Cocoon

When it comes to puzzle games there are few that captivate the way that Cocoon can. Very early into gameplay you will realize how special this title is in a variety of ways. The multi-dimensional space-time hopping mechanics are the real magic sauce that sell this experience. The game makes use of mechanics that so fine-tuned, even the later, more-challenging puzzles feel exhilarating to play through. Everything feels smooth like butter, from the gameplay to the great visuals and slick animations. 

The art direction of Cocoon is simplistic in all the right ways. Any random screenshot you take will end up looking like geometric art that you would find on Tumblr or Pinterest. The visuals are enough to already make this one of the cleanest looking games to come out in 2023, and that says a lot considering the sheer number of titles that released that year. There are no menu bars or icons to look at as the focus is purely on the world(s) and the puzzles inside of them. Even the title screen beautifully animates the name “Cocoon” into existence on a plain black background. The game is extremely intentional with its use of colors too, and uses this to convey which dimension you are currently exploring. All of this is to say that each dimension/setting has its own theme to it, which is a necessary distinction when the late-game puzzles in this game take more time to solve. Even the interact-able elements in the game are color coded to signify what they can accomplish. Not a single aspect is given a direct name, which further emphasizes the use of colors to convey possible actions. In-fact, I believe the only moment you see text in this game from start to finish is at the title screen itself. 

The aesthetic of the game can range from the right amounts of colorful to dark, but never eerie or unsettling. That is, until you get to the bosses of these worlds. Each boss that you encounter makes you question at which point of the evolutionary chain these beings had branched off. That is not to say that they don’t fit in with the game or worlds, they all appear to be from the location that each battle takes place. These large and powerful looking creatures make themselves stand out with their interesting aesthetic and sometimes darker tones of colors. These tones are seen once very early on in the game. This is when the playable character itself is “birthed” by falling out of an unnerving looking cocoon. After which, the bosses clash with the playable character in both objective and origin. 

Between all the dimensional puzzles are some puzzles within the worlds themselves. Some of which make use of other dimensions, and some accomplish this completely within one itself. The environment uses its design to convey the possible mechanics at specific locations.

Although the previous example reads insane on paper, not all puzzles in this game are gigantic programing flexes. Some puzzles can take on simpler approach that accomplish something in their own right. One type of puzzle that you’ll see sprinkled around your adventure is designed to use the environment to convey a “key” to the player. The first time I came across a puzzle such as this, I thought I arrived to a section that I was not supposed to be at yet. This type of environmental awareness can dwindle in puzzle games as the player usually is focused on the puzzles themselves. Depending on the level of focus, you can forget to take in the environment at time to time. Having the player reach a stumping point, look around for clues, and realize that the clue was right in front of them the whole time is genius. This approach reminds the player to take a break every once and a while. It seems that these shifts in ways to analyze the world are attempts to remind the player to admire the intentional design of its world and landscape. 

Everything mentioned thus far has revolves around the aesthetic and the puzzles. The final aspect that feels impossible not to mention would have to be the bosses that inhabit Cocoon. As mentioned prior, the bosses in this game have a strange and unexplained connection to the playable character. This is simply due to the eerie cocoon that the player emerges from at the beginning of the game. Aside from that, little is known about these gigantic creatures. Their abilities, coupled with the way that they punish you are what really sets them apart. Each main ability that you use to combat the bosses are taught to you in different ways. This can either be a progressive thing, or a unexplored mechanic that is quickly shown to you; comparable to not getting proper training at a new job. The introduction to these short-lived mechanics is not my preferred method of handling this, however it is few and far between even when it does occur. The real highlight is the way that the bosses punish the player for slip-ups in their gameplay. In Cocoon, you don’t collect items, you have no “health bar”, and you do not gain experience points. This might leave you to wonder what possible punishments could exist for when boss battles do not go as planned, since there is no traditional way for you to lose anything in terms of in-game progression. The answer to this question might seem a bit too simple, which is that you start over again! A lot of the boss battles require intricate movement, sometimes with limitations imposed such as speed or certain obstacles. Being touched, or touching the wrong thing – by the wrong obstacle – is what sends you back to the start. Where “sends you back” meaning the boss grabs you, the playable character, and yeets you back to the dimension that you originally came from. It is a very smart way to deal with adding marginally tougher challenges to a game that almost feels impossible to pull-off the concept of bosses in. The animation of being grabbed during a boss battle, and being thrown back to the dimension you were previously in feels mesmerizing, and makes the player want to jump back in to the action. All of it makes sense and feels fitting. Before you can progress and move on to the next setting, the final boss throwing you out of the dimension that you are trying to master is the perfect approach to this world design.  

There is very little to complain about with Cocoon. It offers engaging gameplay that keeps you wondering how much more it can push the mechanics in the game. It has fantastic game design that is great for replay-ability after a short break of completing it. This is a title I would recommend to anyone that is into puzzle-based games, without hesitation. 

Rating

9.5 / 10