Cookie Cutter | PS5 Review

Rogue Game's "Cookie Cutter" isn't a Cookie Cutter Metroidvania by most measures. Though mechanics may be genre familiar, and the labyrinthine layout of the map inspired this particular soulsborne hybrid hits home with some mature themes, and gameplay elements all it's own. 

Centered around a future of transhumanist tyranny brought on by the discovery of a new energy source by the ruling corporation, and the linked Garbanzo family we find a dystopia of souls enslaved in mechanical bodies known as Denzels. Slave driven servants designed solely to build a mecca for their masters. 

Shinji, a reluctant participant in the design of these maliciously manipulated machinations, decides one day to create her own Denzel free of influence in order to infiltrate the energy source's location, and to undo what has been done. A rebellious act that follows in a tale of love torn lesbian revenge so bloody it should be a Tarantino grindhouse flick.

Unfortunately for Shinji, and her new robotic lesbian partner Cherry things go south FAST!!! The corporate henchmen come calling upon discovery of her creation. Beating the bloody hell out of Cherry, and kidnapping Shinji from the crime scene to continue on with their plans involving the Denzels and the mecca utopia. Fortunately a helping hand in the guise of a cause friendly mechanic called Raz lends to Cherry's recovery and resurrection. Raz gives Cherry a new look, new weapons, and a new AI partner in the form of a 🐱 called Regina. All in an effort to exact revenge and rescue Shinji.

Utilizing found currency dropped from downed Denzels, energy cells, and upgradeable components Cherry is able to enhance her hardware and abilities at Denzel Stations between the revenge seeking. Cherry, as it were, is a woman on a mission, and will destroy anything that stands in her way using the weapons and combat skills at her beckon call. 

The weapons she utilizes are found along the way, and include, but are not limited to combo inclusive gadgets like the gauntlet that deals and extra powerful punch limited only by Cherry's void energy supply. Using void wisely, in this regard, is the key to outlasting the enemies and making the most of the weapons in your arsenal. This on top of a stamina free evasive sidestep/roll and a parry that can lead to instant brutality kills for health recovery keeps Cherry primed and ready to face the insurmountable odds.

In addition to the base mechanics comes the usual Metroidvania traversal basics, and other key abilities that will aide Cherry in her trek from point to point on the given map. Abilities like health regen at the expense of void are possible in a pinch. Seeing as combat is fast, and fluid with hand drawn animations to boot you will need to help Cherry stay on her toes deciding in the moment whether to parry, dodge or use the current weapon to dish out death and destruction. Failure to mind your health, and your void meter will quickly lead to untimely deaths wherein you'll be transported back to the last checkpoint you made it to. Rinse and repeat.

Rinsing and repeating is not a problem though as you can try as often as you need to beat the current roadblocks keeping away further progress. Teleportation options also help to this end in getting you from place to place quickly for backtracking sake. The main goal in all of this is to rescue Shinji, and exact revenge on her captors by clearing out minion mobs, and big bosses. Bringing down, once and for all, the tyrannical rule of the corrupt corporation. All while attempting to reunite the lesbian love birds for a happy ending.

The Presentation ...

Cookie Cutter is a beautifully rendered spectacle with hand drawn animations, and bloody combat. It takes place in a colorful dystopia filled with grotesque alien creatures, blood filled Denzel robots, and the occasional Garbanzo henchman sent in to thwart Cherry's progress. All of which is equally as articulated, and artistically represented. 

Alongside the stellar visuals and artistic flair are voice-overs that compliment the key characters, and breathe life into the storytelling. It looks and plays like a big budget indie, because of this attention to detail, and as such, earns the respect of a veteran Metroidvania fan, yours truly.

The Verdict ...

While the feminist slant, and female vulgarities in the form of a 🐱 AI partner might not be everyone's cup of tea Cherry and Shinji's lesbian love tragedy still stands out as a top notch addition to the Metroidvania genre. It does lean more towards being a soulsborne hybrid though, but maintains a perfect blend filled with bloody satisfying combat that once mastered can prove to be an entertaining display of player prowess, especially in the streaming scene. 

I do know this was a PC first release, and that the PS5 port was second helpings. That in mind the console port is mostly perfected though I did run into some awkward mishaps with the evasion mechanic that crutched on the use of the thumbstick for activation. Sometimes it will cause cherry to side step when you want her to perform a forward roll and this can end a run quickly, particularly in the mob sections of the map. Aside from that it's all cherry on the cake, pun intended. Look for this one to hit the PSN store soon!