Cut the Rope

Cut the Rope is a Russian 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: Holiday Gift" (2010), "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 and had surpassed over a billion downloads by 2018.
Games.
"Cut the Rope" (2010).
"Cut the Rope", the first game in the series, was released initially on October 4, 2010. 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 Free" and "Cut the Rope HD Free" respectively. In an interview, Semyon Voinov said that Om Nom was originally going to have a boyfriend who appeared in this game, but it was scrapped.
"Cut the Rope: Experiments" (2011).
"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" (2013).
The third sequel, "Cut the Rope: Time Travel", was released on April 17, 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 – Unexpected Adventure" (2013 iOS, 2014 Android).
"Cut the Rope 2" was released on 19 December 2013 for iOS devices. It expands on the previous games with Om Nom no longer being a static stage object, additional monster characters and a more dynamic environment. The Android version was released on March 28, 2014 on Google Play and on April 3 on Amazon AppStore. Unlike the iOS version, "Cut the Rope 2" for Android adds free-to-play elements such as an energy system, and features a map like structure instead of level packs; these features would eventually be added to the iOS version of the game.
"Cut the Rope: Triple Treat" (2014).
"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". The 3DS version is published by Activision.
"My Om Nom" (2014 iOS, 2015 Android).
"My Om Nom" was released on December 18, 2014 for iOS devices and 2015 for Android 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 reminiscent of the "Tamagotchi" franchise.
"Cut the Rope: Magic" (2015).
"Cut the Rope: Magic" was released on December 17, 2015 for both iOS and Android devices. 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 spider wizard. "Magic" added a new transformation element to Om Nom, allowing him to shrink or turn into a completely different animal. The game also uses a map element seen in the Android version and later versions of the iOS version of "Cut the Rope 2". While the iOS version was exclusively paid, the Android version is free-to-play, and thus, added an energy system that could be removed with a one-time micropayment, which was later replaced with a paid subscription. A free version was eventually added to iOS, but did not carry the energy system from the Android release.
"Om Nom: Merge" (2019).
"Om Nom: Merge" was released on November 28, 2019 and is the first video game entry in the franchise in four years, due to the success of "Om Nom Stories".
"Om Nom: Run" (2020).
Om Nom: Run is a free-to-play endless runner mobile game, released on February 27, 2020. It is available on Android and iOS platforms. The game follows Om Nom running through the dangerous streets of Nomville. The game starts by tapping the touchscreen, while Om Nom (the game's starter character) or any other character exits the base, and then starts running through the streets of Nomville.
The game has multiple gameplay modes. The main mode, called Free Run, is a traditional endless runner game. The mission mode gives players tasks to complete as they run. This mode ends when the player crashes or completes the mission objectives.
The initial release has been a success. In a span of one month, it has been downloaded for over 5 million times.
"Cut the Rope Remastered" (2021).
A remastered version of "Cut the Rope" was released on April 2, 2021 on Apple Arcade. In the game, Om Nom and his family celebrate his birthday; on this special occasion, Nibble Nom takes out brings out a few books as birthday presents, which are based on the events on the previous games in the series. In the game, there are four level packs, this time presented as books, with levels either taken from or are based on four of the previous entries: Evan's House, based on the original, Experiments and Time Travel, both based on the games of the same name, and Road Trip, based on "Cut the Rope 2". New to the series are levels containing Nibble Nom instead of Om Nom; the player has to guide three candies to the creature instead of one, and Nibble Nom himself can be pushed about and interact with other objects, while Om Nom remains stationary in levels until Road Trip. "Remastered" also features new 3D graphics, an interactive map where power-ups (magnets and candy rain) and "worldstars", which are added to certain levels for replay value, can be found, and an account system, where up to six saves can be used.
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 the 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" contains 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. Three stars can be collected in every level, while an extra star, known as the power star as of "Remastered", can be found in each level when using superpowers. In "Remastered", a special magenta worldstar can be found for some levels by interacting with items on the world map.
The following table summarizes the number of packs and levels in each traditional "Cut the Rope" game, as of May 2021.
Reception.
In addition to its commercial success, "Cut the Rope" was very well received by critics. It has a score of 93 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".
"Cut the Rope: Experiments" reached an aggregate Metacritic score of 85 out of 100, "Cut the Rope: Time Travel" — a score of 84, and "Cut the Rope 2" a score of 81.
Adaptations, spin-offs and merchandise.
"Om Nom Stories", an animated web series on ZeptoLab's YouTube channel and sold to several kid-oriented streaming sites, is based on the game series and revolves around Om Nom's life out of the game.
In July 2011, ZeptoLab and comics publisher Ape Entertainment published 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.
In August 2014, ZeptoLab and McDonald's Europe announced a multi-market Happy Meal promotional campaign, which featured various "Cut the Rope"-themed kitchen accessories, 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"
In June 2015, ZeptoLab partnered with Blockade Entertainment for a feature film based on the games, titled "Om Nom: The Movie", that was set for release in 2016, but it never came to fruition.