Cavern of Dreams Review (drewgopoo)
This is a really great game, there are more movement options than I expected based on trailers. There is even an OP move that I'm not even sure is meant to be there. I won't give it away directly but let's just say if you slap the ground (not the ground pound move) after doing a certain combo of 2 other moves it sends you flying straight up. Sometimes this move just gives you a decent sized boost in the air and other times it sends you way high up and I'm not sure if it's random or because of momentum or the timing of how you combine the moves but you can sequence break the hell out of this game using this move. If it isn't intentional and gets patched out at least I got a playthrough using it! It was fun to experiment with getting around a level and avoid the intended route. Kinda felt like mario 64 hacks that give you an extended or new moveset and get you to think about the new ways you can navigate a level. At times it felt like it made the game too easy tho so I might consider a playthrough not using it whether it gets patched or not. So movement is awesome, visuals are awesome, there's a whole lotta charm, and level design is also awesome... for the most part. As much as I love this game I do have some criticisms and complaints. The spoiler free short version is that there are just some areas that don't feel up to quality compared to the rest of the game.
Now mild spoilers ahead...
The last level was a complete change up and was a negative experience for me. It felt like everything before it was that s-tier banjo kazooie quality, and then the last level reminded me of rare's mistakes in games like banjo tooie and dk64. Completing it just wasnt much fun in my experience - cryptic puzzles that leave you wandering around a lot and scratching your head, weak level design overall compared to previous levels, and a lot of empty space with the collectibles being too spread out leaving the level feel very disjointed. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the rest of the game, and some parts of the level weren't enjoyable at all.
Then the final boss/challenge was more of a nuisance/chore than it was a fun challenge. Half the time I got knocked off the course because of some janky BS and by the end of it I was just thinking "jeesh finally that's over" instead "hell ya I did it" - it really didn't take that long but it just wasn't fun... at all. It's sad because up until the last level and the final boss I was infatuated with the game and was thinking "this is 10/10 for sure"
But after beating the final boss/challenge that 10/10 got brought down to an 8/10. I really don't wanna dismiss how great the rest of the game is, and hopefully the ending is a better experience for most people. I love bynine - this dev is going places and I appreciate all that they've done for the bk rom hacking community so I don't want to diminish the great things here.... just wanted to vent a bit lol
So let me reiterate- there is A LOT to love about this game and if you're a fan of the n64 visuals and/or 3d platformers then this is a must play. It's well worth the price even with its flaws.
It just felt like one of those movies you are so captivated by because of how good it is and then the ending just isn't up to par with the rest of the movie and leaves you feeling a bit disappointed/confused