A great example of a story that can only be told via a video game; the way the plot moves and develops is so interconnected with the game's mechanics that it's hard to imagine this really existing in any other form, and that in itself is already enough to make the game worth experiencing.

I love the characters, humour, and the way the animations compliment both of these aspects so well. The story itself is largely enjoyable and very engaging, though so relentlessly full of twists and turns, and constantly asking you to suspend your disbelief even further, that I never really gained my footing for long enough to form much of an emotional connection with what was happening.

The actual puzzles in the game are generally pretty easy, especially with the game's habit of pushing hints on to you, and sometimes they struggle to elevate far beyond "interact with everything you can see", but the way they're so deeply integrated with the story, and the manner in which the game uses them to express its humour, is so satisfying that I largely think of them fondly anyways.

Also; Missile is really good.

If you go into this game believing it to be on the same level as Baba is You, The Witness, or even Return of the Obra Dinn in terms of puzzle complexity, you will be sorely disappointed. Cocoon has no interest in being those games; nearly all of its solutions are crystal clear once you think about them for a few moments. You can only interact with the world around you in few different ways, and the developers intentionally limit you from breaking away from their guided path. Despite the fact that--by the time you get two universe orbs--your options will blossom into myriad possible solutions, the reality is that there are almost always so few solutions that you can trial and error your way through every puzzle. Once you recognize that this is a game made by people who made Inside, and recognize it as more of a roped off experience with amusement park rides disguised as puzzles, you will find much more enjoyment here. In fact, I found myself being wowed several times in the short runtime. The conceit of the game is worth the price of admission alone, as it is used in such a way as to elicit wonder. This is less Zachtronics and more Gorogoa, making the dimension hopping a joy unto itself. Despite this, I couldn't help but feel like this concept could easily be used to craft a truly remarkable and challenging puzzle game. One moment near the end of the game sent my mind racing with possibilities, only to quickly be met by a final "puzzle" that was so milquetoast that I thought I got a bad ending. The game flirts with genius too much to acquiesce to its ultimate objective. It seems unfair to criticize it in this way, as it is clearly in the same lineage as the developers' previous games, but I think it speaks more to the latent potential in the concept.