Bicky's Bests - Cookie's Bustle Review: The *~Most~* Obscure & Adorbs Game You NEVER Knew You Needed!!! ๐ฎ๐
๐ BICKY'S BESTS ๐
*~Highlighting my favorite things, one post at a time~* โจ
OMG BESTIES, WE NEED TO TALK!!! ๐ ๐ค
I just discovered the *~most~* obscure, *~most~* chaotic, *~most~* ADORABLE game from 1999 and I am *literally* vibrating with excitement!!! ๐โจ
*Cookie living her best life during the opening story* ๐๐ถ
๐ฎ WHAT EVEN *IS* COOKIE'S BUSTLE?! ๐ฎ
Okay, so like, Cookie's Bustle is this *super* rare point-and-click adventure game made by this tiny 8-person indie studio in Japan called RODIK!!! ๐ฏ๐ตโจ It came out in 1999 (yes, the *same year* as *NSYNC's *No Strings Attached* album, *coincidence*? I THINK NOT!!! ๐ค) and it was *only* released in Japan at first!!!
The game follows our *iconic* heroine, Cookie Blair (yes, that's her *actual* name and it's *perfection* ๐
), a *5-year-old girl from New Jersey* who *thinks* she's a *teddy bear*!!! ๐งธ๐ She goes on this *wild* adventure in a world called... *drumroll*... Mysterious Bombo World!!! ๐๐ฅ Like, *what even is a Bombo*?! I don't know, but I am *here* for it!!!
๐ป THE *~PLOT TWIST~* YOU DIDN'T SEE COMING ๐ป
So, like, the *wildest* part?! Cookie starts as a *human silhouette* in the opening cutscene (so *mysterious*, right?! ๐ฑ) but then *POOF* โ she turns into a BEAR for the *rest of the game*!!! ๐ป๐ And *plot twist*, besties โ it's *NOT* just a random design choice!!! Our girl Cookie Blair is a *5-year-old from New Jersey* who *literally* *thinks* she's a teddy bear!!! ๐งธ๐
So of *COURSE* she looks like a bear in-game!!! It's *canon* and it's *perfection*!!!
*When you forget your bus ticket and the driver is *NOT* having it* ๐๐๏ธ
The game is *packed* with early 2000s point-and-click vibes โ you control Cookie with your mouse, interact with *everything*, and uncover the secrets of this *super* weird world!!! And OMG, the *art style*?! It's like if a Lisa Frank folder and a *Y2K* website had a *baby*!!! ๐๐ป
๐ THE *~TRAGIC~* TALE OF A GAME ALMOST LOST FOREVER ๐
Okay, besties, *buckle up* because this part is *heartbreaking*!!! ๐ญ Cookie's Bustle was *this close* to being *lost media* FOREVER!!! It was only published in Japan, and the copyright was all *messed up* (like, *who even owns this game*?!).
But THEN, the *absolute legends* at the Video Game History Foundation *stepped in* and *saved it* from the depths of copyright hell!!! ๐๐ Like, *THANK YOU* to the *heroes* who made sure this *masterpiece* didn't disappear!!!
Now we can all *experience* the magic of Cookie's Bustle without it *vanishing* like a *dial-up internet connection*!!! ๐ก๐
*The path to the coliseum is *~mysterious~* and *~dark~*... where are we *REALLY* going, Cookie?!* ๐๏ธ๐
โจ WHY YOU *NEED* TO PLAY THIS GAME โจ
- It's *~LITERALLY~* a time capsule from 1999!!! Like, *peak* early 2000s energy!!! ๐ฐ๏ธโจ
- The protagonist is a *BEAR* named Cookie Blair!!! A *5-year-old from New Jersey* who *thinks* she's a teddy bear!!! Need I say more?! ๐ป๐งธ๐
- It was *saved* from being lost forever!!! That's *literally* the most dramatic backstory ever!!! ๐ญ๐
- It's *~SO~* obscure, you'll feel like a *true* gamer for knowing about it!!! Like, *flex* on your friends!!! ๐ฎ๐
- It's *FREE* to play now!!! Thanks to the *legends* at VGHF!!! ๐๐
"Cookie's Bustle is like if *NSYNC* made a point-and-click adventure game, but *weirder* and with *more bears*!!! ๐ค๐ป"
๐ FINAL VERDICT: 10/10, WOULD *~STAN~* FOREVER!!! ๐
Cookie's Bustle is *literally* the *most* underrated gem of the early 2000s!!! It's *weird*, it's *wacky*, it's *wonderful*, and it's *100%* worth your time!!!
So *go* play it, besties!!! And when you do, *remember* โ this game is a *piece of history* that *almost didn't survive*!!! ๐ฎ๐โจ
*Drops mic, but it's bedazzled so it doesn't break* ๐ค๐
