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I love this game. Cavern of Dreams is part of a trifecta of 2023 low poly 3D platformers that are must-plays for genre fans (the other two being Corn Kidz 64 and Pseudoregalia). Each game has its own strengths. Cavern of Dreams particularly nails exploration and atmosphere while taking a bit to get going in the platforming department.

Cavern of Dreams takes a lot of inspiration from Banjo-Kazooie for gameplay (except there's no combat whatsoever) and at times even matches the quality. The colorful levels are loaded with interconnected puzzles, fun NPCs, and plenty of easter eggs and hints scattered throughout. Those familiar with methodically unraveling puzzles and searching every nook and cranny of a level in Banjo-Kazooie will immediately feel at home in Cavern of Dreams.

Cavern of Dreams really shines with a surreal atmosphere that is both whimsical and vaguely disturbing, reminiscent of other early 3D games. You will get to know the Cavern in your adventure, but a sense of wonder will persist throughout and linger thereafter. The different worlds are lightly inhabited, enough that they are not baron, but well short of teeming with life and energy. Wandering around the levels often reveals side areas with no puzzles to solve or items to collect, just hints of goofy/creepy histories that aren't important to your adventure, but exist all the same. This atmosphere, my favorite part of Cavern of Dreams, immensely accentuates the explorational platforming.

My only real gripe with Cavern of Dreams is I'm left wanting more. With 40 multicolored Eggs (this game's version of Jiggies or Power Stars) to collect, the game took me about five hours to beat and eight hours to 100%. Short runtimes have plenty of advantages, but Cavern of Dreams was paced so that it really hit its gameplay stride right at the end. Like Corn Kidz 64, if Cavern of Dreams were about twice as long, I wouldn't hesitate to place it right alongside the best of the early collectathons that inspired it. As is, it's still a wonderful game that I strongly recommend to fellow 3D platformer fans who love the genre's early days.

If I had a nickel for every extremely good low poly budget-priced indie 3d platformer starring a goat that launched in 2023, I'd have two nickels. Play pseudoregalia. Play corn kidz 64.

Pseudoregalia develops one of the tightest, most satisfying 3d platforming movesets I've ever seen through standard Metroidvania progression. It works very, very well. Exploring the hazy, dreamy low poly castle is a treat, though the game desperately needs a map.

Rocket: Robot on Wheels is a strong first outing for Sucker Punch that unfortunately never left much of a legacy.

A collectathon, the game utilizes Banjo-Kazooie's approach to level design by focusing on small-scale levels with collectibles (in this case, tickets and tokens instead of puzzle pieces and music notes) that you can grab all in your first go -- no move-gating like you see in Banjo-Tooie and DK64. The smaller scale allows the game's unique moveset and surprisingly robust physics engine to take center stage. Players need to manage Rocket's speed carefully, as conserving momentum plays a key role in many tricky platforming situations. The game otherwise tasks players with using magnets, tractor beams, an ice ray, and plenty more in a puzzle- and physics-laden venture. At its high points, Rocket: Robot on Wheels is genuine, interesting, and loads of fun.

Taking only about 9 hours to 100%, Rocket: Robot on Wheels adds up to a lean, exciting experience that stands out amidst other more traditional fifth-gen 3D platformers, even if its flavor of puzzly physics-based platforming doesn't ultimately reach the same quality as run-and-jump classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64.

Similarly, there are a few sour points that hold the game back from the top of the genre. The levels are fairly lifeless aside from generic enemies that can be dispatched with one one tractor beam ground pound. When combat isn't a focus, enemies don't contribute to a level feeling "populated." The level design as a whole is not especially colorful or memorable, which diminishes the quintessential collectathon experience of wandering around a 99% completed level searching in vain for that last missing collectible. Finally, while the game's physics-based approach to movement is overall very impressive, the occasional vehicle or move is simply clunky, unresponsive, or just plain boring to use.

If you like collectathons and can tolerate some early 3D game jank, Rocket: Robot on Wheels deserves a look, both for its quality and for its unique approach to the genre.