The Stretchers

There's a charming aesthetic to The Stretchers, bright and colourful and aimed squarely at kids, but the slapstick, ragdoll humour will appeal to grown-ups too.

The Stretchers is a deceptively simple co-op game that manages to be fun for every second of it’s brief run time, delivering interesting levels and hilarious chaos as your shout at your partner (or left hand) to just pick up the damn stretcher.

Out from nowhere, an hilarious joke, The Stretchers is a fun and clever two players game, with an ideal pace and constant renewal. Whether cutting across the fields with the turbo throttle and the waving gyro's siren or consulting on how to take the casualty right back to the ambulance by the craziest method, The Stretchers is a success and is one of the most entertaining duet games of recent years, in the same category as the hilarious Gang Beasts and Heave Ho.

A multiplayer exclusive for Nintendo Switch you can't miss out on.

The Stretchers is yet another little gem for Switch born from the collaboration between Nintendo and Western independent studios.

A blast whether you play it by yourself or with a friend, The Stretchers is bound to put a smile on the face of anyone that plays it and showcases how talented a developer Tarsier Studios is.

The gameplay loop of riding to places, exploring a bit, grabbing patients, and moving back is extremely novel and engaging. With every mission introducing unique attributes, it is always a delight to see what curve The Stretchers throws at you next. There were a few minor problems, mostly with precise movements, but never anything that soured the fun. Overall though, I can't help but admire the things Tarsier Studios put in. The Stretchers is a good time.

The Stretchers is an unexpected delight, dropping on to the eShop without warning and perfectly timed to brighten up the long, dark winter days ahead. Tarsier has taken all its experience working on the likes of Ragdoll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic and LittleBigPlanet and brought it together to deliver this ridiculously OTT ragdoll puzzle riot that works well in solo but is on another level when enjoyed with a friend in co-op. Missions are varied and lend themselves perfectly to moments of hilarious slapstick, and there's a couple of real standout moments scattered across the course of proceedings that will have you laughing all the way to the way to the end.

The Stretchers is one of those games best played in coop. It’s full of good ideas, and it’s fun and fresh. If you’re looking for a game to enjoy with someone else, make sure you check it out.

The Stretchers is a very original, casual and fun idea, which can be enjoyed alone but shines especially in the two-player mode. Unfortunately, the experience will be short.

Couch-co-op games are just the thing for you, but The Stretchers are a surprisingly nice addition to your collection within its genre. The cheerful gameplay, clumsy characters, and silly humor will certainly enhance the atmosphere in your living room.

The Stretchers may stretch that smile over your face, with its funny ragdoll physics and clumsy multiplayer moments. It may be short and lacks replay value, but for the while it lasts, it is sure to bring a bit of hilarious sunshine to that rainy day, we all get to live sometimes.

The Stretchers may not be the deepest experience, but its creativity comes through in spades, giving you a great challenge to experience with a friend. Its solo mode doesn’t function well, the game is overall fairly short, and the controls are not always reliable, but the game manages to pack so much into its runtime that you may not find yourself caring.

The Stretchers may not look visually appealing and it controls a little rough around the edges, but it’s also a hilarious time from start to finish. Best enjoyed as a co-op experience, this is the kind of surprise I’m more than willing to embrace from Nintendo in the future.

The Stretchers will give you the same co-op joy that Snipperclips did – we just wish it went on for longer. It’s a bit too easy and short to justify its price, but it is Nintendo magic nonetheless.

In reality, for the hour or so I enjoyed the game with a friend, we were on the same page for most every mission. However, the fickle nature of the controls kept us from completing these missions as quickly as possible.

The Stretchers is the epitome of simple fun, with all of the strings that come along with that promise. [Issue #45 – March/April 2020, p. 24]

The Stretchers is an entertaining co-op game that needs to offer more fun outside of its story mode.