Cocoon Review: Worlds Within Worlds, Puzzles Within Puzzles

Cocoon is one of those games that keeps making you wonder how anyone came up with the idea. You control a small insect carrying glowing orbs, and inside each orb is an entire world. The game was developed by Geometric Interactive, the studio of Jeppe Carlsen, who previously worked on Limbo and Inside. It was published by Annapurna Interactive on September 29, 2023.

We traveled through the worlds and reveal why Cocoon ranks among the best puzzle games of recent years. On Steam, around 93 percent of reviews are positive.

Cocoon: How the puzzle adventure plays

The controls couldn't be simpler: you move and use a single action button. That's all you need. You pick up orbs, place them on pedestals and jump into them. Inside awaits a new world where you find more orbs you can take with you in turn.

This creates puzzles that play with worlds within worlds. You carry one world into another, use each orb's special abilities and eventually have to think several steps ahead. The game explains almost nothing, yet you nearly always understand what to do. That's great design.

Occasional boss fights are designed as puzzles too. They aren't hard, but they add variety.

Atmosphere and scope

There's no story in the traditional sense. Cocoon tells its tale only through its world: mysterious machines, ruins and creatures whose meaning you have to interpret yourself. This restraint fits the studio's style and is reminiscent of Limbo and Inside.

At five to seven hours, Cocoon is on the short side. In return, there's hardly any downtime, and every puzzle brings a new idea. If you hunt for all the hidden extras, you'll play a bit longer. Replay value is low, though.

Graphics, sound and tech

The graphics are colorful, organic and alien. Each world has its own style, from desert to swamp. Jakob Schmid's soundtrack builds a calm, mysterious mood.

Cocoon was built in Unity and runs smoothly on most PCs. You'll find the minimum requirements in the table below this article. On Steam Deck, the game is Verified.

You can read more about the studio on our Geometric Interactive page, and more about the publisher at Annapurna Interactive.

Scores at a glance