Cognition Method: Initiation

About

ADD TO WISHLIST NOW! About the GameThis is a playable teaser for a game Cognition Method. Cognition Method is a story-driven, first-person puzzle game inspired by Space Odyssey 2001 and Solaris. Discover innovative mechanics of altering gravity and dive into the surreal setting. Earth is on the brink of demise when the scientists discover the Cube, a mysterious space structure of unknown origi…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 273 reviews

story25 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and atmosphere, reminiscent of brutalist architecture and surreal environments.
Interesting concept with potential for complex puzzles and a captivating story.
Good voice acting and sound design that enhance the immersive experience.

Puzzles are overly simplistic and lack depth, making them feel more like chores than challenges.
Clunky controls and movement mechanics, particularly with gravity manipulation, can lead to confusion and frustration.
The dialogue and narrative delivery are often stale and obvious, detracting from the overall immersion.

story
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
61%
7%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing intrigue about its potential but criticizing its current execution. While some find the narrative captivating and atmospheric, others feel it is underdeveloped, confusing, or reliant on clichés. Overall, there is a consensus that the story has the potential to evolve into something engaging, but it requires further refinement and clarity in the full release.
- “I want to know what happened to these people, where they all went, as there seems to be an apocalyptic end and sci-fi story that wants to be retold to the player.”
- “The story is interesting (we are searching for our father inside a giant reality-bending alien artifact), love the voice acting, the controls feel smooth, the aesthetic is exquisite, and the puzzles are fun.”
- “The story was also pretty captivating, and now I really want to play the full game just to figure out what the heck is going on.”
- “The story is utterly forgettable.”
- “The story doesn't feel like the earth needs saving.”
- “The dialogues are so obvious, tries to tell a story but in the worst way possible, the lazy one.”
graphics
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
29%
4%
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, beautiful art style, and immersive atmosphere. While some noted minor graphical bugs and limitations due to the Unity engine, the overall aesthetic and design were highlighted as standout features that enhance the gameplay experience. However, a few critiques mentioned that the graphics do not fully align with the gameplay mechanics, which can feel clunky at times.
- “The visuals are stunning and the few puzzles were also fun.”
- “The art style is gorgeous, puzzles were well thought out and controls were fluid.”
- “The art direction and aesthetics really stood out to me; y'all did a fantastic job at setting a tone and creating a really interesting vibe.”
- “The game graphics are far from 2021 (in the past).”
- “Graphics are nothing like the trailer... I'm disappointed.”
- “Graphically, the game is limited by the Unity engine, and it would really benefit from better graphics and lighting. It's not that it looks bad, but with the right graphics, it could become a masterpiece.”
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
65%
7%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the creative puzzle mechanics and atmospheric design, while others criticize it for being clunky, repetitive, and lacking depth. Many noted that the demo introduces interesting concepts, such as gravity manipulation, but feels underdeveloped and in need of polish. Overall, while there are glimpses of potential, the gameplay currently lacks innovation and can be frustrating due to its simplistic and sometimes awkward mechanics.
- “I'm very impressed by the smooth gameplay, the atmosphere, the difficulty of the puzzles, and the storyline that is slowly developed.”
- “I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised by the gameplay so far.”
- “I looooved the gravity-changing mechanics, and in the stair section, the flow from one direction to the next was quite seamless!”
- “The gameplay felt clunky and unintuitive.”
- “Story is obviously 'cool space stuff' thrown in a blender and gameplay is designed by someone who doesn't have a good grasp of what makes good puzzles or a fun game.”
- “Gameplay is lacking, not enough mechanics, and if there are any they are clunky and visibly unpolished.”
atmosphere
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
21%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating architecture, moody soundtracks, and immersive environments that evoke feelings of awe, mystery, and solitude. Many reviewers highlight the surreal and abstract settings, often drawing comparisons to other atmospheric titles, while some note that the integration of sound and visuals enhances the overall experience. However, a few critiques mention that certain jump scares detract from the otherwise compelling atmosphere.
- “This demo has fantastic atmosphere and art direction, similar to Control.”
- “A wonderfully atmospheric and evocative puzzle game.”
- “Such an atmosphere of large open spaces inspiring emotions of awe, mystery, and loneliness.”
- “There's a psychedelic sci-fi atmosphere, a few mindless button puzzles, and then the game ends.”
- “Easy puzzles, weird atmosphere and the game is full of glitchy textures.”
- “They do a good job of building an atmosphere of vaguely creepy solitude, then ruin it with a laughable 'spooky skeleton in your face' (which is in the provided screenshots so hardly a spoiler).”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting issues such as texture pop-ins and inconsistent frame rates, particularly on systems that can handle more demanding titles. Many suggest that the minimum specifications should be clarified to better reflect performance expectations, especially for common resolutions like 1440p. Overall, the game's performance is deemed subpar, with calls for improvements to enhance the experience.
- “Hopefully they can solve the performance issues with the game.”
- “If the developer wishes to mitigate performance issues whilst maintaining such a lovely effect, it is advised to possibly change the mid/medium graphics setting to disable the SSR implementation there, saving it only for the high settings.”
- “Unless the minimum spec is explicitly targeting 720p, I strongly advise the developer to either increase the minimum requirements to reflect 1440p—as that is a very common modern resolution and a good indication of 1080p performance—or to add an additional notes section stating the current minimum requirements are for 720p only.”
- “Poor optimization resulting in pop-in of textures and assets.”
- “While it does showcase the basics of what the team wants to do, it's far too unpolished and unoptimized to convince me to buy the game.”
- “And the optimization, I don't know how this game runs at 30-40 fps on my PC when I can run much more demanding games without much problem.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
20%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its moody and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience and immersion. While some users noted a slight lack in variety, the soundtrack is generally considered inspiring and well-suited to the game's ambiance, contributing positively to the storytelling and gameplay flow. Overall, the music is seen as a strong point that adds depth to the experience.
- “The soundtrack is worth a listen as it is fairly moody, atmospheric, and inspiring for anyone that wants it.”
- “The music is really nice to listen to even if you get stuck for a second.”
- “Great atmosphere and soundtrack to round out the package we get to experience.”
- “A little lacking in the music side, but I'm confident there will be something more in the full game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game lacks impactful emotional moments, such as significant cutscenes or relatable characters, which diminishes the overall emotional experience. Players emphasize the importance of emotional performance over dialogue, suggesting that the game fails to evoke the intended feelings.
- “The emotional performance is much more important to me than the language being spoken, and it's crucial for a game like this one to get that right!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized for being buggy, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and suggests that further refinement is needed for the player character and other elements.
- “I found this demo a bit buggy, which hampered enjoyment.”
- “The player character is a bit buggy and could be worked on for a bit longer.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its charming voice acting and amusing character animations, such as the comical way characters react when switching gravity. While these moments elicit laughter, some players feel they can be slightly immersion-breaking.
- “I certainly don't regret staring at the picturesque scenes while chuckling at the voice acting.”
- “When you switch gravity, your character tends to hit the previous ceiling with his head and then gently flips into a standing position, which I found to be kind of funny (but also immersion-breaking).”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game boasts impressive visuals, many users feel that its gameplay lacks depth, resulting in limited replayability.
- “Great visually, but not great in gameplay for replay value.”