windows BlackBerry Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo eShop) Chrome OS[4] Firefox OS Nook[5] Japanese mobile culture (to be approved)
Release date(s)	October 2010 Original version October 1, 2010 Holiday Gift December 2010 Experiments August 2011 Time Travel April 17, 2013 Cut the Rope 2 December 19, 2013 (iOS) March 28, 2014 (Android) My Om Nom December 18, 2014 (iOS) Cut the Rope: Magic December 17, 2015
Genre(s)	Puzzle logic
Mode(s)	Single

Cut the Rope is a series of physics-based puzzle video games developed by the Russian entertainment company ZeptoLab for several platforms and devices. It consists of the original Cut the Rope (2010) published by Chillingo, Cut the Rope: Experiments (2011), Cut the Rope: Time Travel (2013), Cut the Rope 2 (2013 iOS; 2014 Android), My Om Nom (2014 iOS; 2015 Android), and Cut the Rope: Magic (2015).

The objective of the Cut the Rope games is to feed candy to a little green creature named Om Nom while collecting stars. As of May 2015, Cut the Rope games have been downloaded more than 600 million times.^[6]

Gameplay

A level of Cut the Rope. The candy floats in a bubble, which can be popped with a touch or blown to the right with the blue bellows. The red button reverses the direction of gravity.

In each level, a piece of candy hangs by one or several ropes which the player must cut with a swipe of their finger using the device's touchscreen. Using various objects such as floating bubbles and bellows, the candy must also be manipulated around obstacles to get to Om Nom's mouth.

Each level pack ("box") introduces new challenges. Levels are scored with a zero to three star rating, according to how many stars the player picked up, and a point score depending on the number of stars collected and the amount of time taken to complete the level.^[7] In-app purchases make play easier.^[8]

Releases

Cut the Rope

Cut the Rope premiered on October 4, 2010 for iOS. A native (HD) version for the iPad was released on October 6, 2010. This was followed by the release of a free version with fewer levels for each device, called Cut the Rope Lite and Cut the Rope HD Lite respectively. Nine days after its initial release, the game had been purchased one million times and rose to the top of the App Store's charts. According to Chillingo, this made it the fastest-selling iOS game to reach that number of sales.^[9]

The Android version was released in June 2011.^[10] The DSiWare version was released in September 2011 for Europe and November 2011 for North America on Nintendo DSi,^[11] and August 22, 2013 for Nintendo 3DS users.^[12]

In January 2012, a limited version of the game was published as a browser game for HTML5 browsers. The game is also available for a free download on the Windows 8 Consumer Preview at the Windows Store.

In January 2013, the BlackBerry version of Cut the Rope was released to BlackBerry World following the announcement of BlackBerry 10.^[13]

Cut the Rope: Experiments

Cut the Rope: Experiments was released on August 4, 2011 as a sequel to Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift.^[14] While its gameplay and presentation closely match that of Cut the Rope, the sequel introduces new gameplay elements as well as a new storyline and characters. The Professor, for example, “provides running commentary”^[15] throughout the game as players unlock new levels and collect “hidden” photos that reveal more information about Om Nom’s character.

Cut the Rope: Time Travel

The third sequel, Cut the Rope: Time Travel, was released on April 18, 2013. It sees Om Nom travel back to the time of his ancestors, which means in terms of gameplay that players now feed candy to two monsters rather than to only one.

Cut the Rope 2

Cut the Rope 2 was released on 19 December 2013 for iOS devices. It expands on the previous games with a greater emphasis on story, additional monster characters and a more dynamic environment.^[16] The Android version was released on March 28, 2014 on Google Play^[17] and on April 3, 2014 on Amazon AppStore.^[18] Unlike the iOS version, Cut the Rope 2 for Android is free-to-play and features a map like structure instead of level packs.

Cut the Rope: Triple Treat

Cut the Rope: Triple Treat was released on March 25, 2014 for Nintendo 3DS, including levels from the three previous Cut the Rope games, Cut the Rope, Cut the Rope: Experiments and Cut the Rope: Time Travel.^[19] The 3DS version is published by Activision.^[20]

My Om Nom

My Om Nom was released on December 18, 2014 for iOS devices. In this game, the player has their own Om Nom to feed, dress up, and play with. It includes some simple games to play with Om Nom and it is similar to having a Tamagotchi pet.^[21]

Cut the Rope: Magic

Cut the Rope: Magic was released on December 17, 2015 for both iOS and Android devices.^[22] This game sees Om Nom being transported to a storybook world where the levels involve magical elements as well as battling an equally candy-loving wizard. Magic also gives a new transformation element to Om Nom, allowing him to shrink or turn into a completely different animal.^[22][23] The game also uses a map element seen in the Android version of Cut the Rope 2.

Level packs

All games in Cut the Rope series (except for Cut the Rope 2 for Android and Cut the Rope: Magic) group content into "boxes" or "level packs". Boxes in original Cut the Rope contain 25 levels each, boxes in Cut the Rope 2 contain 24 levels each, and boxes in Cut the Rope: Time Travel contain only 15 levels each. Most boxes introduce a new element in the game, challenging the player with a new set of game mechanics. New boxes continue to be added from time to time through updates.

The following table summarizes the number of boxes and levels in each Cut the Rope game, as of April 2016.

Reception

In addition to its commercial success, Cut the Rope was very well received by critics. As of October 2014, the aggregator website Metacritic lists a score of 93 (out of 100) based on 14 reviews, a rating of "universal acclaim".^[24] IGN has praised the game for having "the addictive qualities of Angry Birds – great puzzles, near-perfect use of touch controls, and cute personality".^[27] Gamespot has described it as "fresh, challenging, gorgeous, and highly entertaining”.^[26] Jon Mundy of Pocket Gamer was equally positive, calling it "bright, imaginative, and supremely polished".^[33]

At the 11th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (2010), Cut the Rope won in the "Best Handheld Game" category, beating such prominent contesters as Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and God of War: Ghost of Sparta, which debuted on PSP that year.^[32] At WWDC 2011, Cut the Rope won an Apple Design Award for the iOS platform.^[28] In March 2011, it won the 7th British Academy Video Games Awards in the "Handheld" category and a BaFTA Award, the first iOS game to do so.^[34]

Cut the Rope: Experiments reached an aggregate Metacritic score of 85 out of 100,^[35] Cut the Rope: Time Travel — a score of 84,^[36] and Cut the Rope 2 a score of 81.^[37]

Comic and merchandise

In July 2011, ZeptoLab and comics publisher Ape Entertainment announced a comic book series to be published as a stand-alone app. The comics tell the backstory of the candy-eating monster Om Nom and introduce new characters.^[38]

The character Om Nom has become the subject of a viral video,^[39] plush toys,^[40] and a Mattel Apptivity game.^[41]

In August 2014, ZeptoLab and McDonald's Europe announced^[42] a multi-market Happy Meal promotional campaign, which featured various Cut the Rope-themed kitchen accessorizes, such as banana splitter and juicer. "Hungry for fruit and fun?" was the key message of the campaign. As part of the promotion, ZeptoLab also released the game called Cut The Rope - Hungry for Fruit. It is available exclusively for McDonald’s Happy Studio app and website.

Web series adaptation

See also

• List of most downloaded Android applications

References

External links

• Official Site
• Cut The Rope Demo