2023-10-29 10:05:14
Are you nostalgic for video games from the 1990s and the good old low-poly models of the N64? Then Cavern of Dreams is for you.
The Nintendo 64, following initially being mocked for its controller, is now one of the most popular consoles of all time. Marketed from 1996 to 2002, it mainly made its mark with 3D platform games, revolutionary at the time, such as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Donkey Kong 64.
Some nostalgic for what they call “the good times” like to immerse themselves in these old classics, or even pay homage to them with current productions with very marked 90s accents. This is the case of Bynine Studio, which plunged into the somewhat crazy bet of developing, in 2023, a Nintendo 64 game.
Cavern of Dreams, although it has just been released, looks like a game released 25 years ago. First of all, the graphics, without being pixelated, are very reminiscent of the design of the time. This is a bold choice from the developers, which will divide. The average player of 2023 will find it disgusting in comparison with titles released this year. And yet, there was a time when this kind of visuals impressed. It is this feeling that Bynine Studio tried to rekindle among players in their thirties.
Fynn’s quest is to find her family and the 40 endangered dragon eggs.
By wanting to do something old-fashioned, Bynine does a pretty good job. As at the time, the textures lack relief and are distorted. The scenery elements are low-poly models with very little detail. The light effects are brief or even non-existent… And like a Spyro, the environments are very colorful and joyful, as if wanting to address children without actually doing so. It’s very basic, it’s very dated, it smells like a cathode ray tube television and pixels on the screen.
As for the adventure, you shouldn’t expect to be transported like Super Mario 64 did in its time. We are immersed in a sort of unknown childish universe without really knowing our quest. What we learn following several minutes spent in the title is that Fynn, our little dragon is desperately looking for his family and the 40 lost dragon eggs. Here too, a real scenario worthy of the oldest games, without any fuss, but without really making us want to dive into it either.
If you want to push the vice to the limit, then connect a Nintendo 64 controller to your PC and let the magic happen. Featuring a bizarre and mocked design in its time, the controller designed by Nintendo fits divinely well with Cavern of Dreams. The game’s gameplay is, once more, dated (it’s a word that comes up often). The camera is difficult to control (and acts up) with the right joystick, while the hero moves with the left. He is able to roll by pressing the R2 key and jump with the X key. A double jump even exists, but works too randomly or even capriciously. When landing following the first jump, you have to press once more to jump higher. It only works once in 10, the game not being responsive enough.
Very clearly, the N64 tab is very marked. You like it or you don’t like it.
A game from the 1990s, the collisions and hitboxes are too approximate. Too many times we thought we were landing in the right place only to miss the boat. The jumps are also frustrating, sometimes having to do it several times to reach a seemingly close platform.
One of the other problems is that we don’t have a life bar. As a result, the slightest fall in a hole causes us to die, propelling us to the last checkpoint sometimes located too far in the game. And coming back to the jumps, many times we died because the gap between two platforms was fatal.
Conclusion
The case of Cavern of Dreams is quite particular. You have to take it to the 18th degree, and not consider it as a current game, but rather as a tribute to the best platform games of the Nintendo 64. If you take it in this sense, then Fynn’s story will appeal to you. charm. Those nostalgic for 90s consoles will find here a pleasant, old-school and hassle-free adventure, with a pixelated universe thanks to Unity. As for those who take Cavern of Dreams for a serious title, they will uninstall it very quickly. The gameplay mechanics, modeled on what was done thirty years ago, are rigid and annoying, the graphics are eye-catching and the story is uninteresting. As we told you, Cavern of Dreams is more of a curiosity than a real gem.
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Cavern of Dreams
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On aime :
It smells like Nintendo 64
A childish and colorful universe
5 hours without much hassle
The very low price
We like less:
A camera that acts up
Retro design and gameplay that will divide
Quite punitive for not much
The double jump
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#Test #Cavern #Dreams #ode #N64 #oldschool
