Cocoon Reviews
A puzzle adventure of rare ingenuity that thrives on its tactility as much as its design.
Cocoon is one to remember. This puzzle adventure builds on ideas from Limbo and Inside and creates a mind-bending, world-warping adventure unlike either of them.
Worlds sit within worlds in this properly magical puzzle adventure.
It has incredible art design and presentation, is so cleverly designed, and has a pace that makes it hard to put down once things get going. The surface-level view of the game is unassuming but digging into the worlds of Cocoon reveals an experience that is unforgettable.
While Cocoon didn’t connect with me on the same level as other indie puzzlers, I had a great time venturing through orbs to solve mind-bending puzzles and explore alien worlds. The game also succeeds when it comes to giving you a great WTF ending, which is a requirement for this genre. It’s nice to see that even after leaving Playdead these developers are still able to deliver another fun albeit utterly baffling experience. All that's keeping it from being a true masterpiece is a little more child danger and an appearance from the Quaker Oats man himself.
"It all evokes the same galaxy-brain mind-bending puzzles of Portal, Superliminal, Marquette, and Viewfinder"
I don’t know that I will ever fully understand what transpired during my molecular journey on Cocoon’s alien world, but its imagery and puzzles will stay with me for some time.
From its puzzles to its visuals, Cocoon is a beautiful and superbly designed game that delivers a meaningful message in a subtle way.
Geometric Interactive has created an impossibility with Cocoon. It’s a joyful, improbable experience that will leave you transformed.
The thing I loved most about playing Cocoon is how often I found answers without even seeking them. It’s so keen to share its secrets with you that it works harder at creating the illusion of being lost or stuck than it does at actually trying to stump the player or leave them feeling stranded. Like a complex sequence of sleight-of-hand coin tricks, its overwhelming layers are only there to disorient you long enough that you feel surprised and delighted when the object is revealed again. And Cocoon’s tricks are ones I won’t soon forget.
Geometric Interactive's debut in Cocoon, though lacking in the kind of imagination and surreal creativity its premise might entail, still winds up a pleasant and solid-enough first attempt.
Masterful geography makes this world-hopping puzzler not only a series of clever problems, but a grand exploration of a wonderfully realised cosmic universe.
Cocoon is a fun and addictive puzzler. Its unique mechanics and gameplay had us glued to our screens, and it’s gorgeous to boot. Its lack of story is a minor disappointment, but if you love puzzles and aren't bugged by fast-paced combat, this game will be an easy favourite — even if it flies by all too quickly.
Cocoon is a beautifully designed puzzler with some fascinating ideas woven throughout the fabric of the world.
I’ve reviewed hundreds of games, and this is the first time I can say with confidence that it’s pretty much impossible to find anything bad to say about COCOON. As such, I won’t manufacture criticism. It’s a must-play experience–a real 10/10, if I gave review scores. Which I never have. Even if I just did.
Cocoon is a beautiful experience that marries a gorgeous aesthetic with increasingly complex puzzles that really push you to experiment with the game's mechanics. Whilst it isn't a long or excessively challenging game, I would urge you to absorb yourselves in its dimension-hopping delights.
While not reinventing genre mechanics, Cocoon is an intriguing puzzle game that immerses the player in an introspective journey through spheres that encompass entire worlds within them. Despite being notably simple, it offers well-constructed enigmas and a remarkably well-balanced learning curve. It doesn't reach the expressive heights of titles like Journey but represents a significant advancement in Carlsen's games, inviting the players to reflect on themselves and the worlds they've created. Highly recommended.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A wordless and atmospheric puzzle game that's just as ingenious and inventive as Limbo and Inside, but with more substantial gameplay and perfect pacing.
Like the previous Jeppe Carlsen games, Cocoon is a special title, a wonderful little puzzle adventure that plays with original concepts and ideas. It may be brief, leaving you wanting more... But it is one of those indie games that, as soon as you are attracted to the genre, you have to play yes or yes.
Review in Spanish | Read full review