Cocoon developer Geometric Interactive wins the Breakthrough Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
Nov. 10, 2023World-hopping puzzles claim gold
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The Breakthrough Award celebrates the developers and created behind the unexpected gems, the games that surprise and delight us with their out-of-the-box craft. Previous winners have included the smash indie hit Vampire Survivors, the haunting bullet hell roguelikeReturnal, the deduction friendship-wrecker Among Us, and the perennial favorite farming sim Stardew Valley.
Cocoon falls right in line with previous victors with its unique design and effortless style. Developer Geometric Interactive has crafted an experience that has you jumping to worlds within worlds within worlds, a loop that’s equal parts awe-inspiring and mind-melting. As a small bug-like creature, the game tasks you with navigating a strange, synthetic environment and exploring entire universes that are conveniently squished into orbs.
Geometric’s debut project comes from Jeppe Carlsen, who previously worked as the lead gameplay designer on similar otherworldly puzzlers: Limbo and Inside. The developers have talked at length about how they crafted such a unique reality, fromthought experiments about Zelda dungeonsto thesynthetic sounds that bring the world to life.
That thoughtful design meant Cocoon also hopped onto the list of nominees for Best Indie Game, alongside fellow puzzlerViewfinder, spooky fishing simDredge, and the category winner, the excellent turn-based RPGSea of Stars. Cocoon is definitely in good company regardless, and after pulling off such an ambitious idea on its first try, Geometric deserves all the attention with whatever they work on next.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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