When we first reviewed Cookie Cutter when it came out on PlayStation 5, it was in a weird state. It felt like it was incomplete due to a lopsided story presentation and the gameplay could have used some finesse. After some time in the market, it was time for Cookie Cutter to find its way to the Nintendo Switch.
This was already a solid metroidvania that boasted technically impressive HD art, but converting it to a handheld console would come with compromises. Character animations were always fluid due to the countless frames of animations and unique drawings that had to be called at any second. Surely this would be a tall order for modest Switch specs, right?
What’s so “Overkill” about this Switch port of Cookie Cutter? What’s new and how does it run? Find out in our Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition port report!
Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition
Developer: Subcult Joint
Publisher: Rogue Games
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S (as Cookie Cutter), PlayStation 5 (as Cookie Cutter), Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
Release Date: March 27, 2025
Price: $19.99
Cookie Cutter is a cyberpunk story centered on an android seeking revenge on the megacrop who killed her girlfriend. It’s a setting and plot you’ve probably seen before, but you have never seen it quite like this. The pitch promises “post-kawaii”, but that undersells the shocking visceral, gut-reaction of the in-your-face trash-punk nihilism.
The first thing anyone will notice about Cookie Cutter is its visual design. The art direction is boisterous and outlandish. It combines elements of street art, underground Euro comics, and Y2K punk edginess into one angry package. It’s like the game screen can barely contain the beastial imagery trying to claw its way out.
Animation is playfully exaggerated and zany. Cherry’s movements are wild and explosive as she morphs into bizarre shapes. The artists are fast and loose with their models, further emphasizing the laissez-faire and punk sensibilities of the story and setting.
On Nintendo Switch, the animation is preserved and at 60 FPS too, but it comes at the cost of the game becoming noticeably lower resolution. There are digital artifacts through out, making the presentation look rougher and jagged. The art is sadly compromised yet it feels more appropriate. Cookie Cutter is set in a rough world full of rough characters and slick clean lines feel less appropriate.
The character designs are wild and unusual. Cherry is a lover her or hate her kind of character. She’s full of piss and vinegar, and fights like she doesn’t deserve to live. Her design and movement in visceral; boiling with attitude, freakishly small feet, and feculent granny panties, rotten with the stink of Redbull farts. She’s a deliberately dirty and trashy character in a dirty and trashy world that doesn’t value life.
This is a bleak story with screwed up characters. Despite its zany visuals and outrageous animation, the overall atmosphere is depressing when you think about it. On the surface, it would be easy to dismiss Cookie Cutter as some woke thing, but it isn’t. Everything about this game was meant to go against the grain and challenge the player in more ways than one.
If you can accept Cherry’s character flaws, you’ll find Cookie Cutter is a righteous metroidvania that emphasizes combat. The brawling didn’t need much fixing, yet Overkill Edition feels more fluid and tighter. Moves flow together fluently. Tiny technical adjustments to hit boxes, cancel timing, frame prioritization, and hit stun improve the combat in ways that enhance the playability.
The range of attacks and expression has been expanded for more technical combos. The combat system has a lot for gamers to sink their teeth into, including a few additional upgrades that took me by surprise. Cherry’s abilities feel more refined now, like the original release was like a beta build compared to what you get in Overkill Edition. This is what Cookie Cutter was meant to be.
Performing brutal fatalities and zandatsu-ing HP to maintain a steady flow of ultra-violence is more satisfying than it ever was when it came out. Traversal is still smooth. Cherry is way more acrobatic than her flabby frame would suggest and she controls very tightly and fluently. It feels as if she can do anything and her expressive frames of animation emphasize weight, build-up, and follow through.
Parrying and counters are still unbelievably difficult and unreliable, yet this seemingly is the intent. The game’s tutorial emphasizes the unreasonably small window to parry and flat out warns gamers that they’ll be better off dodge rolling.
Another obvious enhancement is the voice acting. When Cookie Cutter first came out, the dialogue was unusually front loaded in the story. After the first few hours, cutscenes didn’t have any voice acting at all. It was a bizarre and distracting choice that undersold the chemistry between the characters.
Thankfully, Overkill Edition has fully voiced cutscenes from start to finish. It goes a long way in conveying emotions where the animators could prioritize gameplay. The actors do the heavy lifting for the comedy and drama, cutting some slack for the animators.
Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition is a lower rez, beefier, more polished, and slightly bigger version of a pretty underrated metroidvania. It’s impressive that it runs 60 fps on Switch, but you’ll notice the artifacting when playing on TV mode. The background art and character sprites took a hefty hit and look rougher now, but in a way its appropriate considering the subject matter in the story.
Overkill Edition looks a lot better in handheld mode and is probably the way it was intended to be played. Cookie Cutter’s characters and premise are an acquired taste. The writing may be up its own ass, but thankfully its ass is a pretty comfy place to be.
Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch using a code provided by Rogue Games. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Cuisineer is now available for PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
