Cavern of Dreams Review (Lamented Banneret)
Cavern of Dreams is definitely a must play for Collectathon obsessed gamers. The game is accurate to the N64 era even down to its faults.
Things I liked:
> Solid platforming and unique feel
> Some good jingles and sound FX
> The Roll ability
> Charming atmosphere and aesthetics
> Cute character designs
> Well hidden secrets
Things I didn't like:
> The way some of the levels link together (why are there 3 entrances to the forest?)
> The camera could be a little more modern
> Too few puzzles require the use of the roll or the bubble
> Some puzzles are just too cryptic
> The octopus puzzle (nobody liked that shit in Spyro idk why you copied it)
> The living airship was a great character/setting but the level was far too short
> The idea of turning the airship at an angle is a great game mechanic but I only needed it for 1 collectible
> Certain areas are too big only having one egg
> The constant tone shift of certain areas into uncanny and creepy is a weird choice (We all remember finding weird and surreal areas in old games when we were kids but what made them impactful is how hidden and rare they were in contrast with the rest of the happy-go-lucky style)
> The jester boots are a cool idea but they just seemed like an unnecessary mechanic when your character has a glide ability.
> Some of the sound FX are too repetitive or just downright bad (Your little dragon siblings cheeping is annoying and hitting ice sounds unpleasant)
> The music is too sleepy (Get Kent Kercher for your next game)
> Towards the end of the game certain assets and textures are kinda ugly
> Stunlocked by enemies
> Gallery of Nightmares was the worst part of the game (frustrating puzzles, lack of direction, ugly level design)
It might sound like I'm tearing into this game but pretty much all of these cons can be overlooked if you're an N64/Collectathon veteran as it is fairly short and reasonably priced. I wanted to point out the issues I have with this game because I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the Dev's next project, which will likely blow this out of the water.