My Cavern of Dreams Switch Review sings praises to such a comforting, whimsical game which reminisces in nostalgia.
Cavern of Dreams doesn’t shy away from walllowing in Nintendo 64 nostalgia on a modern console. This title was first whispered about in our work chats last year, and I’ve been excited to try it out ever since. The game has an entirely different playstyle and console but reminds me of early PlayStation 1, Spyro The Dragon.
Now, being compared to beloved Spyro is a compliment in itself. But oh my goodness. Cavern of Dreams is everything I hoped for and then some. You play the charming little protagonist Fynn. This sole hatchling dragon is trying to find all of his sibling eggs and return them to the nest safely.
Fynn is so adorable and I would protect him with my life, he makes the cutest sounds. I also spent ages just rolling around the main nest area since it’s weirdly entertaining and looks so silly. I only wish I could add an image of the face I pulled when I first saw Fynn in the jester shoes. This is a lesser-known fact about me since it isn’t work-relevant, but I ADORE jesters.
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of the protagonist which is key to any game I play. Considering I spent the entire game playing as Fynn, it was nice that my admiration for him grew as he evolved. I quite literally felt like I was watching my son grow up (note: I don’t have a son).
Let’s get into the Cavern of Dreams Switch Review. From the get-go, the scene was set. Full of ambience, whimsy and endearing sound design, I was hooked! The tutorial was pleasantly quick, yet informative, plus you get to meet the strange and wonderfully designed character, Sage. Now, I may be biased since I’m a fan of anything witchy and weird. But Sage has such a unique design that I know they will be appreciated for years to come.
A part of this tutorial was to give Mighty Wall a nudge out of the way using your tailspin technique. Now, I don’t recall exactly what this lump of rock said before he tumbled, but in my notes, I wrote “Mighty Wall is a mood, and very sweet to play dead to encourage Fynn, much like animals in nature do with their cubs”.
I liked the banter between Mighty Wall and Fynn, as well as prodding every other living creature for conversation as I unlocked new areas. In general, each character I’d met had a unique personality with a quirky appearance to match. Adding to that, the game isn’t dialogue-heavy but still tells a full story. You get hints from every character you meet, including found eggs which have vague pointers to where more are located.
One area I liked in particular was the Treehouse. You visit this relatively early on, and it’s such a bizarre place. The outside looks about average size for a treehouse, yet, upon entering it expands tenfold. It’s massive. The parkour here was quite tricky since that pesky kiddy chandelier was spinning. The first-person mode came in clutch since before I tried that, I’d fallen off numerous times.
Now, onto how the game performed! Cavern of Dreams slowly feeds new game mechanics even after the initial tutorial. As Fynn discovers more of his sibling eggs, his body gradually evolves, giving the player access to more stunts.
I liked this slow evolution since it visualised my game progress. As well as forcing me to return to earlier areas of the game to reach new platforms to grab items I couldn’t get to previously. It gave the game a linear path of progression but still allowed for exploration.
Whilst the controls were always accessible through settings to brush up on, I did find some stunts rather difficult. In particular, I struggled with two moves. The tailspin jump boost is a trick learned relatively early in-game and becomes relevant almost immediately with recurring use. But my struggles began even earlier in the game with the introduction of a Double Jump.
Most games opt for the double mash of the relevant keybinding button to perform a double jump. However, Cavern of Dreams has a unique approach where you must jump and hit jump again as soon as Fynn lands on the floor, which then triggers the double jump.
This made the move feel delayed and far more difficult than just double-mashing the jump button. The final issue with this control design was that it caused me to fail parkour jumps which seemingly aren’t even designed to be difficult.
That aside the controls are customisable via the settings, and each new move available to Fynn was introduced slowly over time. This outweighs the two stunts which I struggled most with as the game was still playable and enjoyable.
If you think I’m going to say drab you’re insane. Cavern of Dreams feels like it was made for me, I adored playing through it. I haven’t finished the game since I have 1 area left to unlock, and some eggs which have evaded me entirely in the previous locations. But, this will be a game I most certainly return to and complete.
Cavern of Dreams is effortlessly nostalgic, whimsical and charming. I’ve been so eager to get my thoughts out on this title since it is wholeheartedly my current favourite game I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. Before I’m Fynnished (ha!), Cavern of Dreams really is a title kids and adults can easily enjoy.
As an adult who craves games that evoke the childlike wonder I miss so much, Cavern of Dreams delivers on this desire and then some. The game isn’t overly complicated, but never feels simplified to the point of obsolence. I hope Cavern of Dreams inspires more games to relive in an older retro N64 aesthetic, as this game was a breath of fresh air.
To finish, here are two screenshots I took of different areas within the game. These not only show the duality of Cavern of Dreams, but the stunning level design that captivated me. It is plainly obvious this game was crafted with love just from these images alone.
If you read this far into my Cavern of Dreams Switch Review, surely you’ll want to check out this comforting title over on the Switch store. As always, here’s a shameless plug to more of our reviews if you’re still on the market for another game, Sympathy Kiss Review [Switch].
