Episode 162 - Tingly Brain Feelings - Cocoon

A podcast inside a podcast inside a podcast… Welcome back to the
podcast! For our January episode, which we kind of did so you
didn’t forget we exist before Fanbruary begins, we’re going to be
talking about Cocoon. Cocoon is a puzzle game developed by
Geometric Interactive, a studio formed by members of the developer
Playdead, and while this game is something else entirely than Limbo
or Inside, the style they bring is definitely present. Cocoon is
not a horror game, yet it creates a sense of eerie foreboding all
while being saturated with color and without the threat of death to
the player hanging over their head. It’s an intriguing world to
exist in, and that’s not even getting into the actual puzzle
mechanics. These involve ducking in and out of different playable
areas which you can physically carry with you and eventually imbue
you with additional abilities. It’s almost hard to explain in a way
that impresses upon you what makes it interesting, but it’s a great
set of mechanics to center the puzzles on, which get progressively
more complicated in the ways you might expect and in some ways that
you definitely won’t. It’s a very satisfying, but not overly
difficult experience and one that is well worth giving a shot.
We’re going to be talking about the puzzles that really had an
effect on us and the way we see the game, how the sound and visuals
work together to create an incredible atmosphere, and we use the
word Kafkaesque in what seems like a safe scenario but probably
still use it wrong. Thank you for joining us! Cocoon was a game
that we were both excited for given its pedigree and one that feels
thematically appropriate as the first of a new year. What was your
experience with Cocoon? Did you find the puzzles as satisfying as
we did? Were you able to create a more satisfying interpretation of
the themes? Let us know in the comments, or over on our Discord!
Next time, we’re heading into Fanbruary, the month where you the
listener chooses what games we play. We’ve gotten some great
suggestions so far, but it’s still open for the next couple weeks
if you want to give us any further games to consider. Our first
full episode is going to be on The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, so
we hope you’ll join us for that!