I originally played Defunct back in 2018, being one of the few non-Nintendo games I had on my Switch at the time. I played for about half an hour but couldn't stand how glitchy it felt. I remember running into a wall and being flung off the map numerous times. I gave up on that and it sat in my Switch collecting digital dust for years. As I was looking to check off some of my backlog and finally touch some games that have never once been opened I came across Defunct once again. I loosely remembered the gameplay and thought it sounded like a fun time. And who knows maybe there was a patch in the past 6 years since I've last played that fixed some of the collision glitches.

I redownloaded, booted it up, and immediately I hit a wall and got flung high in the air and off the map. Though, I will say, that was the only significant glitch I encountered. Maybe there was in fact a patch or maybe I just hit less walls. As I was replaying it I see what originally drew me to this game. The feeling of momentum as you build speed down slopes is incredibly satisfying. There's very fun long stretches for you to build speed and fly down the path. Unfortunately that's all this game has going for it. You will be stopped occasionally to go down a slower path which is fine if there was anything worth seeing. The environments rarely change or have any focal points that show anything besides recycled post-apocalyptic rubbish.

And then you come across these sections that seem to be puzzles but are more just a series of activation points you have to touch to continue. Some are fun as you can find an optimal set up to touch all of them in one sweep in a very quick succession. Others are more spread out and have very little thought behind them than just touch the red light and make it not red. Just stopping any chance for momentum as you follow a cable to get near the thing™ to make the tower glow.

And just as I was thinking the game had a good balance of long stretches of speed and the lighting sections I enjoyed weaved together the game ends very abruptly. I genuinely thought it was a fake out until the credits refused to stop rolling. I was really shocked at how short it was. Even with my first playthrough many years ago and starting over now my Switch doesn't even show two hours of playtime. I normally don't look down on games for their length as long as I enjoyed the time I spent in it but I really did feel like I was just getting started.

This experience feels like a game I would have played on PS2 as a kid repeatedly and as I grew I would sing its praises as everyone else either never heard of it or called it mid. But seeing as I played this game 2 separate times in my twenties I am unable to not see its flaws. But I also see what it did well and I can see myself coming back to shut off my brain and experience that momentum based gameplay again.

As a fan of 3D platformers I found myself noticing that many of these recent retro-inspired 3D platformers focus on speed and movement options. Which is great. The gameplay they’ve created for these games are incredibly fun to control but I think a missing element that has been forgotten in the games that are inspiring these new experiences is the more slow methodical approach to exploration. It appears here and there especially for well hidden collectibles but to have the focus be this gameplay style in Cavern of Dreams is truly wonderful.

It could have easily felt like a slog but this game’s biggest strength is its level design. Visually there’s so much whimsy and fantastical elements that fit perfectly in the N64 aesthetic but more importantly the levels lend themselves to exploration perfectly. The size is never daunting and there’s plenty of focal points to help memorize the different locations even in places that are made to be a maze. Traversing from one side of a map to another never seems like a chore. It’s set up in a way where you jump from one task, whether it be a puzzle or a platforming section, to the next. Going through this game was a treat as every environment felt alive. There was rarely a location that seemed static. There was always some form of movement that gave the sense that these places are lived in even with just a handful of very endearing characters.

Now what you’re doing in these areas is also done extremely well. Practically every puzzle and challenge is telegraphed to you perfectly. Rarely was I left scratching my head and needing to look up a solution. Yes, some were more difficult than others but the answer was always there. Except the tile under the table. That one needed a better visual indicator. You are also rewarded for exploring every nook and cranny. Either with a collectible or an easter egg giving more lore and life into this world.

It was all so good, I couldn’t help but want more and honestly it could have benefited from that. The levels don’t quite build up to that final world. The final world is dark and full of cryptic and more challenging solutions. While I did manage fine, it felt a bit jarring going from the previous areas that are more light and whimsical with occasional darker elements to a more serious corrupted area without seeing a transition into it. I felt an additional world or two could have been a buffer that helped that adjustment a bit more and that would have padded out the game as it does feel relatively short. But even with that short length it doesn’t feel as though any moment is wasted. It was overall a great experience and has jumped near the top of my list of favorite modern 3D platformers.

I wanted to like this game. It had nice art and the screenshots looked intriguing. When the game booted and I saw the initial animated cutscene I was impressed. It was nice with decent voice acting but immediately the main gameplay was a disappointment. The movement was very slippery and had a lack of control. Getting a good momentum took time and could easily stop with any touch from the environment. There's a trick system that has no depth or variety and comes down to just mashing the jump button in the air to gain 'cool points' that serve no purpose. The upgrades override each other which only allows you to have one at any given time. You can choose between a quick dash, melee attack, or projectile attack. Even with the the projectile being very unreliable and hard to aim I do think the experience would have been better allowing all 3 at the same time or at the very least giving a button to swap between them when collected. The environments are fine but empty feeling. I believe there are multiple paths you can take but not much desire to investigate those options as there doesn't seem to be much reward for exploration. The in-game dialogue is completely broken at times. Either cutting off early or not making any sense at all and that's if you can even read it with the color of text they selected that camouflages with the scenery. The first two of three boss fights were pitiful. It just came down to sitting near the boss and rapidly hitting the fire projectile button until it was dead. Occasionally refueling or repositioning after getting hit. The final boss did have a fun new gameplay style. The super sayian-style endless flying and impactful dash was fun but there was no obstacle besides the time limit so there was no sense of danger. Considering it was a final boss I would expect it to be a bit more of a challenge. It's a short experience, roughly 30 minutes total, being the beginning of a presumed series. Thing is even with it being an overall negative experience I think that future iterations can improve upon this. There's something there. I like the characters and the small amount of story that we got. I just feel that where it's at now is not worth the short amount of time it takes to play.