Really impressive little puzzler. Every puzzle is well designed, the variety of game mechanics are solid, the boss fights are a fun change of pace, the visuals are unique, and the soundtrack is fitting.
My primary complaints come from movement and pacing.
Movement: I'd say you spend the majority of your time walking from area to area, puzzle piece to puzzle piece. After a while, this becomes a massive bore which is so strikingly different from the rest of the game. Cocoon is a very unique and inventive game, so having the movement kept dead simple is confusing to me. You play as a winged creature, why am I just slowly walking from place to place? All I'm saying is a simple dash ability could've really enhanced the gameplay.
Pacing: Cocoon has a very odd problem where it is constantly conveying the message that you are at the end. This is it, take everything you've learned and then you'll be able to take down the final boss and end the game! You complete it, and then... the game keeps going. Now this isn't a bad thing necessarily, it's not like the quality drops, but it is heavily anti-climactic and leaves you feeling a bit unsatisfied. It also doesn't help that I didn't find the real ending very satisfying at all.
Overall, Cocoon impressed me in a lot of ways, but also left me feeling like it could've been a bit more. I can't wait to see what these devs do next.
8/10
My primary complaints come from movement and pacing.
Movement: I'd say you spend the majority of your time walking from area to area, puzzle piece to puzzle piece. After a while, this becomes a massive bore which is so strikingly different from the rest of the game. Cocoon is a very unique and inventive game, so having the movement kept dead simple is confusing to me. You play as a winged creature, why am I just slowly walking from place to place? All I'm saying is a simple dash ability could've really enhanced the gameplay.
Pacing: Cocoon has a very odd problem where it is constantly conveying the message that you are at the end. This is it, take everything you've learned and then you'll be able to take down the final boss and end the game! You complete it, and then... the game keeps going. Now this isn't a bad thing necessarily, it's not like the quality drops, but it is heavily anti-climactic and leaves you feeling a bit unsatisfied. It also doesn't help that I didn't find the real ending very satisfying at all.
Overall, Cocoon impressed me in a lot of ways, but also left me feeling like it could've been a bit more. I can't wait to see what these devs do next.
8/10