What Cookies vs. Claus is
Cookies vs. Claus is an asymmetric shooter that mixes first-person shooting with battle arena play. One side is a squad of cookies, the other side is a holiday character, and the two sides are not evenly matched. You can also play cookie against cookie, or a free-for-all where every cookie fights for itself and the first to 25 kills takes the win. The game is in Early Access, so expect things to change as it develops.
Playing it with your group
You can jump into match-made games and vote on the map and mode you want next, or set up a custom game so your group picks everything. If you are short on people, custom games can be filled with bots, so you can play solo too. On Team Cookies you pick from a range of cookies, each with its own abilities, and find different ways to take Santa down. On Team Santa you play as Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Laser Beam Reindeer, or Stelf the Elf, facing a squad of cookies while trying to save yourself and the presents. Splitting your group across the two sides is where the asymmetry shows: the cookies rely on numbers and abilities, the holiday character plays alone against them.
Maps, toys and customization
Three maps are available: Christmas Home, The North Pole, and Cookie Cove. Each one is stocked with toys and power-ups that either side can operate, including planes, tanks and elves that come to life during the fight, so controlling the map matters as much as aiming. Cookie skins let you change how your cookie looks before you head in. Since the mode and map are voted on between matches, it is worth knowing which of the three maps your group prefers before you start a session.