Cavern of Dreams is a collect-a-thon 3D platformer game developed by Bynine Studio and published by Super Rare Originals. It was released on Steam on October 19, 2023. A Nintendo Switch version was released on February 29, 2024.
The game stars Fynn, a young dragon who goes into a magical cave to search for his missing siblings. Fynn must travel through the variety of mysterious worlds in the cave to find the eggs his siblings are in. He can also collect mushrooms to feed his siblings, as well as cards that give more information about the characters. Along the way, he is helped by a mysterious sorcerer named Sage who teaches him new abilities, and antagonized by an anthropomorphic bat named Luna.
The game is heavily inspired by Nintendo 64 games such as Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. In addition to being a collect-a-thon 3D platformer, it also has N64-style graphics.
You can find it on Steam here
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This game includes examples of:
- All-Loving Hero: Fynn is a very kind dragon. He is willing to throw down if needed, but much of the game is Fynn helping the residents of the Cavern of Dreams while trying to rescue his lost siblings. He even forgives Luna for all the trouble she's given him throughout the game, to her complete shock.
- All There in the Manual: The collectible cards that add encyclopedia entries add a lot more to the game's backstory, the last page of them especially combined with details in the environmental storytelling can piece together a pretty clear picture of Luna's father starting a war of conquest, forsaking their goddess Lady Opal when she refused to war on their behalf, building Mr. Kerrington and then abandoning him when he turned out gentle, and then obtaining a cursed box and promptly freezing himself and his entire kingdom in ice when he opened it expecting it to grant him power, leaving Luna orphaned and alone where Sage found her.
- Bat Out of Hell: The main antagonist is an anthropomorphic bat named Luna.
- Big Boo's Haunt: There are a few lategame areas that can be called this, but none moreso than Wastes of Eternity. It's a windswept desert ruin filled with massive grave markers and the infinitely-respawning, one-hit-kill Eternals that restlessly chase Fynn around. After finding the world's only egg, the sandstorm clears up and all the Eternals stare wistfully at the shining moon overhead.
- Big Brother Instinct: Fynn's whole reason for entering the Cavern of Dreams is to save his siblings after they've been kidnapped.
- Breath Weapon: One of Fynn's later abilities, as one might expect. Less expected is that it's water breath instead of fire.
- Control Freak: A much less malicious example than usual. As the guardian of the Cavern and the one who has control over reality in it, Sage was completely unprepared to raise a child from the outside world when they adopted Luna. The second that Luna began acting in ways that Sage didn't know how to handle because it was True Art Is Angsty Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book stuff instead of the usual childish innocence and kindness Sage knew, they freaked out so badly they decided to lock her away in the deepest part of the cavern instead of seeing beauty in her work, or trying to talk it out with her if it was at risk of becoming a genuinely dangerous issue. In the present Sage has learned their lesson and clearly feels awful about how they reacted and what they turned Luna into, and part of the reason they're raising Fynn and his family is to try to do it right this time.
- Collision Damage: Uniquely for a 3D Platformer, there is no health system. If Fynn gets hit by an enemy, he instead gets sent flying in the opposite direction. So much of the danger the enemies present is knocking the player into Bottomless Pits.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After defeating her, Luna moans about how Fynn's such a lovable hero but nobody loves her. Fynn then hugs her, to her surprise, so she undoes the mess she made to the Cavern of Dreams and helps open the way back to the real world.
- Delightful Dragon: The protagonist is Fynn, an adorable young dragon. There are many other baby dragons to rescue throughout the game, and they're all very cute and lovable.
- Easter Egg: Upon gaining the ability to fly from saving all of Fynn's siblings, many of the worlds have completely separate areas that can be only accessed this way; usually with a sign containing a message from the dev. These range from humorous to poems to haiku.
- Eternal Engine: The game's second world takes place in and around a living ship named Mr. Kerrington. Given that it takes place both around and inside of him, though, it blends this trope with Womb Level more often than not, and Fynn will have to deal with spinning razor turbines just as often as stomach acid.
- Exact Words: The cursed box was alleged to grant "eternal life" to whoever opened it. Luna's father did so, and it literally froze him and his surroundings in time, technically doing just that.
- Forest of Perpetual Autumn: Lostleaf Lake, the first world, is an autumnal forest that is partially submerged in a lake.
- Hub World: The titular Cavern of Dreams is where the player starts out, and it has the portals to each of the game's worlds. It also has its own collectibles as well.
- Kappa: Shelnert is a friendly kappa living in Lostleaf Lake. Although he is always seen with a fishing pole, he still considers the fish his pets, and he takes good care of them
- Level in Boss Clothing: The final fight with Luna consists of a series of platform challenges while she's constantly sending missiles your way.
- Mad Artist: Luna, in addition to capturing the eggs of Fynn's siblings in order to paint on them, believes that True Art Is Angsty and runs her own monster-infested Gallery of Nightmares.
- Magical Clown: Invoked. The Jester Boots are a pair of sentient, talking jester shoes. When Fynn wears them, they give him the ability to walk on air. They also teleport back to their starting location if Fynn leaves the area.
- Magical Star Symbols: Sage has stars and constellations on the bottom of their hat, and under their dress/robe. This is fitting for a celestial-themed sorcerer.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: There are 40 collectable younger siblings in the game.
- Natural Elements: Every character in the game is classified under one of these: Earth, Water, Fire, or Wind, according to the Encyclopedia. It's even the basis of a puzzle in Airborne Armada. The sole exception is the Boxed Nightmare, which is instead classified with a unique, ethereal symbol.
- Nostalgic Music Box:
- Gentle music box music plays over Fynn, the game's young protagonist, sleeping on the title screen, setting an innocent, childlike tone for the game.
- The treehouse in Lostleaf Woods contains a giant version of a child's bedroom. Music box music is heard inside.
- One-Hit KO: A few enemies can instantly knock Fynn out if he touches them, sending him back to the last check point.
- Parental Neglect: A diary in the Gallery of Nightmares and dialogue after defeating Luna show that this is the source of the game's conflict. When she was younger and her father passed away, Luna was taken in by Sage, and amazed at Sage's powers of creation. But when Luna tried to impress them with her own True Art Is Angsty creations, Sage was so terrified that they tried to seal Luna away, leaving Luna heartbroken and envious when Sage then started caring for Fynn's family. Even after Luna's defeated and befriended, Luna states it's a good thing Sage took care of Fynn better than they did her, and a conversation with Sage has them state that they now knows you can't force someone to follow your rules just because you're not happy with who they want to be, and hopes that Fynn remembers that when he's raising his own siblings.
- Portal Picture: Fittingly, the Gallery of Nightmares has a few of these, each leading to a unique sub-world for another egg.
- Primary-Color Champion: Fynn, the protagonist, has a red body with blue horns, wings, shoes, and a bandanna, as well as yellow spots on his face.
- Reconstruction: Fynn is one of the usual platforming protagonist. Instead of being mocked as being outdated by the game, being a Bad Butt Snark Knight, or secretly being a Broken Bird with a dark secret like most platforming games love doing these days, Fynn... Is simply a kindhearted dragon wanting to save his siblings. Fynn's kind nature is actively praised throughout the game by multiple characters, who have became so jaded due to the Great Off Screen War that encountering someone with kindness in their heart is genuinely seen as refreshing. Even Luna, the game's Big Bad, ultimately becomes a better person due to Fynn forgiving her at the end of her boss fight and showing her there are still people who would care for her in this world.
- Skippable Boss: If you rescue all of Fynn's siblings, it's possible to exit the Cavern of Dreams without fighting Luna, due to Fynn's wings being upgraded to allow for free flight.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Prismic Palace, the third world, is a collection of castles and towers in a snowy and icy land.
- Space Zone: Airborne Armada, the second world, takes place on a series of ships flying through space.
- Springy Spores: Fynn can jump on big mushrooms to bounce up high.
- Starter Villain: The first antagonist in the game is The Mighty Wall, a living stone wall who blocks Finn's path during the tutorial. He is easily taken out by one use of Fynn's Tail Slap move, and he exists primarily to teach players how to use said move.
- Super Not-Drowning Skills: For the most part, Fynn can stay underwater as long as he pleases without drowning. Possibly justified, as he's listed as a water element creature in the Encyclopedia and gains a water-based Breath Weapon, implying that he's a water dragon.
- Surprisingly Creepy Moment: The game has a few spooky things if you peek around corners or out windows, but the standout example is probably finding the room in Prismic Palace frozen in time. The figures within are only vaguely human- or animal-shaped, and the room's furniture is in a state of suspended chaos. Even Fynn doesn't seem to like it, as his model has tears in his eyes for as long as he's in the room.
- Tail Slap: Fynn's primary attack has him spin in a circle to hit things with his tail.
- Timed Mission: There are a few of these throughout the game, but the most notable is the Pits of Despair. Fynn is robbed of his Super Not-Drowning Skills and must complete a series of underwater challenges before his air runs out.
- True Art Is Angsty: Luna would rather create invincible monsters and stories about orphans than make the same things as Sage.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential:
- You can hit your baby dragon siblings with your Tail Slap in the hub world. Sage will yell at you for this, and the baby dragon that you hit will be upset until you leave the room, but there are no consequences other than that.
- You can also hit Sage, but they will just spin around without getting hurt or angry.
- You can hurt Mr. Kerrington's eye by using your horn's Ground Pound on top of it. Mr. Kerrington will moan about how people "always" attack the eye, but that's it.
- Video Game Flight: The reward for collecting all of Fynn's siblings' eggs is Sage enlarging his wings and unlocking the ability to fly at any time.
