Return back to the N64 era . . .
Cavern of Dreams is a whimsical title reminiscent of N64 3D platformers. You play as a cute little dragon named Flynn who is on a quest to find of all his unhatched brothers and sisters by solving puzzles in this mysterious cavern. Bynine Studios is the developer of this game, inspired by classics like Banjo Kazooie, Super Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time. Cavern of Dreams is certainly a nostalgic adventure with this colorful, otherworldly feel akin to its influences.
Cavern of Dreams captures the N64 aesthetic perfectly: the colorful level design, the surplus of platforming puzzles, immediately dropping you into the gameplay without context, the changing sound design to match each area (e.g., the backtrack becomes sodden and mellow when diving underwater), and that classic charm of juxtaposing childlike wonder with an escalating creep factor.
In summary, my reactions would be: oh this is cute . . . oh wait, this is sort of eerie. . . where in the world am I?
A puzzle-solving adventure
For fans of the old Nintendo, this game will pull you in with its charming graphics and gameplay. As you explore the cavern and the places around it, Flynn can gather a myriad of collectible items. You can find eggs–which are Flynn’s missing siblings–as well as mushrooms, heart pieces, and encyclopedic cards. This may appeal to all the collectors and completionists out there without being overly time consuming or difficult!
The more eggs you find, the more abilities Flynn will develop. For example, after you bring the first egg to Sage, the sorcerer that helps you along your adventure, Flynn grows a tail. This tail allows you to whip at objects. After collecting more eggs, Flynn eventually sprouts a pair of wings!
Cavern of Dreams plays like an old-school platformer that requires timed jumps and puzzle-solving skills. The game is not overly difficult, but it never holds your hand. There were quite a few instances where I was simply not sure what to do at all. It is extremely important to talk to NPCs and familiarize yourself with each landscape in order to figure out where you need to go and what you need to do. Even then, a guide could be necessary.
The gameplay becomes progressively more difficult after each area, with higher stakes and more confusing puzzles. To me, Prismic Palace was the most challenging section. I fell to my doom many of times and missed an egg or two the first go.
Overall, Cavern of Dreams consists of four major areas, so it is a short and sweet adventure. It took me approximately 8ish hours to complete, but may take less if you play for the plotline solely without trying to 100% the collectibles.
Flynn the peaceful dragon
Flynn is a peaceful little guy who just wants to get his siblings back. Cavern of Dreams features no combat mechanic; instead, you may get knocked around or fall to your “death,” but that’s about it.
When you fall, players must restart from the last “door” they entered. This can become gradually annoying if you are prone to falling a lot with platformers. This is especially so with the game’s overly precise controls . . . timing double jumps are rather difficult to perform, and as a result are unforgiving. Thus moving vertically is frustrating and tedious, so expect lots of falls and deaths this way.
Gallery of Nightmares
The story of Cavern of Dreams is simple: a villainous bat named Luna kidnapped your siblings and Flynn is determined to find them. Luna stole these eggs so that she could paint them with her . . . peculiarly disturbing art style. Without spoiling, Luna’s form of self-expression is deemed problematic and dangerous by the sorcerer named Sage, who is helping Flynn along with his quest. Players can collect cards to find out more about this bittersweet plot.
The ending of the game tugged on the heartstrings and was more in-depth than expected. Cavern of Dreams really makes you invested in Flynn, Sage, and Luna as characters specifically.
Final thoughts
Cavern of Dreams overall is a playful, charming adventure that strongly recreates the vibes from the N64 era without being a complete copy of one of those older titles. I personally think that the old 3D platformer aesthetic is overdone and not very appealing anymore, but I still reaped enjoyment from Cavern of Dreams‘ adorably uncanny level and character designs.
While the game has its charm, there are quite a few flaws that come along with it. The game may have been more enjoyable if the controls operated more smoothly and forgivingly. Also, the camera controls are absolutely atrocious. The camera has inverse controls, the angles are poor, and it can irritatingly hinder visibility. Then again, if Cavern of Dreams is truly trying to mimic an N64 title, then a terrible camera is to be expected!
I greatly enjoyed the surprisingly alluring storyline and the diversity of the puzzles. I also find it funny that Flynn sounds a bit like Yoshi mixed with Link.
There is nothing like a game that goes from mysteriously confusing to cutesy to an utter nightmare . . .
