Cocoon developer Geometric Interactive wins the Breakthrough Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023

Cocoon / Geometric Interactive winning at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 — (Image credit: Geometric Interactive)

Geometric Interactive, the developer behind indie puzzler Cocoon, has won the Breakthrough Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 powered by Intel.

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 roguelike Returnal, 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, from thought experiments about Zelda dungeons to the synthetic 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 puzzler Viewfinder, spooky fishing sim Dredge, and the category winner, the excellent turn-based RPG Sea 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.

Discover the best games of 2023 at the best prices by checking out the Golden Joystick Awards Steam sale page

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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.