Overview – developed by Bynine Studio and published by Super Rare Originals, Cavern of Dreams is a throwback platformer in the style of classic N64 adventures. As Fynn the dragon, embark on a magical quest to rescue their unhatched siblings, who have been taken by a mysterious villain. This title is available on the Nintendo Switch and Steam service, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank the rep who provided the copy of Cavern of Dreams used for this piece, via the Keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story.
Story – Fynn the dragon has discovered that their unhatched siblings have been eggnapped. He sets out on an adventure to rescue them, entering the Cavern of Dreams, meeting Sage the Keeper of the Cavern. Sage offers to help the little dragon, providing them with powers and guidance as they travel through the Cavern. Now Fynn must traverse the surreal landscapes of the Cavern of Dreams, rescue his siblings and stop the mysterious villain that took them.
Gameplay – Cavern of Dreams is a 3D platforming adventure, where the player controls the little dragon Fynn. Taking place in the titular Cavern, the player must navigate the weird and surreal locations located within. The main chamber is where Sage resides, introducing the player to the world and the functions of the game. This is the tutorial area, where the player will learn the base mechanics, getting used to the feel of the game.
Fynn starts off with a simple moveset, where he can run, jump, double jump and roll to gain high speeds. As the gae progresses, Sage will imbue Fynn with new powers to aid him in the adventure, with the first being the ability to use his tail as a weapon. These powers are unlocked by collecting Fynn’s unhatched siblings, with the first being in the main chamber where Sage resides. The skills are important, as they will help Fynn to solve the puzzles of the Cavern.
Scattered throughout the worlds of the Cavern, there is a total of forty eggs that can be collected. In order to collect the eggs, the player will need to explore the worlds, including a tranquil forest and a frozen kingdom. At set milestones during egg collection, Sage will ask Fynn to return to the main chamber. When interacting with Sage after one of these announcements, a new body part will be added to Fynn providing the next ability increase.
As the player moves through each of the areas, they will encounter the residents of the Cavern. These NPC characters will interact with Fynn, asking for assistance or relaying details about their own little part of the Cavern of Dreams. By assisting the residents with their troubles, new areas will open up in the world for Fynn to explore. This is also tied to the puzzle solving elements, as there will be platforming puzzles that need to be solved.
These can be pretty simple, where the player collects items and returns them to the resident in need. However, they will increase in challenge the further Fynn gets, with multiple steps that need to be done to complete them. To solve the puzzles, Fynn can pick up items to use as part of the exploration and puzzle solving. These include apples that will grow into climbable stalks, letting Fynn reach higher points to continue to explore.
Then there are the environmental puzzles, where the player will be given clues to be able to obtain the sibling eggs. These can be collected from the environment, with images, text and context details that can be found by looking around. By following the clues, players can destroy walls, open doors and activate stage elements to collect eggs. Some of the puzzles will be integral to completing others, like freeing a dumpling to use as a bounce pad.
Players can also encounter the Jester Shoes, which will allow Fynn to walk on air to reach out of the way places. Jumping will nullify the ability of the shoes, as the player can only walk on the air as if it is a flat surface. These are tied to a specific area, as they will leave Fynn if he strays too far from the designated zone. Making effective use of the Jester Shoes can make some puzzles much easier, but some careful platforming is still needed.
The powers that Fynn will gain from Sage are important to solve puzzles. These include wings to be able to float and fly short distances, alongside a horn that can pierce the ground to uncover hidden items. With the addition of new powers, Fynn will be able to explore more parts of the Cavern of Dreams, opening new areas from the main chamber. This gives the exploration a fairly open ended feel to it, as some areas can be explored out of order.
There will be some backtracking needed at points, as areas that were previously unreachable in one area, will require abilities obtained later. This backtracking isn’t a downside, as it allows players to freely explore areas in new and interesting ways. For those looking for special things, there will even be out of bounds secrets that can be discovered. This adds a little something extra for those who enjoy going for 100% completion of a game.
Throughout the Cavern of Dreams, players will collect mushrooms, adding them to their carried total. These are an important resource, as some of the Siblings will hatch and when that happens, they will be hungry. Feeding the mushrooms to a sibling will not only make them happy, but will strengthen Fynn, making their heart stronger. As Fynn becomes stronger, they will be able to open special doors, allowing them to go deeper into the Cavern of Dreams.
Last to cover is hazards. Fynn is a gentle peaceful little dragon, so there is no combat in this game. However, there are still dangers that can harm him. These consist of sharp blades, environmental hazards and hostile entities in the areas. When Fynn makes contact with these elements, he will be thrown backwards, potentially falling into a pit. Thankfully, Fynn is unable to die and lacks lives, so there is no definitive failure state for this adventure.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as an adventure platform, there are multiple buttons required to perform actions, such as rolling, jumping and even swimming. To help players perform some of the more tricky actions, there is a layout that allows easy use of multiple actions at once. During the game experience, new skills and abilities will be made accessible. As each new skill is made available, a tutorial prompt will appear to teach the new input to players.
Difficulty – this is not a very difficult game, as the majority of the puzzles can be solved with little trouble. There is also a lack of true danger, as there are no lives or health that needs to be worried about. This lack of a true failure state makes the experience more relaxed, as players can freely make mistakes without being punished. With these systems, Cavern of Dreams is an approachable and enjoyable experience everyone can enjoy.
Presentation – Visually, this game has that soft and chunky look, which is reminiscent of the N64 games that inspired it. The models, textures and environments used have that colourful charm to them, which is something that many games from the era had. Everything flows beautifully, with smooth movement and animation. This is all capped off with a wonderful soundtrack, offering a range of compositions that complement their surroundings.
Final Thoughts – When I was a kid, I played many of the collectathon games, like Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64 and Gex 3. So there is some nostalgia with the genre of platformer, which lead me to giving Cavern of Dreams a try. I am happy to say that Cavern of Dreams scratched that itch, but in a way that feels unique and fun. The world it takes place in, the characters and the general gameplay feels just right, with no cryptic or convoluted puzzles.
I struggle to find any faults with this game, it is well balanced and doesn’t try to emulate other titles, which gives it an identity of its own. I very much enjoy the motifs that were inspired by other games, but they don’t feel out of place. This is an approachable adventure which everyone can enjoy, offering a cosy and heart warming experience. so with all of that being said, I am happy to recommend this to anyone and everyone.
In the end, I give Cavern of Dreams a final score of 5/5. This cosy and wonderful adventure takes elements the genre that inspired it, creating something fresh and unique, with a colourful world to explore, charming characters and satisfying gameplay. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version is below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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