Cavern of Dreams

Definitely one of those games I regret not buying earlier. Wasn't sure if it was for me so I put it off, but was really happy when I finally pulled the trigger. This game is basically Banjo Kazooie but with most if not all of the problems fixed. No horrible camera, no slippery physics, no awful combat, no deaths that reset all your progress, and no horrible swimming/flying controls. The gameplay is a fair bit more open as well. In BK most jiggies are collected in very specific ways and there's not a ton of wiggle room (outside of speedruns ofc). This game still has a clear intended path, but its possible to diverge from it if you're inventive or skilled enough. There's also more thought involved in general, some of the puzzles will definitely make you think for a second instead of being immediately obvious every time. The aethstic of the game is also something to be commended. They nailed the surreal dreamlike feeling. Nothing is really normal, everything ranges from a little bit weird to very weird. The amount of exploration that can be done even from the very start of the game is impressive, and going back to old inaccessible areas when you have new abilities feel rewarding. The controls definitely take some getting used to. Honestly your character feels pretty wimpy until you unlock the horn dive which lets you actually jump a useful distance. There are advanced physics based moves that you can do to go very fast or jump really high, but it takes practice to get them down. They're never required but I recommend putting in the time to learn them because it saves a lot of time. I wish there was less reliance on the glide move since it's really slow, but a lot of gliding can be skipped if you play a bit more risky and utilize the advanced moves. Overall I think the game is great. It will definitely scratch the itch for an N64 style platformer, while still maintaining its own identity. It's a bit short but I think $13 is a fair price.