Seamlessly blending great platforming, excellent RPG elements, and an amazing art style and sound effects, Cookie Cutter knows how to be the cool new kid on the block.
Cookie Cutter had to make a splash when it was released earlier this year to prove to the audience that it was time to return to a side scroller relying heavily on 2D animation. Going in, many could expect a generic fighting game with side-scrolling, platforming elements, and some classic, quippy dialogue we are all used to from such games. However, Cookie Cutter has so much more to offer than that. Not only are the fighting elements fun, but there is an exciting story and an art style that captures the game’s uniqueness and the characters as individuals.
Subcult Joint is the development team behind Cookie Cutter, with this being their first game. Subcult Joint has a passion for Metroidvania-Action RPG, and while they specify an ambition in solid mechanics, they do not scrimp on any other aspects of building a game, and Rogue Games, Inc. came on board to publish. Rouge Games has worked with many independent developers in the past and has a lot of experience working with creative and quality platformers, such as The Last Case of Benedict Fox aiming to find works that are original and speak for themselves.
From what can be seen of the game from trailers and teasers, it could be assumed that Cookie Cutter fits into the “all action, no story” category of games. However, this is by no means the case. Not only is the story of Cookie Cutter a very well-developed and thought-out tale of revenge and heartbreak but it is also told through a fantastic opening animation. This opening narrative is concise, beautifully animated, and quickly demonstrates the heart of the story that will be told through the remainder of the game.
The player will start Cookie Cutter hearing from Shinji, an ex-employee of a now corrupt and evil organisation that has taken over the world. This company, called Infonet, has used the technology Shinji helped develop to make Densels, a type of robot that can be used as an infantry and will follow the whim of Salem Garbonzos, the leader of Infonet who has a suitably “bad guy” name to go with all of his “bad guy” deeds in the opening of the game. This includes taking Shinji away from her beloved Densel, whom she has created. This machine is not like the others; however, she has been made with the ability to feel human emotions, including love.
Shinji’s Densel is called Cherry. The player is quickly shown the pair falling in love and the tragedy that comes as a result. While the player is not explicitly told that creating Cherry caused Salem Garbonzos to go after Shinji, it is heavily implied. Her expertise and intelligence are clearly second to none in Infonet, so the villainous leader of Infonet kidnaps her, and Cherry is all but destroyed in front of her lover and creator.
Cookie Cutter is in full swing, with Cherry waking up as a fully rebuilt girl in a fantastic and strange world. A quirky cast of characters surrounds her and helps her discover who she is and how to return to Shinji through a labyrinth of a story that takes the player on twists and turns as they, with Cherry, discover who she really is and more about the world both the character and the player have been thrown into.
The story is excellent. Every character is vibrant, fleshes out an already fascinating world, and adds unique elements. This is helped by writing for each character to feel unique to them. Rather than having all characters share a sense of humour or way of talking, each new character has its flair that makes them feel like a real person and adds to a world that already holds a lot of character in itself.
The gameplay in Cookie Cutter can be simply described as a side scroller with fighting elements throughout. As the enemies get harder, Cherry and the player will learn new skills in order to take them on. However, simplifying the games to this is doing a massive disservice. There are a variety of enemies that each take a different method of action to defeat. The basic enemies are used as a form of tutorial. In fighting these, the player will learn to punch, block, and do certain special moves, such as a ground pound or a combo attack.
While still learning the basics, it is possible to find an upgrade for a gauntlet, allowing for even more special moves. Some may find this really overwhelming, being thrown into a strange world with weird rules and a vast lore to understand. However, this feels like the point. Cherry is in the same boat. She doesn’t know what is happening and has gone from a powerful android to a very confused robot who has to learn how she works on the fly. The controls are simple enough to muddle through the first few fights to get a handle on the mechanics and know more for the next one.
The basic enemies that Cookie Cutter uses to teach the player how to fight are also pretty powerful once they are in a group. Unearned confidence is quickly punished, particularly if the player has not mastered how to use the block button yet. Being able to block incoming attacks effectively is a vital part of the game, and those who do not perfect this skill early on will find it nearly impossible to move through the later sections of Cookie Cutter.
There are also enemies early on that are way above the skill level Cherry is at at the opening of Cookie Cutter. These foes can be beaten using the fantastic method of “get one hit, then run away and heal”, rinse, and repeat. But they should not be defeated in this way. It is, instead, far better to come back to them later once you have learned more moves and are in a much better position to slice through them. However, the option to try and fight them earlier on is fun and lets the player choose what they wish to do.
Options such as these are sprinkled throughout Cookie Cutter, adding to the RPG elements of the game. Choosing whether to fight an enemy now or later is one of the smaller ones, but options such as dialogue and which of the many scattered doors to go through are the bigger ones. The RPG becomes more intense as Cookie Cutter progresses, and by the end, the dialogue can vastly change depending on how the player has chosen to act as Cherry throughout the events leading to the finale.
Another key element of the gameplay is found in the platforming. Lately, many platformers have gone down the route of titles such as Little Nightmares or Inside. Rather than just a simple platforming side scroller, they have taken the opportunity to include the third dimension, allowing the player to move towards and away from the screen. This is one of those gaming features that can be a major advantage to the gameplay when implemented effectively. However, more often than not, it is ineffective and, in the worst cases, can sometimes be game-breaking.
Cookie Cutter avoids this frequent mistake by having left and right be the only directions of travel for the player. This makes the movement simple and clearly indicates where the player is allowed to go and where they need to wait until they have unlocked a new movement ability to reach that section. This simplicity works in Cookie Cutter’s favour as it means the game is not riddled with game-breaking bugs that are simply frustrating and add little to the experience.
Some sections of the game require a level of backtracking, which can be as part of a fetch quest or to get a key item to continue progressing. These puzzles are often simple and can be worked out with a lot of ease. Again, this is an addition to the simplicity, however, as it allows the focus to remain on the characters, their stories, and the fun combat the game offers.
The graphics and unique art style are demonstrated from the very opening of Cookie Cutter. Following in the footsteps of other Metroidvania-style games such as Hollow Night, Castlevania, or Metroid, there is a real-life to the 2D animation that can be seen in Cookie Cutter. The opening animation tells an epic tale filled with grand events, but it would not be this way without the stylized images that play alongside it.
The attention to detail in every frame, as well as the same level of care in the backgrounds of every new screen that can be scrolled onto, gives the world of Cookie Cutter a unique and built-out feel that makes the world feel like more than just a backdrop for a story, the scenery is itself a character of the world. The same is true for the characters. The fantastic character models mean that every person the player meets has some fun flare. This is again first seen in the opening cutscene as the evil Garbonzos stands with flaming-headed Densels flanking him.
This exaggerated art style also means each character’s emotions are easily read on their face. This is again shown in the opening but continues as character faces pop up on the screen next to the text they are saying at the bottom. This is a good indicator of their emotions and is another way that the spark of characterisation can come across to the player. There are also small moments that show the level of care that went into the animations, such as Cherry’s skirt fluttering whenever she is falling down a drop.
The opening of Cookie Cutter is not only a demonstration of the fantastic art style, but It is in this moment that the player can see the fantastic voice work, not only in the opening narration but also in Cerry’s screams for help as she tries to return to her creator and is violently destroyed by Garbonzos’ evil Densels. The voice work instantly adds character to an already well-crafted world. Additionally, the fighting sound effects are also amazing. Some of the squelching as Cherry hits are foes that are very disturbing but in the best possible way.
It would be a huge disservice to discuss Cookie Cutter as a game and not mention the role music plays throughout. Each song feels tailor-made for the moment it is in and allows the player to even time attacks along with the music because of the beats that seem to fit perfectly with the movements. The songs are all great additions and are, again, the perfect addition to Cookie Cutter.
Cookie Cutter is a fantastic game with excellent RPG elements, fighting mechanics that are a healthy mix of fun and challenging, and an artistic style that adds dimension and character to an already very well-made world. The sound does nothing but add to the equation, and the heart that is put into Cookie Cutter is immensely impressive.
