izigame.me

Cocoon is a game I enjoyed, but do not recommend. It's not a "puzzle platformer" at all. For one, there's no platforming. But two, it's not really a puzzle game. There's essentially three types of puzzle games I've come to experience over the years that each have a different design philosophy. The Myst-like where there's one solution per puzzle and you are expected to find said solution through forming logical deductions based on context clues provided throughout the level. See also Portal, Riven, The Talos Principle, Return of the Obra Dinn. The Zach-like (referencing developer Zachtronics) where there are a seemingly endless number of solutions to achieving your objective based on the tools provided within the parameters set by the level itself. See also Opus Magnum, The Signal State, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Abriss. Then there's what I will call a puzzle-like where the solution is either outright given to you or blatantly obvious because of constant repetition. See also Viewfinder, Superliminal, Monument Valley, and yes, Cocoon. These games feature puzzles that just aren't puzzling, but still give the illusion of achievement even if it was unearned. This design can work short term because of that feeling of satisfaction, but after a couple hours, it becomes boring as the difficulty never increases, but the work required does. The satisfaction fades and just turns into tedium.
Cocoon is all sound and fury signifying nothing. Simple puzzles can work in more narrative driven games or puzzle platformers where there's more of an emphasis on another aspect of the game's design. However, Cocoon is all spectacle with a nonexistent narrative. It's a visual treat for anyone. The vivid colors and surreal blend of technology and biology makes for an art style that's like a friendlier H.R. Gieger expo. Combine that with an atmospheric soundtrack and it's an immersive experience in an unfamiliar and alien world. Take away that eye candy and you're left with one of the most overly simplistic "puzzle" games you're ever likely to play.
I respect the Myst approach to tutorializing the game's mechanics covertly. Nothing is explained, but the mechanics are slowly introduced. You learn through repetition and familiarity what does what in each unique level proving that most games don't really need an overt tutorial. Our brains are more than capable of forming logical deductions and compartmentalizing similar imagery on its own even when that's applied to strange alien technology like what's featured in Cocoon. You learn what can and cannot be interacted with and what each interactive object exactly does by just interacting with them. How do you learn what switches do what in a new house? By just trying them all.
The issue is that the game never builds off of its solid foundation to create complex and challenging puzzles with its fairly simple mechanics. The mind-bending world within world design is only mind-bending from a purely aesthetic perspective. It is satisfying seeing a seamless transition between worlds, but that isn't enough to build a 5-6 hour game. Every puzzle has you entering an area with clear markers of where you can place your orb to do the thing it always does. It's the equivalent of putting pegs in holes. You put the square peg in the square hole. Rinse and repeat. It's never challenging and the game makes no effort to obfuscate the solution.
For example, there's a constantly reused puzzle where you interact with five symbols that must be touched in a specific order to release a drone thing. The order is always different, but the solution is always readily available and you know it every time you see it. Always a few feet away is the exact order given in sequence left to right or top to bottom just made difficult to physically see rather than difficult to solve. That's not a puzzle. Once you get the drone, it literally points using a light where it needs to go. Once again, the game is holding your hand and giving you the solution.
Cocoon exemplifies a modern design approach to puzzle games I just don't enjoy. It's a puzzle game for people that hate feeling stuck. Outside of the secret ending puzzle, there are no head scratchers. You're just going through the motions from start to finish. The design is extremely well thought out and the fact that anyone can just easily figure it out without any walkthrough or tutorial speaks to its clever design. It's just missing that challenge factor that makes a puzzle puzzling and therefore satisfying to solve which is why I feel the game is somewhat undeserving of much of the acclaim its received. It's no Riven. There's just this sense of fear I suspect the devs had when designing Cocoon, as the game repeatedly locks you into areas you cannot leave without solving the one puzzle there. If the game was truly an adventure game in a fully open environment, like Riven or Return of Obra Dinn, there would be more risk of players feeling overwhelmed and confused as to what to do next and I believe they didn't want that here. Take the training wheels off and have some faith in your players' intelligence. Only recommended on sale 50% off at least. (5/10)