Cavern of Dreams Plays all the 3D Platformer Nostalgia Keys Just Right

It's always great when a once platform selling genre, that has since "died off", still has a niche but well served community in the indie space. 3D platformers from AAA publishers largely disappeared in the PS3/360 era outside Mario, but games like Cavern of Dreams have picked up the torch and ran with it.

Aping the Banjo Kazooie feel and N64 aesthetic is high on Cavern of Dreams' inspirations - with its small yet layered worlds and chunky outcroppings hiding delicious secrets - however its delineation in having no combat makes for a more chill experience. There's still plenty of holes to fall into which will cause a respawn at the most recent level entrance you have used, but bumping into an enemy or hazard simply knows you away, which makes wandering around these intricate spaces feel much more relaxed.

Platforming itself is also less based on skill and mastery and more on understanding of the space and your abilities, which is always a tension point in this genre. Some find joy in the never ending search for perfecting the leap across a gaping chasm after dozens of retries, but as Mario Odyssey proved, using movement as a sense of expression rather than a gate to advancement is often more preferred by the wider audience.

Having movement abilities tied to collectibles throughout the realm in Cavern of Dreams also helps propel a sense of progression and a drive to explore, as while each level has a quest of sorts to resolve, they are fairly short and more a shade of flavour than grand adventure arc. This leaves less room for story dumps, which is a net positive - while there is some intriguing writing and lore to uncover here, the focus is on getting you straight into the play, which is where Cavern of Dreams excels.

While Cavern of Dreams has been out on Steam for a few months now, the game's recent release on Switch has it feel right at home on a Nintendo console. It's a nice, cheap, fairly short and joyful experience to spend a couple of afternoons poking at, reveling in the nostalgia and remembering why this genre has always been and continues to be so beloved.

Code for Cavern of Dreams was provided by Super Rare Games and Dead Good PR for the purposes of the piece.