Cut the Rope
Puzzle series about feeding candy to a green creature named Om Nom.
Cut the Rope is a puzzle video game franchise created by ZeptoLab, which both develops and publishes the series. The core gameplay involves guiding candy to a small green creature called Om Nom and gathering stars. The series began with the original *Cut the Rope* in 2010 and has since grown to include multiple sequels and spin-offs.
The first game, *Cut the Rope*, launched on October 4, 2010, through publisher Chillingo, with an iPad HD version arriving two days later. Free versions with fewer levels were also released for each device. Its sequel, *Cut the Rope: Experiments*, came out on August 4, 2011, adding new gameplay mechanics, a storyline, and characters such as the Professor, who offers commentary and reveals hidden photos about Om Nom. *Cut the Rope: Time Travel* followed on April 17, 2013, sending Om Nom to his ancestors’ era and requiring players to feed candy to two monsters instead of one.
*Cut the Rope 2* debuted on iOS on December 19, 2013, and on Android in March 2014. It introduced a more dynamic environment, additional creatures like Blue, Toss, Lick, Boo, and Roto, and made Om Nom a movable character. The Android version added free-to-play features like an energy system and a map-based structure, which later appeared on iOS. *Cut the Rope: Triple Treat* was released for Nintendo 3DS on March 25, 2014, bundling levels from the first three games, and was published by Activision.
*My Om Nom* launched on iOS on December 18, 2014, and on Android in 2015, offering a Tamagotchi-like experience where players feed, dress, and play with their own Om Nom. *Cut the Rope: Magic* arrived on December 17, 2015, for both platforms, transporting Om Nom to a storybook world with magical elements and a spider wizard antagonist. It introduced transformation abilities for Om Nom and used a map system from *Cut the Rope 2*. The iOS version was paid, while Android was free-to-play with an energy system removable via a one-time payment, later replaced by a subscription; a free iOS version lacked the energy system.
After a four-year gap, *Om Nom: Merge* was released on November 28, 2019, followed by *Om Nom: Run* on February 27, 2020. *Om Nom: Run* is a free-to-play endless runner available on Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, where Om Nom runs through city streets. It features Free Run and mission modes, and surpassed 5 million downloads within its first mon
- first_release
- 2010
- developer
- ZeptoLab
- publisher
- ZeptoLab (original published by Chillingo)
- genre
- Puzzle video game
- protagonist
- Om Nom
- total_downloads_by_2018
- over 1 billion
Lore & Background
The Cut the Rope franchise began with the original Cut the Rope game released on October 4, 2010, published by Chillingo. A native HD version for the iPad followed on October 6, 2010. Free versions with fewer levels were also released for each device. The objective across all games is to feed candy to Om Nom while collecting stars. The series quickly expanded with sequels including Cut the Rope: Experiments (2011), Cut the Rope: Time Travel (2013), and Cut the Rope 2 (2013 for iOS, 2014 for Android). Later entries introduced new gameplay elements, such as feeding two monsters in Time Travel and a more dynamic environment in Cut the Rope 2 with additional creature characters like Blue, Toss, Lick, Boo, and Roto.
Reader's Guide
The Cut the Rope franchise is significant as one of the most successful mobile puzzle game series, achieving over a billion downloads by 2018. Its simple yet engaging mechanic of cutting ropes to feed candy to Om Nom became iconic in the early mobile gaming era. The series demonstrated longevity through frequent sequels and spin-offs that introduced new mechanics, such as time travel, transformation, and augmented reality features. The franchise also expanded to other platforms, including Nintendo 3DS (Cut the Rope: Triple Treat) and web browsers via HTML5. The remastered version and daily puzzle game show continued relevance into the 2020s. The series' legacy includes influencing mobile puzzle design and establishing Om Nom as a recognizable character in gaming culture. The franchise's adaptability across free-to-play and premium models, as well as its presence on subscription services like Apple Arcade and Netflix Games, illustrates its enduring commercial appeal.
Did You Know?
- The original Cut the Rope was published by Chillingo and released on October 4, 2010.
- Cut the Rope games had been downloaded more than 600 million times as of May 2015 and surpassed over a billion downloads by 2018.
- Cut the Rope: Time Travel (2013) introduced feeding candy to two monsters instead of one.
- Cut the Rope Remastered (2021) was the first main title to feature 3D graphics and included levels with Nibble Nom.
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