Cosmic Top Secret

About

"Cosmic Top Secret" is a narrative-driven game where you play as T, investigating your parents' past as spies for the Danish intelligence during the Cold War. The game features a distinctive paper-and-cardboard art style and incorporates real-life audio and documentary footage, offering an immersive and captivating journey through a true story full of intrigue and mystery.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

emotional2 positive mentions

music1 negative mentions

The game features a unique and charming art style, utilizing cardboard cutouts and real-life recordings that enhance the immersive storytelling experience.
The narrative is deeply personal, focusing on the protagonist's journey to uncover her parents' past, which adds emotional depth and relatability to the gameplay.
The game successfully blends documentary elements with engaging puzzles and collectibles, making it a refreshing and original experience.

The control scheme is awkward and can be frustrating, particularly with mouse-only navigation that detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
Some players may find the gameplay repetitive and the collectathon mechanics tiresome, leading to potential fatigue during longer play sessions.
The music can be grating at times, which may detract from the otherwise strong sound design and overall atmosphere of the game.

story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
The game presents a deeply personal narrative centered on the developer's experiences as the daughter of Danish intelligence agents during the Cold War, blending real-life recordings and documents with a charming cardboard aesthetic. Players engage in a journey to uncover family secrets and the complexities of relationships, all while navigating a unique collect-a-thon gameplay that enhances the storytelling experience. The narrative is both intriguing and immersive, inviting players to piece together the protagonist's family history and the broader context of their covert activities.
- “The game is about the story of the director of the game and her parents, who were doing top secret things for the Danish government during the Cold War, and her attempt at finding out what exactly they did.”
- “It's a story about relationships, secrets, and the Cold War all wrapped in a very charming and forgiving collect-a-thon with puzzle elements.”
- “Really interesting and curious game, where you feel like you're part of t's journey to find out the story about her parents' job.”
- “The story is a straight-up documentary of a daughter interviewing her father and mother who were both involved in some high-level secret stuff during the Cold War.”
- “There is a level of storytelling that moves away from the parents and their roles as intelligence agents.”
- “The only story beat I found that was a bit off-putting for me was the way in which a character's depression lifted when another character revealed that she was pregnant.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's graphics are characterized by a unique papercraft aesthetic, utilizing cardboard and photographic cutouts to create striking visuals that enhance the storytelling experience. Players appreciate the charming and detailed art style, which complements the game's blend of personal documentary and historical themes, although some found the music to be less appealing. Overall, the distinctive visual presentation contributes significantly to the game's engaging atmosphere and narrative depth.
- “It has a very unique art style where landscapes and characters are made of cardboard, paper, and photography cuts.”
- “The first thing that strikes the player is the distinctive art style, sort of a papercraft in a 3D world.”
- “Great attention to detail with its cutout aesthetic, with some live action recordings of the protagonist interviewing her family.”
- “The graphics are composed entirely of paper and cardboard with pictures on it, which is very fitting since it uses declassified documents from the Danish security and intelligence service to tell the story.”
- “No serious bugs encountered, only a few graphic glitches.”
- “I bought this game thinking it was going to be a goofy comedy with weird visuals.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its engaging mechanics and storytelling, while others find it clunky and repetitive, primarily involving walking and collecting items. Despite its simplicity, many appreciate the unique aesthetic and intriguing lore that enhance the overall experience.
- “I enjoyed this game thoroughly; the weird presentation, aesthetic, simple but engaging gameplay, and the fact I don't know if this was all real, lore, a troll, or a history channel documentary makes it all even better.”
- “It has some really neat mechanics that make it a lot of fun to play.”
- “It quickly drew me in with good storytelling, surreal yet deeply coherent visual design, and surprising gameplay.”
- “The gameplay consists mostly of walking around and collecting various pieces of intel while interacting with different characters and objects.”
- “Seemed interesting as an idea, but the gameplay is very clunky and boring.”
- “The gameplay is... not great.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming ending and its ability to evoke personal and touching experiences, creating a unique and memorable connection with players.
- “Also, it has a heartwarming ending.”
- “Weird, personal, and touching.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is consistently praised for its low-key yet pervasive charm, providing a delightful and understated comedic experience that resonates with players.
- “What impressed me more than anything, though, was the sense of humor in the game.”
- “I found it tremendously funny in a kind of low-key but omnipresent way.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the sound design is praised for its strength and the visuals are striking, the music has been described as occasionally grating, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The cardboard cutout collage visuals are striking and the sound design is generally strong, but I found the music quite grating at times.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a stable experience with no serious bugs, though some minor graphic glitches have been noted.
- “No serious bugs encountered, only a few graphic glitches.”