As I start to think even a little deeply about this game and what I want to write about it, comparisons of other things I’ve played this year come to mind.
I could do a review that is essentially dunking on another game I played that wished it was Limbo, speak about how even some of that team’s designers have moved on and made a fantastic game rather than something mediocre but that doesn’t tell anyone reading about Cocoon bar some history.
Another line of thought is how the last puzzle game I played I think is technically worse in so many ways compared to Cocoon but actually I still prefer it, but again that tells you nothing about Cocoon it’s more looking at a world of puzzle games and how the genre can work.
Instead I have decided to put those thoughts in here, like spheres within spheres and for anyone who has played Cocoon already you can see that this is a very weak analogy on what Cocoon actually is about and does.
Cocoon is a puzzle adventure game, the main premise is that on certain points of a level pull yourself out of the world and into another leaving the world you were just in as a colourful sphere that not only can you hop back in with one of the most quick and beautiful transitions in gaming, you can pick up, move about and use within the new world, the new layer you are in.
To say Cocoon is mind-bending actually sells it quite short. Not since Portal have I found a game that stopped me in my tracks thinking about possibilities and consequences as much as this.
I’m not here dismissing the many other perspective shifting “Portal likes” we’ve had over the years, I’ve enjoyed them but although all these games at their heart are actually linear Portal and Cocoon are two titles which have sent my brain, my thoughts into a small rollercoaster ride of loops and it is brilliant.
At first it’s just a simple case of leaving a world, finding something in the new world, diving back into the old with the item to continue a path.
It quickly progresses on to then coming back out, moving that world around and using it to unlock things in the layer above/outside and even as I type this fairly simple scenario in the grand scheme of Cocoon I find I don’t really have the right words to describe things because they are not simple in any fashion.
Added layers of complexity build as the orb worlds become more layers deep, you’re juggling what you are using and where you are going.
Further progression leads these orbs into giving you traversal powers meaning you get to delve deeper into each of them and all the while this sounds incredibly deep and complex you never feel completely lost.
Outside of Cocoon having and executing its mind-melting ideas, the design of the game is so strong that the player should barely feel lost.
The soundscape helps guide you, little chimes tell you you’re on the right path, while physically the world moves makes backtracking impossible only to a point that you may need to go.
You may get stuck, but it is never physical, you will always find yourself in a place with all the tools you need and the only limit is your own mind which when solving leads to the beautiful eureka moments these games are made of.
Interactions are minimal, the game uses the stick and a single button your protagonist - a sort of bug-dude - flutters their wings when something can be activated they can clearly only carry a single thing and places to pop the orbs down are extremely clear.
Like the best puzzle games, simple controls and a lack of visual clutter allow you to focus and get into a flow.
The movement is simple but it feels nice, it’s smooth and paced perfectly and surprisingly comes into play in a way I was expecting as I started the game.
There are bosses.
I say bosses because this is the typical gaming terminology but like the great classic bosses of the 2D Zelda titles they are more about patterns and puzzles.
Your bug pal is never in fear of a game over, a boss will usually throw you back into a world/layer up so you need to restart. This could be irritating due to repetition but these battles are never too long and due to skill being more in pattern recognition each step generally gets quicker the more you do it.
As I come towards the end of my thoughts on Cocoon one final question pops into my mind, about a layer that encases the entirety of its universe; “does Cocoon have a story?”.
The answer simply is, yes. However, to explain the story is hard, I will admit I don’t have the strongest grasp on it, even a few days removed I think about what certain iconography may mean and the protagonist's role in the grand scheme.
If I were to be extremely broad in my explanation I would say the story shows the creation of a universe, its life sources, its guardians and its gods. The insect styling of not only the player character but the bosses and other surrounding things and another layer of thought is how many insects perform tasks sometimes unknowingly and how they have hierarchies too.
The world or worlds, are diverse, beautiful, they feel isolated but with a purpose and connection at the same time. All the time feeling cohesive and carrying you through with little irritation.
Cocoon is a game I believe everyone should have a look at if they can, it has a short run time and is “free” on Game Pass. Even if you are not into head scratching it is worth popping on just to see the wonderful visuals, hear the beautiful soundscape and witness the mind bending things the game does.
If anything for me personally I found the game didn’t have me scratching my head enough, there are points where I paused in astonishment realising what I had to do but the eureka moments felt less often than I would like - Cocoon’s eureka moments along with it presentation are flashier than other puzzlers but while I am not saying the game isn’t deep - style over substance could be argued comparing to other games within the genre.
Perhaps I need to give Cocoon more time before I finish this review but let it be known that the uncertainty in my mind isn’t whether or not Cocoon is good. Cocoon is great, I am just unsure on its level of greatness and in a few months time I’m sure it will be on top of many GOTY lists.
I could do a review that is essentially dunking on another game I played that wished it was Limbo, speak about how even some of that team’s designers have moved on and made a fantastic game rather than something mediocre but that doesn’t tell anyone reading about Cocoon bar some history.
Another line of thought is how the last puzzle game I played I think is technically worse in so many ways compared to Cocoon but actually I still prefer it, but again that tells you nothing about Cocoon it’s more looking at a world of puzzle games and how the genre can work.
Instead I have decided to put those thoughts in here, like spheres within spheres and for anyone who has played Cocoon already you can see that this is a very weak analogy on what Cocoon actually is about and does.
Cocoon is a puzzle adventure game, the main premise is that on certain points of a level pull yourself out of the world and into another leaving the world you were just in as a colourful sphere that not only can you hop back in with one of the most quick and beautiful transitions in gaming, you can pick up, move about and use within the new world, the new layer you are in.
To say Cocoon is mind-bending actually sells it quite short. Not since Portal have I found a game that stopped me in my tracks thinking about possibilities and consequences as much as this.
I’m not here dismissing the many other perspective shifting “Portal likes” we’ve had over the years, I’ve enjoyed them but although all these games at their heart are actually linear Portal and Cocoon are two titles which have sent my brain, my thoughts into a small rollercoaster ride of loops and it is brilliant.
At first it’s just a simple case of leaving a world, finding something in the new world, diving back into the old with the item to continue a path.
It quickly progresses on to then coming back out, moving that world around and using it to unlock things in the layer above/outside and even as I type this fairly simple scenario in the grand scheme of Cocoon I find I don’t really have the right words to describe things because they are not simple in any fashion.
Added layers of complexity build as the orb worlds become more layers deep, you’re juggling what you are using and where you are going.
Further progression leads these orbs into giving you traversal powers meaning you get to delve deeper into each of them and all the while this sounds incredibly deep and complex you never feel completely lost.
Outside of Cocoon having and executing its mind-melting ideas, the design of the game is so strong that the player should barely feel lost.
The soundscape helps guide you, little chimes tell you you’re on the right path, while physically the world moves makes backtracking impossible only to a point that you may need to go.
You may get stuck, but it is never physical, you will always find yourself in a place with all the tools you need and the only limit is your own mind which when solving leads to the beautiful eureka moments these games are made of.
Interactions are minimal, the game uses the stick and a single button your protagonist - a sort of bug-dude - flutters their wings when something can be activated they can clearly only carry a single thing and places to pop the orbs down are extremely clear.
Like the best puzzle games, simple controls and a lack of visual clutter allow you to focus and get into a flow.
The movement is simple but it feels nice, it’s smooth and paced perfectly and surprisingly comes into play in a way I was expecting as I started the game.
There are bosses.
I say bosses because this is the typical gaming terminology but like the great classic bosses of the 2D Zelda titles they are more about patterns and puzzles.
Your bug pal is never in fear of a game over, a boss will usually throw you back into a world/layer up so you need to restart. This could be irritating due to repetition but these battles are never too long and due to skill being more in pattern recognition each step generally gets quicker the more you do it.
As I come towards the end of my thoughts on Cocoon one final question pops into my mind, about a layer that encases the entirety of its universe; “does Cocoon have a story?”.
The answer simply is, yes. However, to explain the story is hard, I will admit I don’t have the strongest grasp on it, even a few days removed I think about what certain iconography may mean and the protagonist's role in the grand scheme.
If I were to be extremely broad in my explanation I would say the story shows the creation of a universe, its life sources, its guardians and its gods. The insect styling of not only the player character but the bosses and other surrounding things and another layer of thought is how many insects perform tasks sometimes unknowingly and how they have hierarchies too.
The world or worlds, are diverse, beautiful, they feel isolated but with a purpose and connection at the same time. All the time feeling cohesive and carrying you through with little irritation.
Cocoon is a game I believe everyone should have a look at if they can, it has a short run time and is “free” on Game Pass. Even if you are not into head scratching it is worth popping on just to see the wonderful visuals, hear the beautiful soundscape and witness the mind bending things the game does.
If anything for me personally I found the game didn’t have me scratching my head enough, there are points where I paused in astonishment realising what I had to do but the eureka moments felt less often than I would like - Cocoon’s eureka moments along with it presentation are flashier than other puzzlers but while I am not saying the game isn’t deep - style over substance could be argued comparing to other games within the genre.
Perhaps I need to give Cocoon more time before I finish this review but let it be known that the uncertainty in my mind isn’t whether or not Cocoon is good. Cocoon is great, I am just unsure on its level of greatness and in a few months time I’m sure it will be on top of many GOTY lists.
Angry_Kurt
8 months ago