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Cut the Rope: Experiments

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Cut the Rope: Experiments

Whispers of a new Cut the Rope leaked just the other day, and, just as quickly, Cut the Rope: Experiments is out on the iPhone.

Can it hang with its hit predecessor? Definitely.

Cut the Rope: Experiments takes the original's addictive formula and adds a splash of deviousness, thanks to the addition of some cunning new items.

E = MC2

If you somehow missed the first Cut the Rope, the premise is the same: a little green monster named Om Nom likes candy. A lot.

Pieces of candy are attached to various lengths of rope and, later, other objects. Slide your finger strategically across the cord to cut, and watch the candy swing into Om Nom's mouth. Catch the three stars with the candy to master the level.

Om Nom is still in the same cardboard box he was stuck in during the first Cut the Rope, but this time he’s dropped off at the home of an Einstein-like scientist. Keen to conduct some experiments, the Professor packs the game’s 75 levels with even more contraptions and machines than the forerunner.

Wonderful toys

The amount of gadgets here is pretty insane. The first 25 levels alone contain the traditional bubbles that make the candy float and the tension wires that, when cut, make the candy fly, but there are a handful of new items adding more complexity to the puzzles.

For instance, sliders will have rope connecting to the candy, but you can use your finger to move the peg and the sweets along with it. Platforms act like trampolines, so you can bounce the candy in another direction. Touch the whoopee cushion-like puffers, meanwhile, and a blast of hot air will push the candy along.

One of the cooler items in Cut the Rope: Experiments is undeniably the rope shooter, which, using a plunger, will fire a wire at the candy and stick onto it like a suction cup.

Everything seems as silly and as colourful as it did previously, only this time dialled up a notch or two so with its Casey’s Contraptions-style approach to puzzles.

Live wires

Time is a whole new enemy in Cut the Rope: Experiments, too. The original had its timed puzzles, sure, particularly in the later levels, but here speed is of the essence.

Insects will jump on your rope and run down to gobble up the candy. Worse, certain stars have time limits applied to them: watch as the timer goes down and, if you’re too late, the star will disappear. Shades of this were present in the first game, but time-based puzzles come into play super early in the sequel.

In other words, the leisurely pace which prevails in the original Cut the Rope is virtually gone here. Expect to do lots of tapping, slashing, and, perhaps, cursing, as you try to get the candy into the monster's belly.

Cut the Rope: Experiments manages to retain the first game's charm, while adding some much encouraged depth to the puzzles. It is easy enough for people unfamiliar with the franchise to sink their teeth into, but even Cut the Rope veterans will go nuts over the new, unique challenges being thrown at them.

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Cut the Rope: Experiments

Cut the Rope: Experiments adds lots of kooky contraptions to the original hit
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Damon Brown
Damon Brown
Damon Brown has been speaking the mobile game gospel since 2003 for Playboy, New York Post, and many other outlets. Damon writes books when he isn't busy gaming or Twittering. His most popular book is Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.