Cocoon Is Incredible | Push Square

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We could have uploaded this preview as a headline alone, but then we don't think Push Square users would appreciate a three-word article. Cocoon is absolutely incredible, and it is easily the best thing we played at Summer Game Fest Play Days. Beating out heavyweights like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Mortal Kombat 1, and Sonic Superstars, it's our Game of the Show. Cocoon will be something special when it hits PS5, PS4 — the opening 45 minutes confirm as much.

From Danish studio Geometric Interactive, the team made up of former Playdead (Limbo, Inside) leads has a top-down experience for the ages in its hands. You play as a small beetle that can carry and transport entire worlds on its back, and you will use them to solve puzzles across multiple layers. Immensely satisfying and gripping, it demands attention without ever saying a word.

The concept isn't the easiest to explain, but essentially, you're able to dive into orbs and solve environmental puzzles inside them. Once the task is complete or you've made enough meaningful progress to make some progress, you can jump back out into a wider universe and carry the sphere on your back. The orb — containing a whole world — can then be used to solve other puzzles in this bigger space; for example, it can be placed on floor panels to activate bridges leading to even more worlds to dive into. As the opening sequence progresses, puzzles ramp up in difficulty, introducing more orbs to explore and bring back into the main area for puzzle solving.

It's really something you need to try for yourself to fully understand what Cocoon is doing, but it's an utterly captivating experience with so many aha moments in its opening act alone. The fact there are so many more hours to go