The New Classics #5: Cogen: Sword of Rewind

 

The Backstory: Platformers are not my cup of tea; yet I can enjoy them under the right circumstances, as my undying love for 2D Sonic games proves. Cogen’s gimmick of rewinding time after death seemed like a dream come true, a player-friendly interpretation of die-and-retry that could make level navigation easier and less stressful. I just had to try Cogen, and I did so by downloading the conveniently available demo on the Nintendo eShop.

 

 

The Game: Not gonna lie: the dark and empty levels were a harsh let-down. I wanted these gorgeous crystalline blues, whites and greys featured on the cover art, darn it! From what I’ve understood, the first levels are tutorials of sorts; and an internet search revealed that more detailed environments appear later. Yet, I’ve not encountered a single picture featuring the colours and feel of the official art; instead, everything seems to be on the dark and gloomy side — both in terms of colours and general atmosphere. Have you heard of false advertising, Gemdrops? 

 

 

Let’s forget about the graphics, and focus on what brought me there: the gameplay, folks. Once again, not gonna lie: the Rewind gimmick rocks. Here’s how it works: death is instant in Cogen, as there is no health bar. Once you die, the screen freezes, and you’re given the possibility to assess your situation and rewind the action up to three seconds. This is perfect in the context of a tough Platformer — which Cogen is — because it allows you to relax and rush through levels instead of trembling at every step. In fact, cautious progression is not advised in Cogen; from what I’ve played, going fast and reacting on the fly works much better than treading ground carefully.

 

 

Now, I have a serious issue with Cogen’s physics. They are really good; however, they’re not perfect. Jumping in particular can be tricky, especially when walls are involved; and I could never shake that nagging feeling of not being fully in control of the MC — which means that Cogen’s physics require some getting-used-to. A talented Platformer aficionado could certainly handle these physics without breaking a sweat; however, a reluctant Platformer player with crappy motor skills such as me needs highly reliable and easy-to-master physics.   

 

 

Last but not least: as much as it embarrasses me to admit it, Cogen remains too hard for me. Save points are too few and far between, and the levels’ demands in terms of reaction speed are simply too challenging. Even the Rewind gimmick cannot save me from my lack of motor skills misery; what I would really need is save states — or an easier game. 

 

 

The Verdict: Cogen lacks the things I need to enjoy a Platformer — perfect physics, a pleasant atmosphere, and a reasonable difficulty level. But most importantly, playing it doesn’t feel good. Sure, it kinda gripped me in with its constant challenge, and I enjoyed the couple of times I managed to execute a perfect series of moves and progress fluidly; but once I turned off my Switch, I was left with a feeling of frustration, restlessness and emptiness. This is the most telltale sign that Cogen and I are not meant together; and so, I’ll quietly erase the demo and move on to the next potential cult classic. Too bad, so sad!