4.5/5 ★ – DanteSnowcone's review of Cocoon.

Geometric Interactive’s debut game shows off the team’s immense talent for making a beautiful, cohesive and tight experience. Jeppe Carlsen is great at designing games that use simple mechanics to their fullest, and he certainly delivers a high-quality adventure yet again. The worlds are as stunning as they are unsettling. The moth-like protagonist jumps from sienna deserts to viridian marshes, from vibrant landscapes to cold and endless hubs of machinery, while the player is never certain of where they are going or why. The puzzles aren’t too demanding, but they are unique, so you’re always stretching your brain at least a little. I had several instances of saying “I didn’t know I could do that” out loud to nobody in particular. There’s no combat, but there are bosses. They’re easy in a way that makes them feel challenging: one hit knocks you out of the ring and back to the beginning of the encounter, and you’re only just quick enough to make your move against them most of the time. I was hoping the final gauntlet would be a mix of puzzles and bosses, but no such luck. There is a story… I think. Much like Inside, the game shows rather than tells, but what it shows is so far removed from my frame of reference that I just enjoyed the cool scenery and creepy cosmic creatures. I’ll probably read about it later and go “oh, okay sure.” Cocoon is objectively a great game, but I don’t think I was in the right headspace for it. I kept falling asleep while playing, and it’s sort of easy for that to happen here because once you’re stuck on a puzzle, there is absolutely nothing else to do. There are plenty of people who would not enjoy this due to the action being almost entirely puzzle-based, but it’s expertly crafted and, at 4-5 hours, worth anyone’s time. Time played: 5 hours Played on Steam Deck