New game Cocoon from former Limbo dev is all about orbs and worlds and world orbs

Cocoon screenshot showcases the protagonist looking at some strange, colorful alien machinery
(Image credit: Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)

Cocoon, first revealed at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase around this time last year, is back with a fresh look at the upcoming isometric, multiversal, puzzle adventure during today’s Day of the Devs stream. And it's looking good, and strange, but mostly good.

If you didn’t catch the initial reveal last year, Cocoon is from developer Geometric Interactive, which was founded by Limbo and Inside lead gameplay designer Jeppe Carlsen as well as programmer/composer Jakob Schmid. The core conceit is that each of the game’s worlds are within an orb carried on your character’s back that you can then travel between in order to solve puzzles.

Each of these orbs has some core ability to unlock, which then can be used to help solve puzzles in other worlds. These abilities can range from revealing hidden objects to allowing certain objects to be interacted with at range and more.

But unlocking these is not always easy as guardians protect each world/orb. Defeating them will require some quick thinking – and showcasing an understanding of the abilities you’ve already unlocked while traversing the alien environments.

Cocoon is coming to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Steam. It’s published by Annapurna Interactive and developed by Geometric Interactive, as noted above.

While E3 2023 itself is not really a thing this year, Summer Game Fest 2023 continues to be hopping – including the Day of the Devs stream. Be sure to check out our Summer Game Fest 2023 live coverage for all of today’s biggest announcements.

Rollin Bishop
US Managing Editor

Rollin is the US Managing Editor at GamesRadar+. With over 16 years of online journalism experience, Rollin has helped provide coverage of gaming and entertainment for brands like IGN, Inverse, ComicBook.com, and more. While he has approximate knowledge of many things, his work often has a focus on RPGs and animation in addition to franchises like Pokemon and Dragon Age. In his spare time, Rollin likes to import Valkyria Chronicles merch and watch anime.