Cut the Rope

Cut the Rope is a series of physics-based puzzle video games by the Russian game studio ZeptoLab for several platforms and devices. It consists of the original Cut the Rope (2010), the sequel Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift (2010), Cut the Rope: Experiments (2011), Cut the Rope: Time Travel (2013) and Cut the Rope 2 (2013).

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 2012, the original Cut the Rope had been downloaded more than 100 million times.

Gameplay


In each level, the candy hangs by one or several of the titular ropes which the player must cut with a swipe of their finger. 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 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. An in-app purchase called "Superpowers" makes play easier.

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.

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

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.

Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift
Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift, a free standalone Christmas-themed version of the game with 25 levels, was first released on 10 December 2010. It is made available for download during the Christmas holiday season.

Cut the Rope: Experiments
Cut the Rope: Experiments was released on August 4, 2011 as a sequel to Cut the Rope. 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” 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 second 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.

Level packs
All games in the Cut the Rope series group content into "boxes" or "level packs". Boxes contain 25 levels each, except that boxes in Cut the Rope: Time Travel contain only 15 levels each, and boxes in Cut the Rope 2 contain only 24 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 December 2013.

Reception
In addition to its commercial success, Cut the Rope was very well received by critics. As of September 2012, the aggregator website Metacritic lists a score of 93 (out of 100) based on 14 reviews, a rating of "universal acclaim". IGN has praised the game for having "the addictive qualities of Angry Birds – great puzzles, near-perfect use of touch controls, and cute personality". Gamespot has described it as "fresh, challenging, gorgeous, and highly entertaining”. Jon Mundy of Pocket Gamer was equally positive, calling it "bright, imaginative, and supremely polished".

At WWDC 2011, Cut the Rope won an Apple Design Award for the iOS platform. 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.

The sequel Cut the Rope: Time Travel reached an aggregate Metacritic score of 87 out of 100, and Cut the Rope: Experiments a score of 85.

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.

The character Om Nom has become the subject of a viral video, plush toys, and a Mattel Apptivity game.