Of the numerous influential titles that helped to bring independent game development studios to the forefront of the gaming community,LIMBOleft a tremendous impact that in many ways helped level the playing field for indie developers. Since that time,LIMBOhas remained prevalent in the hearts and minds of many of its players, but now longtime fans ofLIMBOwill have something new to look forward to.
WhilePlaydead, the studio behind bothLIMBOandInside, has had an extremely intermittent release schedule, withInsidereleasing six years afterLIMBO, both games have garnered massive amounts of success and attention. In the years sinceInside’s release, there has been little to no news regarding Playdead’s next project, though a new game made by the lead gameplay designer of bothLIMBOandInsidewas announced earlier today.
During the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, a new game being developed by Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of bothLIMBOandInside, was announced via gameplay trailer. Called Cocoon, the trailer itself is less than two minutes long and details quite a bit of content in terms of setting, gameplay, and level design.
Based on what’s seen in this trailer, what stands out the most aboutCocoonis how divergent it is from previous games Carlsen developed. Compared to bothLIMBOandInside, the tone ofCocoonseems much brighter and happier. Not to mention the various changes in game design, such as the change from a 2D side-scrolling perspective to a top-down 2D perspective. In addition, the gameplay also includes seemingly more complex puzzles for the player to solve.
It was also confirmed thatCocoonwill be published byAnnapurna Interactive, which in recent years has become an integral publisher for indie games as a whole. Annapurna Interactive has allowed indie studios a means by which to release games on multiple platforms. In the case ofCocoon, despite it being announced at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, the game will be available on Nintendo Switch and Steam in tandem with Xbox platforms.
In any case, it will be interesting to see what elseCocoonhas in store for prospective players. With Jeppe Carlsen leading the way in terms of development, who is greatly responsible for two of themost influential indie gamesof all time,Cocoonlooks to be a promising experience for the many gamers who enjoyed bothLIMBOandInside.
Cocoonis set to launch in 2023 for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
