PUT simply, Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition is bloody brilliant. Indeed you can’t escape the blood. It’s absolutely everywhere.
Because from an overly-gruesome opening scene, it soon becomes apparent that this beautifully butchering beat ’em up pulls zero punches.
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It’s Kill Bill meets Earthworm Jim – with a splattering of Hollow Knight thrown in for good measure.
You play crazy Cherry, a psychotic android waitress who is out for bloody revenge after her love is taken from her by the evil Infonet.
She has to explore the gloriously detailed biomes of Megastructure as she strives to meet her maker again.
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As far as Metroidvania titles go, this one will be hard to beat this year.
Despite already being released on other formats, Overkill Edition lands the carnage-drenched Cookie Cutter in the hands of Nintendo Switch owners.
And it’s good timing too – it is will well worth bashing through before the release of Nintendo Switch 2.
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And it boasts a few lovely additions too. As well as a sexy 60FPS, there are new fight moves, map updates and clever Easter eggs.
But the two most noticeable additions include cut-scenes before the boss battles and full voice acting for the characters.
Overkill Edition completes an already outstanding game.
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Cherry is as badass as ever. Whether she’s wielding a chainsaw or raining down hell with an electric guitar, the action in Cookie Cutter is intense and blood-soaked. Just check out the trailer below:
The hand-drawn 2D visuals delight the senses and look great on the Switch.
And the game itself is as tough as it was before.
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Persistence is key to Cookie Cutter – if at first you don’t succeed, slay, slay and slay again.
Although you can upgrade as you progress, you must rely on a limited abilities to begin with as you slog your way through the Megastructure with chaotic combos and viscous uppercuts.
Light attacks build up your VOID power which can then be used for a massive heavy assault or a (painfully slow) healing process.
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But the real battle comes in overcoming seemingly endless waves of enemies in lock rooms that won’t open the doors until you’ve dispatched everyone and everything in sight. Which is where perseverance comes into play.
Because it feels like a pain to begin with, and isn’t easy (alas, you can’t change the difficulty level) but Cherry’s upgrades are literally just around the next corner and the game becomes a lot easier to master as you go.
And the inaccessible areas at the start of the game are a cinch later on as you go back to explore with a bigger, more badass version of Cherry.
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Cookie Cutter has a feel of Ori and the Blind Forest about it when it comes to secret areas, ledges and sections that are clearly out of reach to begin with but you know to come back later once you’ve levelled up.
Like any decent Metroidvania there are plenty of hidden nuggets to surprise the curious gamer who sniffs around seemingly inaccessible areas or punches through the right wall.
And the linear nature of the game isn’t as restrictive as first thought with an option to take on certain areas first before stumbling upon a big boss.
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Denzel Stations teleport you to other areas in the game but more often than not you’ll find that there’s no easy way through.
Can’t go round it. Can’t go over it. Have to go through it – with fury, anger and screams of hell which soak up a lot of the 20-odd hours you can rinse out of Cookie Cutter.
Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition is a polished version of the original game – a bone-breaking dystopian romp which is as gory as it is glorious.
An uppercut above the rest.
Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition
- FORMATS: PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, PC
- PRICE: £16
- PUBLISHER: Rogue Games
- DEVELOPER: Subcult Joint
- RELEASE DATE: Out now
- AGE RATING: 16
- SCORE: 4/5
