The Stretchers

 Switch
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. InsideGamer.nl
    Dec 21, 2019
    72
    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.
  2. PLAY! Zine
    Dec 30, 2019
    70
    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.
  3. GamingTrend
    Dec 16, 2019
    70
    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.
  5. Nintendo Insider
    Nov 19, 2019
    70
    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.
  6. Switch Player
    Nov 14, 2019
    70
    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.
  7. Destructoid
    Nov 13, 2019
    70
    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.
  8. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 1, 2020
    65
    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]
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  9. DualShockers
    Nov 12, 2019
    65
    The Stretchers is an entertaining co-op game that needs to offer more fun outside of its story mode.
  10. Cubed3
    Jan 24, 2020
    60
    The Stretchers is a jovial, anarchic affair. It looks like a Dreamcast title and, in some respects, feels like playing one too. That comparison isn't meant as a pejorative to say it's dated, as it isn't, and certainly it has a charm all of its own. Despite some small annoyances, it is the freshness, and an arcade-y fun-ness that feels like something off of Sega's last console. This is brimming with engaging ideas, which constantly build on or mix up the core mechanic, which taken on its own merits is strong.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21
  1. FreddeGredde
    Mar 3, 2020
    5
    The premise is great, and the animations and rag doll physics initially create hilarious situations and moments. Two main issues bring theThe premise is great, and the animations and rag doll physics initially create hilarious situations and moments. Two main issues bring the game down though:

    1. The controls are simply too finicky. You're meant to press a button to grab the nearest object, whether it's a door, a chair or a person's foot, but more often than not, the character ends up grabbing something else than you intended. It's simply not intuitive enough.

    2. Although you get a score at the end of each mission, you're not told if you did well or not. Giving out bronze/silver/gold depending on your score would have done a lot to the replayability and enjoyment. As it is now, you don't really care if you did okay or not, and it all gets a little pointless as it's not a challenging game to begin with.

    Fixing these issues and a few other details could really have made this game amazing! You can still have fun if you're fun people playing, and driving your ambulance on the fully explorable island between missions is a great addition that adds variation and "meat" to the experience, but all in all, it's hard to recommend unless you've already played all the other great co-op games on Switch (the Overcooked! games come to mind) and crave even more.    … Full Review »
  2. nusco
    Jun 17, 2022
    7
    The stretchers is a physics-based two-players co-op slapstick.

    CONS: IT GETS REPETITIVE: While the game does introduce a few new    The stretchers is a physics-based two-players co-op slapstick.

    CONS:

    IT GETS REPETITIVE: While the game does introduce a few new elements over time, they're not enough to offset the repetition. After the first few missions, the rest is basically more of the same.

    VERY LITTLE CHALLENGE: This is a game for families. Don't expect to be challenged in any way–and considering the imprecise controls, that's for the better.

    PROS:

    FUN IN THE FAMILY: This game shines when played by two people with good communication, even if one of them isn't a "gamer". The borderline-casual gameplay will provide a few hours of fun.

    FUNNY SLAPSTICK MOMENTS: The characters' antics and the ragdoll physics will get old eventually–but you will laugh a lot before they do.

    ZANY HUMOR: From the inventor in his underwear to the unlikely baddie, the characters are weird enough to make The Stretchers stand out from other recent ragdolly games.    … Full Review »
  3. sjogro
    Feb 1, 2021
    8
    This underrated gem of a game lands somewhere left of the middle between Crazy Taxi on the Sega Dreamcast and the comics of Joan Cornellà.This underrated gem of a game lands somewhere left of the middle between Crazy Taxi on the Sega Dreamcast and the comics of Joan Cornellà. Literally the first real Laugh Out Loud moments since I’ve owned a Nintendo Switch occurred today during our first session with this game. Recommended game for 2 player couch coop with your younger kiddo. My 6 year old held up really well and the 9 year old aced it. We had so many laughs, great stuff!… Full Review »
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