Cookie Cutter Review: Ultraviolent, Ultra-Fun

When it comes to the perfect recipe for a great metroidvania game, you gotta have tight controls, an interconnected world that opens up as you gain new abilities, awesome bosses to take down, and satisfying combat to plow through hordes of baddies. Cookie Cutter, the latest from indie studio Subcult Joint, checks most of those boxes in an ultra-violent package that stands out from the pack.

At its core, Cookie Cutter is a by-the-books entry in the genre. You play as Cherry, an android rebuilt and out for vengeance after her creator was kidnapped. The hand-drawn art pops with color, and the world itself impresses in scope and design. It hits the nostalgic notes fans expect while putting its own punk rock spin on the formula.

Where this metallic maiden shines brightest is in its gory, high-octane combat. Combo chains, environmental attacks, visceral finishers – Cookie Cutter revels in the bloodbath with smooth, addictive fighting. Of course, it’s not without flaws. The controls can feel loose, the platforming punishing, and the early game limits your moveset in frustrating ways at times.

Overall though, Cookie Cutter delivers a solid, if imperfect Metroidvania romp. What it lacks in innovation, it makes up for with standout style and gratifyingly gross combat that beats other entries of 2023 in terms of sheer entertainment value. So strap on your bionic arms and get ready to brawl in this bloody good time.

A Punk Rock Revenge Tale Set in a Vivid Cyberhell

Cookie Cutter doesn’t waste time setting up its premise – within minutes, you’re introduced to Cherry, an android rebuilt after a violent attack, now raging for revenge against the folks who ripped her world apart. It’s a classic wronged hero tale dialed up to 11 thanks to Cherry’s defiant punk attitude and the chaotic world she inhabits.

This is a dystopian future where danger lurks around every corner, whether it’s toxic sludge, swirling saw blades, or the myriad monsters and machines that aim to tear Cherry limb from limb. The various areas you’ll explore burst with hand-drawn detail, from the crimson rivers of the Bloody Den to the flickering neon hues of Downtown. It’s a grim cyberhell, but brought to life through vibrant visuals.

Cherry herself brims with personality, tossing out sly quips when she isn’t caving in skulls. She’s joined on her quest by a equally memorable oddball cast, like Regina, her, uh, anatomically-inspired robotic companion. Their absurd banter lightens the dark tale at points. Though make no mistake, this remains a gritty story fueled by Cherry’s pain as she storms through hordes of foes to find her abducted creator.

It’s a classic hero’s journey – traverse dangerous lands, slay mighty beasts, gain power to access new realms and confront evil. But Cookie Cutter stands apart thanks to its eye-catching art, charismatic lead, and irreverent humor that punctures the bleak setting. There’s depth too in Cherry’s relationships and motivations if you care to look, but the vibrant style and revenge thrill ride are what will reel you in.

Satisfyingly Complex Combat Anchors the Metroidvania Action

Like all good metroidvanias, Cookie Cutter has you gaining new movement and combat abilities that open up new sections of the expansive map. But where this twisted tale truly shines is in its complex and supremely satisfying combat system. This is a game with depth in its violence.

Much of the fun comes from stringing together combos using light and heavy attacks. Buttons map to limbs, letting you kick, punch, and uppercut foes while directional inputs alter your assaults. Land enough hits, you’ll activate gleefully gross finisher animations for health boosts – an essential tactic.

You’ll build Void energy through your attacks, which fuels special moves from Cherry’s upgradable arsenal. Send enemies flying with a giant, wrecking ball-esque fist. Shred them to chunks with a high-powered guitar solo. Small touches like bouncing baddies off the terrain to trigger traps add to the chaos.

And you’ll need to utilize every tool at your disposal too. Cookie Cutter flings diverse enemy types your way, from hulking brutes to nimble snipers to plenty of bots bristling with blades. You’ll come to dread floating drones and their frustratingly precise shot patterns. Mini boss-like showdowns test your skill, while true boss battles represent memorable highlights.

The combat shines thanks to its responsiveness. Despite the on-screen fury of combos and carnage, Cherry controls tightly. Movements like her dodge and parry lend you defensive options, though their precision windows take practice to nail down. Still, landing that perfect timed parry feels incredibly satisfying.

It’s not all violence though. True to the genre, new movement gear like a grappling hook or ground smash ability allow you to navigate previously unreachable areas. Careful jumps, shifting platforms, and hidden passages test your precision. Just hope the looseness some feel in Cherry’s handling doesn’t hamper your platforming prowess.

In the end, Cookie Cutter’s combat is a complex, rewarding system, more so than what many genre contemporaries offer. The hectic, hard-hitting fights carry this adventure even through occasional repetition and spikes in challenge. If you desire thoughtful, gritty game violence, your appetite will be sated.

Gloriously Gory Hand-Drawn Mayhem

One look at Cookie Cutter’s vivid visual presentation and Cherrys wildly expressive animations lets you know this ain’t your typical sterile cyberpunk world. The hand-drawn art pops with color and charisma, crafting a dystopian future that feels alive even amidst all the ultra violence.

Cherry herself seems to leap off the screen thanks to fluid animations overflowing with attitude, from the way she cracks her neck before a fight to her cocky strut. Small touches like smoothing out her run or adding subtle breathing elements make her feel convincingly real. The downright twisted enemy designs stay creative too, from a hulking muscled…ahem…male body part to cutesy yet vicious droids.

The environments also astound with depth and diversity in their hand-painted forms. Lush overgrown ruins, glitchy neon cityscapes, towering hyper-industrial complexes – Cookie Cutter’s world begs to be explored thanks to its visual flair. One can appreciate little touches too, like reflective floors or swaying cables that enhance the sense you’ve stepped into a living, breathing place.

Once the fists (and rocket launchers, and electric guitars…) start swinging, the combat takes on a deranged, frenetic beauty too. Flashes of gunfire, showers of sparks, and fountains of oil as you dismember bots keep the action exciting even when the chaos obscures your view. It walks the line of visual clarity well thanks to color-coded damage numbers and health flashes from landed hits.

In an age where many indie games opt for pixel art styles, Cookie Cutter’s hand-drawn approach helps it stand out. The gorgeous backdrops and fluid combat animations draw you into its off-kilter world in a way sterile 3D graphics couldn’t match. Its brazenly freaky style mirrors Cherry’s in-your-face punk attitude to a tee. beauty amidst the brutality.

Sound and Fury to Match the Mayhem

Cookie Cutter’s audio ticks the right boxes in enhancing the insane on-screen action, from the driving rock beats to the crunchy combat. The soundtrack matches Cherry’s in-your-face attitude with energetic riffs and rhythms that will have your head banging as you bash bots.

The satisfying sounds of combat add visceral flair too. The meaty thwack of a perfect parry, the screech of your guitar solo rending metal, the wet squish as you stomp some poor scrub’s head in – the layered audio greatly amplifies the impact of your sweet moves. It’s the little touches that round out the audio feast as well, like responsive footsteps that change from clanks on metal to squishing through toxic ooze.

Bonus points for the offbeat writing extended to the voice acting. Cherry’s punky potty mouth comes through loud and clear in every quip, while her bizarre co-stars like Regina (yep, the talking robo-parts downstairs) sport fittingly weird deliveries. Oddly charming accents round out INFONET head honchos to flesh them out too.

Cookie Cutter’s sound may not boast the full orchestras found in AAA efforts, but creates an audio backdrop well-matched to the madness unfolding on screen. The result is a stimulating aural feast tuned perfectly to accompany your ultraviolent escapades.

Rough Edges Remain in this Diamond in the Rough

For all its punk rock attitude and flashy combat, Cookie Cutter also carries some frustrating limitations that hold back the experience. It’s a common tale – unpolished controls, uneven pacing, and repetitive design choices leave this otherwise-excellent entry feeling a bit rough.

Most notably, Cherry’s movement and attacks simply lack responsiveness at times. Perhaps it’s the looseness of her animations, but nailing jumps and combos doesn’t always feel crisp. When combined with the chaos of combat, it exacerbates deaths that feel “cheap” instead of earned through lack of skill. This also extends to parrying, where the tiny timing windows mean whiffing one usually spells doom.

The early game suffers too from an overall lack of abilities for Cherry, making progression feel stunted. Until dashing, wall-jumping and other core stuff gets unlocked a few hours in, relying mostly on basic kicks and punches in large maps is a chore. Granted, this criticism fits the metroidvania format, but that doesn’t help alleviate the early frustration.

Other issues stem from repetition and questionable design choices. Chamber rooms that lock you in endless waves of enemies grow tiresome quickly. Hazards like electrical floor traps seem placed intentionally to annoy rather than challenge. Cherry’s slow self-healing forces tedious energy management and backtracking at times as well.

Overall, it’s hardly game-breaking stuff. But the looseness in controls and mechanics definitively takes the polish off an otherwise stellar experience. Perhaps a few more months in the development oven could have worked out the kinks – as it stands, Cookie Cutter feels a bit underbaked.

Blood, Bots, and Big Personality

For all its faults, several elements help Cookie Cutter stand out from the crowded metroidvania field. Chief among them has to be the spectacularly over-the-top violence and vibrant visual presentation matched by Cherry’s standout character.

Simply put, this game really leans into ridiculous levels of blood and brutality, smashing bots into bloody piles of bolts without flinching. From assaulting enemies with everything from a giant metal fist to an electric guitar, Cookie Cutter delights in offering creative ways to maim and destroy. If you love stylish, unrestrained combat violence, this has it in spades.

Yet the charming hand-drawn art style and fluid animations give Cookie Cutter its own distinct flavor too. So many indie games opt for retro pixel art aesthetics that the lovingly hand-crafted visuals feel fresh and alive. Vivid backdrops filled with demented details perfectly complement Cherry’s emotional, expressive design as well.

And Cherry herself stands as a big draw, with a cocky swagger and killer one-liners adding loads of personality. There’s an endearing oddness to her companions like the, ahem, anatomically-shaped companion Regina too. Cookie Cutter injects both its heroine and worlds with such misanthropic charm.

When combined with the slick combat flow that avoids feeling too clunky or chaotic, these elements make Cookie Cutter stand out. The ultra-violence and distinct visual approach simply outclasses much of the competition vying for your metroidvania dollars, making this absolutely worth a go.

This Diamond is Still a Cut Above the Rest

When you step back and analyze its pieces, Cookie Cutter doesn’t necessarily innovate the established Metroidvania formula in groundbreaking ways. Yet, thanks to silky combat, stunning visual character, and sheer punk attitude, it still stands among the top genre entries of 2023.

At its core, this serves as an excellent entry point for those new to metroidvanias. It nails the satisfying progression of unlocking abilities, steadily growing stronger, defeating screen-filling bosses, and backtracking to uncover secrets in previously visited zones. Cookie Cutter just packages it with more flair through its combat complexity, irreverent humor, and gorgeous graphics.

There’s no doubt a few rough edges find their way into the mix too. Unresponsive controls at times, lack of difficulty settings, and overused environment hazards can definitely frustrate. But set against the smooth flow found hacking limbs off screaming bots before blasting them into electrical conduits? Mere scratches on the chrome.

When it comes down to it, Cookie Cutter absolutely stuffs its levels with distinct environments, big personalities, and plenty of rewarding moments. That irrepressible punk spirit Cherry embodies carries through in every facet, from the middle finger attitude baked into characters and mechanics to the gleeful embrace of stylish ultra violence.

By the time the credits rolled on my Cherry-fueled rampage through this twisted world, I held little doubt that Cookie Cutter earns a place among the Metroidvania greats. Here’s hoping other efforts learn from this blueprint of how to craft something special within a well-worn genre template going forward. Just remember to also pack that vital secret ingredient – the heaping spoonful of blood-soaked personality.

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