Cocoonis an upcoming indie game that features puzzles and platform mechanics. Set for release in 2023, the game will be published by Annapurna Interactive, a company known for other excellent titles, such asJourneyandWhat Remains of Edith Finch.
Theindie gameis also being developed by Geometric Interactive, which was founded by Jeppe Carlsen and Jakob Schmid. Both are former employees of the game developer Playdead, and they’ve worked on the company’s highly acclaimed titles,LimboandInside. Given this, fans of atmospheric puzzle games would do well to keep an eye onCocoon.
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Cocoon Explained
Upcoming indie gameCocoonhas a unique setting as the game takes place across many different worlds, each contained in an orb. Aside from being miniature worlds, these orbs also have different uses. The player must utilize them to solve puzzles and progress through the game. In doing so, the player can masterCocoon’sworld-leaping features and ultimately “unravel a cosmic mystery.”
What this cosmic mystery could be remains to be seen. However, the game’s Steam page description reveals that itcould involve alien technologyand otherworldly beings. The natural environments and mechanical structures inCocoonare supposedly the remains of an ancient civilization. The player must learn to navigate and operate them if they wish to uncover the ancient race’s secrets.
Surprisingly, the game also hints at there being boss battles, though the reveal trailer only gives players a glimpse of this. At the end of the video, the camera zooms out of the many orbs to show a much larger world, with a gargantuan, beetle-like creature looking down ominously at the mass.Cocoon’sSteam page describes these hulking beings as “mighty guardians,” whom the player will have toface in fierce boss battles.
The People Behind Cocoon
Having explainedCocoon’spremise and gameplay, it’s worth going into why the title is worth watching - although the beginning of the trailer should already give players a good idea as to why. In the video’s introduction, text flashes on the screen, announcing that the game comes from Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer for Playdead’sLimboandInside.
LimboandInsidewere well-receivedwhen they were first released, owing to the titles’ iconic visual styles, clever puzzles, and somewhat open-ended yet compelling stories. Carlsen was quite particular in how he designed the games’ puzzles. In an old interview aboutLimbo, he explains that he treats the player as his worst enemy, crafting “the most devious puzzle possible” to keep them from moving forward. After that, however, the player becomes his friend, so he sets down the right clues and dials back the puzzle difficulty when needed.
This design philosophy seemed to haveworked well inLimbo, but it was even better inInside. The improved visuals and more populated world highlighted the game’s environmental puzzles. Following that logic,Cocoonmight showcase Carlsen’s puzzle design at its best. Granted, the lead designer has yet to tackle a game from the top-down view, but it’s an exciting shift in perspective (literally) that could bring about more novel puzzles.
That said, Carlsen isn’t the only notable person working onCocoon. The co-founder of Geometric Interactive, Jakob Schmid, is also working on the game’s music. Having collaborated with Martin Stig Andersen on the music forInside, it would be interesting to see what Schmid has in mind for the upcoming indie game. If the trailer is anything to go on, Schmid seems to be sticking to Playdead’s style of atmospheric music, just with a more vibrant tone to match the aesthetic ofCocoon.
Overall, Cocoonis a game worth checking out, as it’s the brainchild of skilled game developers and will be published by a reputable company.Puzzle platformer fans should definitely try itupon release.
Cocoonis currently in development.
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