Carpal tunnel has never been so widely accessible! …Nor as addicting.

If I told you that you got what you paid for, I’d be lying. Cookie Clicker is, well, a game about clicking cookies (or just a singular cookie if you’re a purist). There’s upgrades to click for you, bake for you, farm for you, any and all the amenities a cookie tycoon like yourself would need. But the baking goes far beyond the left mouse button and a purchase here and there, there’s minigames, seasonal events, a stock market to manage, even a cookie-centric eldritch uprising.

But how is it? I mean, how does a game whose legacy as the grand-daddy of all clicker games come to hold up in the modern year? The answer is surprisingly well! Cookie Clicker looks great, sounds great, and has all that serotonin-inducing haptic feedback you’d get from a clicker-toy. There’s a few graphical errors down the line, but I’ve only come across them once or twice, and saving and restarting your game can be done in less than ten seconds, so it’s really a non-issue.

The essence of building up an empire and watching your numbers grow is just as cathartic as you’d hope it is, and thematically, it’s just as sweet. With a soundtrack by C418 and a price tag of only $4.99 USD, I’d hope my 417.4 hours would have been worth it. I won’t spoil too much about the actual substance, rather than sing the praises of the gameplay, or what gameplay you make of a clicker / idle game.

Cookie Clicker is one of those games whose mere existence is a testament to the dedication and love of indie development. Take games like Terraria or Stardew Valley whose fan bases have exponentially grown over the years because their respective developer(s) have continued to show love for not just their own game, but their community as well. Ortiel is that kind of developer.

I can’t entirely speak to the gameplay, for what little or what lot(?) you decide to play with, but the sheer dedication to continue supporting a game ten years after it’s conception on flash of all things, is bar none to most triple-a games. Cookie Clicker is an idol of a simpler time of in-browser gaming, and it’s here to stay.

Take notes, everyone. THIS is how you do an incremental game. Cookie Clicker features an engaging progression and upgrade system that keeps you hooked from the early stages all the way to the late game. The game consistently introduces fresh variations on mechanics to keep the experience dynamic and exciting. It strikes an excellent balance between idle and active play, catering to different play styles.

The theme is fun, and for those of us who grew up with browser games: nostalgic. The prestige system is well designed, offering high replayability. Also, no microtransactions. My only complaint with this version is the inclusion of certain shadow achievements as Steam achievements.