Many game series can't do it like Epic Dumpster Bear. Continuing to reach even greater heights with each new entry. A gripping story that constantly has you on edge with the many twist and turns surrounded by messaging that is pertinent to our current political state. A multilayered narrative about following one's own past and making sacrifices along the way. On top of that is the high octane gameplay which has you flying through these expertly crafted environments with ease while giving truly challenging moments that have you proving your skills again and again. And just when you think it's over and the credits sit static on your screen, you unlock the original game. Allowing you the opportunity to experience the beginning of this saga. Taking you on a journey of nostalgia as you experience the start of this bear's trials and tribulations. You feel the growth that he has gone through both in his emotional state and his capabilities from his beginnings to where he ends up on his latest outing. All in all we have a powerful full circle tale that gives you all you could want in a product like this,.

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.

I found this game on mobile earlier in the year and as an avid 3D platformer enjoyer I had to download it. I even paid for Gold as to help support the developer. Playing around in the hub I got a good sense of the controls and movement and found them to be really fun. Even got a couple cosmetics in that time, one of which being the amazing real bear jpeg as a mask. Even though I was enjoying my time in the game I could tell my phone was not the platform I wanted to play a game like this. Being both cranky and old I wanted to enjoy my cartoony colorful 3D platformer in my dedicated gaming space instead of my small phone screen. I did also attempt with a bluetooth controller to get me in the zone and it was an improvement but ultimately I knew I wouldn't be opening the app again any time soon.

As some time moved along I, in delight, came across this game in the eShop and knew the time was right. I would actually load into the first world of the game and not just jump around the hub for half an hour. And I enjoyed myself. The moveset was just as fun as it was when I played previously and now I had purpose in my jumping around. Level was sectioned out with little challenges consisting of platforming, puzzles, and even platforming puzzles. Some secret locations with a tricky hidden coin or two. All the good fun you’d expect.

The real issue I experienced in these levels was any form of combat. This game has a good flow to it and even encourages speedrun methods but any time there’s an enemy it kinda brings all momentum to a halt. The enemy movements are basic but just aggressive enough that you can’t ignore it if you’re in the same area. Your character doesn’t have much in the way of attacking while moving. He can punch in a standstill, jump on the enemy’s head, or dive into them. Diving is quickest but least reliable and once you're in the motion there’s not much control. Oftentimes I just flew by whatever it was attacking me and if it’s a smaller platform it can be a risky maneuver in general. Jumping on their heads/body slamming works best for enemies that run towards you but anything beyond that it’s pretty useless as it needs more precision. Punching is the safest bet as all enemies pretty much make a beeline to you when you’re noticed but you do have to just stand there and wait for them to be in range to kill them. None of them are emblematic of keeping the action going as I sit there waiting to press the y button so the bee could run into my fist.

Outside of combat the game is very fun to play. The levels are fun to explore. There’s a good level challenge in the little missions to save the bears with even greater optional speedrun challenges for 100% completion. These are some of the best moments of the game and even I, as the slow, explore every inch of a level at my own pace kind of guy that I am really got on with these challenges. They were insanely fun to attempt and there were times where I was convinced some were impossible but with enough effort even I got all the golden bears.

Now I have to talk about my least favorite aspect of this game and it’s the lack of consideration of it being a paid port on a console rather than a free (with optional micro transactions) mobile game. The cosmetic store is baffling. You are given a rotation of 8 items at a time that you can buy with coins except for 1 or 2 items that you use a special currency that you win 1 a day from the daily challenges you unlock half way through the game. You also have the option of a loot box to get the chance of any item up to epic status. And there’s an additional prize wheel that is the only way you can win legendary cosmetics. This is asinine. It’s understandable when this was a free mobile game, still annoying but understandable. It wants to keep the users engaged in the game. Give them reasons to come back and continuously play again and again. That’s the culture of mobile games. I paid for this game outright. It’s also not on my phone. Yes, the Switch is a portable console but it’s not attached to me like my phone is. I’m sure it is for some people but my phone is never not on my person. You could at any given moment boot this up from your phone and get your time in, do a couple runs, see what cosmetics are on rotation, do a daily challenge, all from the toilet and just swipe back to Tiktok. I really only knew of one cosmetic beforehand and it was my mission to get it. It took me so long to get that jpeg bear mask. I had just the final level left. I would check the rotation when I was capable. I spent all my coins on loot boxes just for the chance to get this dumb cosmetic that made me giggle a bit. I was so frustrated with this system and finally I happened to get it in a loot box. I don’t understand why this wasn’t a general shop where I could buy what I wanted. I would even understand having certain cosmetics locked until you’ve reached certain points in the game (which does happen already for 6 items) but the game of chance for almost every single item did nothing but cause frustration. I continuously farmed coins for the legendary items on that damn wheel which had a chance of giving you nothing in return for 250 coins. The game gives you a very easy and admittedly fun farming method in the arcade (and more 3d platformers need an endless parkour mode) but I would have been so much more satisfied actually just buying them outright. Not to mention the knowledge that if I wanted to get every single cosmetic I would need to play the daily challenges every single day for over a month. I calculated the price and you get one of that currency a day. This is not from when I started the game, this is now as I have 100% literally every aspect of this game besides this handful of cosmetics. These 11 rotating daily challenges should have been just challenges you can play post beating the level that gives one of the cosmetics when you beat it considering that there are exactly 11 of these cosmetics. There’s such simple quality of life fixes that make so much sense when not dealing with the mobile headspace and it’s shocking how none of them are addressed here.

Overall I did enjoy the game. I like playing the levels and completing each and every challenge. There’s a secret final challenge that is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever played and it’s seriously impressive to watch the community speedrun it. The way cosmetics are dealt with gave me fever but if you want a game to get coins while running and jumping, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Hellpie is an excellent 3D platformer. Their method of running, jumping, and getting collectibles is peak. It does it so well. They give you so much to traverse these worlds with set obvious paths and fully expect you to take none of them. They know you’re going to fly across the screen in a strange, unhinged way as they give every opportunity to do so. Each level is a big playground with plenty of room to maneuver with smaller, more linear sections within. Some have fun and engaging challenges with a great platforming that doesn’t just go horizontally but vertically as well. Really testing your capabilities while not feeling impossible at any point. It is really fun taking on each section and feeling as though you’re outsmarting the system while doing exactly what they expected you to do. I also found the collectibles to be very well placed.I may just be thorough though as I love looking for collectibles. I managed to get the right amount to unlock any additional things I needed from them and had plenty to spare by the time I went back to the previous levels to get that 100%. All in all it’s the perfect 3D platformer.

Unfortunately it is an extremely imperfect game. What surrounds the gameplay is not of the same quality. I’m not gonna beat around the bush, the humor, the game's other selling point, is awful. I found practically nothing funny or redeeming. It just happened. Gross out humor is admittedly not my go to but I have found it funny in the past and just not funny here. Maybe I’ve outgrown it at my elderly age of 28. Most of the moments didn’t even elicit a light giggle. I had no reaction to most of these jokes. The one shining light was Nugget. My sweet baby boy. His naive optimism and innocence really kept me going. He was precious. The costumes, for the most part, were good too (mainly cause of Nugget).

It doesn’t just stop with the humor but most of the rest of the game is unmemorable. Not bad, just forgettable. Music was downplayed so much that I genuinely questioned while writing this if there was music. There is but it may as well be a backing track to a vacation slideshow video on your aunt’s Facebook. The levels, while having plenty of pristine places to platform, had no distinguishing features that left an impression. Even something as absurd as being inside a whale left no impact. I’ve been inside a mechanical sea creature in a 3D platformer before. Meanwhile, in this game inside the whale holds a restaurant that serves meat from the living whale that they mine out like ore on a cave wall is somehow the less memorable one? Yes! I forgot about it until I brought up a longplay of the game to check if the game had music (see 5 sentences ago) and happened to click ahead to the whale section (58:14).

The characters too just leave something to be desired. I don’t remember them. Talking to them seems like a waste. I get practically no information and definitely don’t get a joke worth reading. I just saw them as a waste of time. Of course not including my sweet baby prince, Nugget. Nate, the protagonist, is also a weak character. He’s there. Maybe that’s his point. He's just a worker and does his job. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. If there is one other character of note, it’s Chef. But more so his ass. One gag with the serve window with just his ass in view, that gave me a chuckle. That was the one that did it. And not gonna lie, it was a nice ass too. Got a good view of it again during the climax of the game. And I was happy to see it. With that being said I have never once said before that an ass was a highlight of a game… Okay, that’s a lie but I’m trying to make a point. I should like more than just the ass.

Inmost weaves a heartbreaking narrative with some of my favorite pixel graphics I’ve ever seen.
There's a good number of scares and heart racing moments. I am a member of weenie hut jr. and jump at any loud sound but the sense of urgency from the game was real. This game has such good impact. Enemies can move swiftly and when they connect, either with a wall or with you, it can be felt. It combines its depressing narrative, dreary atmosphere, beautiful art and animations, with an impeccable sound design to place you into this dangerous dark world. Banging on doors feels as though it's shaking your house. And even with such limited graphics the sense of fear is visceral. That’s what makes it a great game.
I would recommend it but there’s some glaring issues I couldn’t overlook.

Collectibles have no part in a game like this. It does a disservice and somehow feels insecure. As if without them it wouldn’t fit into the medium of video games. It took me out of the experience and at a certain point I gave up on them entirely. I was somewhat actively avoiding them like it was a silent protest to the idea.

The game itself is pretty linear. It does intersect and cross over itself often but I did not have a sense of exploration. I could have loaded into each section of the game individually, solved a puzzle, and then loaded into the next without much being lost. The connected paths and doorways seemed like a courtesy.

The major downfall for me, personally, is the ending. I love how the story wraps up. Allegory is great but I found the game played its cards in a way that didn't belittle the player. But unfortunately it does so with a long cutscene. I thought the game did a fantastic job having gameplay elements while the story was being told, even something as little as walking the character from left to right yourself instead of having the game do it. This is gone from the ending. I sat down my controller and would glance at it every once in a while as the sad puzzle pieces fell into place. And this ending wasn't done without action either. It has a great action sequence. Better than anything you play in the game itself. And I really wished I was playing that scene but there was my blue xbox controller, sadly lying there next to my keyboard that needs a good cleaning, wishing for a chance to be used. The next time I touched it, it was to close out of the game. Honestly, a more heartbreaking tale than the game itself.

Creating my zoo was an absolute joy. The endorphins that flowed through me as I watched a sea of people criticize my ticket prices was heavenly. They had a lot to say but they kept coming back to see my penguins. Even when the influencer met their end in the hippo pit, they couldn't get enough. The rabbits were over flowing , people we're shocked peacocks die of old age, and my balloons were selling like hotcakes. And none were the wiser of the mysterious island that hosted unimaginable abominations. The likes that we're never meant to be seen... without a high price. At least that's what the headcanon was. If that was a mechanic I would have utilized it.

But yes, I enjoyed myself with this simulator. There we're some stressful times. You definitely need more zookeepers than you initially think. Like a lot more. And by the time you come to realize that, it's too late. Every chicken is just a pile of mush and you build 8 furnaces to get rid of them. The brightside is with that pen empty I had to the perfect spot for some turkeys.

The breeding was the most dangerous element of this game. 10 variants to obtain for each animal. Some being more diverse than others but all I knew was I would get ever kind of monkey. And I did. And then I immediately released all the kinds I didn't want and kept the funny looking one with the big nose. Once this goal was accomplished I would move on to the donkeys. Once I got the last variant from the nursery, I would just keep going to the next animal and the next. It seemed like a never ending cycle. Of course til I got bored and redid my snow-zone but I knew I would be back to see which capybara was the cutest.

What I considered to be the biggest letdown was the customization. I used all that was given to me and I still felt like I was given some very basic decorations with no variants to really theme out my areas. I feel I was given set biomes and had to work with that rather than truly given freedom to create the chaos I truly wanted while be aesthetically pleasing.

The morality was also a mechanic I never got on with. I felt no need to give in to negative morality. The benefits of positive morality seem worthwhile and I could not be convinced to give in to black market sellers, no matter how many ostriches they had.

Overall I found this to be a game where the possibilities seem endless but the limitations are real and they make perfect sense. I enjoyed the game for what it offered and didn't try to harp on it for what it did not... Okay, yes I wanted some free roaming animals. Flamingos just walk all over in some zoos... and wouldn't it be a shame if I miss clicked and accidently released a lion near the hotdog stand? That building is a lion! It's fits thematically.

here's my zoo:
https://twitter.com/pixelpixelboom/status/1650919522696609792

The biggest drawback to this game is the combat. Your main attack is a simple roll that instantly "frees" pets. Issue is that most times you use this you will get hit in the process anyways as there is no clear indication whether an enemy is in an attack state. You will go in for a roll and it will "free" the pet but you will still take damage. It doesn't teach the player that stopping and waiting for enemies to be in an idle animation is the time to attack. You can also jump on most enemies to do the job and I wish this is what the game asked you to do. Jump on enemies à la Mario and have other more advanced attacks from power ups that is mainly used for bosses. It would force players to be less gung-ho when dealing with enemies and cause less deaths and frustration.

I found the platforming to be pretty solid. My favorite sections we're the ones with the swinging brick power up. This added really fun gameplay moments where action and flow was key. I was disappointed in the other selections of pets as they didn't add to a 3d platformer's most important feature: movement. The swinging brick added so much that I quickly learned to adapt to it's main flaw. For whatever reason they chose not to allow you jump when the brick wasn't active. I guess a normal jump would add to much height and potential to this power but either way I just started hitting the button to summon the brick at anytime I wanted to jump. That's how fun the power is. The others are decent. The light bug had some cool sections where enemies wouldn't hurt in the dark but you still had to navigate. The ghost honestly had the best levels and incorporated the swinging block here and there but even without that it had some of the coolest level design. The helmet though... was bad. I already didn't like combat and the shooting the helmet had felt unreliable. I did not enjoy that section at all. The last power with the twin flyers was cool but underutilized. There's 2 sections, one of which is a tutorial, that use this power and neither does anything creative with it. Which is a bit sad cause these pets are your main focus in the story and they end up not doing much for gameplay.

Storywise, I wasn't impressed. I know it's a game made for kids but aren't almost all 3d platformers? For a game with a handful of cutscenes it had some really strange dialog and pacing choices. There was one moment I laughed, when they introduced the magical talking door you have be drugged to see, but even saying that... WHY WAS THAT IN THIS GAME? It didn't need to be. Practically every choice was so out there that they could have changed any aspect with the most random off the wall idea and nothing would be lost or seem out of place.

Overall it was a fine experience. I was whelmed. I had plenty of moments I enjoyed. Some frustrations. My favorite realization was that there were no barriers to continuing levels other than completing them despite being plenty of collectables to obtain. I ended a 3d platformer with no desire to go for 100% completion which is my norm. And I'm okay with that.

I was not one that had the honor of playing the original Wii release. I knew the story and how Magolor is the most trustworthy character in the galaxy, but other than that my modern Kirby knowledge came from the more recent 3DS and Switch titles. It's very clear the original was the model they took to create some of my favorite 2D platformers. It's well done but built upon bigger and better in later games. The level theming, for example, is very basic outside of the dimensional rifts and the more mechanical worlds near the end of the game. Details like that are expanded upon more in later games and the era this game was original made in is shown in this remake. Other than the new additions.

They really take this package to the next level. The Magolor Epilogue was a great change of pace after completing the main story. His different playstyle, upgrades, and combos added a much appreciated sense of flow to the gameplay. And it's nice to have expanded lore to character we've seen popup time and time again for seemingly no reason.

The other new addition Merry Magoland was also great choice to add. Typically the subgames, while fun, tend to be a bit of a distraction that will be forgotten later But adding all these challenges with specific goals for each game adds a new sense of accomplishment that kept me coming back again and again. I really don't understand why they kept the subgames in the Lor during the main mode since it seems redundant to go there compared to Merry Magoland.

As far as new copy abilities, I truly thought Mech would be the new go to. It was revealed first and looked amazing. And yeah, it is good. Sometimes I lose myself in its capabilities but it has come in handy. Though Mech really gets lost in the dust when you compare it Sand. What I thought would be just another elemental power with a few utilities and more drawbacks actually became my new favorite ability in the series. It's just so strong against bosses. It destroys them in seconds. It also has an invincible shield AND a attack out of the shield. This thing is a beast. It may not be as flashy as some abilities but killing a demon god with a sand castle will always bring a smile to my face.

Overall it's the typical really good Kirby game with wonderful new editions that make it a great Kirby game. 100% worth the time to play.

I really wanted to enjoy this game but I encountered a glitch that is making it impossible to move on. I was waiting for a patch to fix this issue and finally, more than a month after the game released, there was a patch. It fixed the glitch that causes the game to get locked but doesn't fix it for any of us who are already stuck. I'm not restarting the game and I'm tired of waiting. I enjoyed what I played up to that point. Hell, I even enjoyed running around getting collectibles over and over again in the parts of the game I had already played. Sponch just controls really well. I just know that this game is plagued with so many more issues than it needed to. Maybe it needed a bit more time in the oven. Maybe I shouldn't just fall out of the world, I'll take blame for that. I just wanted a better experience than what I got. Hopefully in the future I'll actually get to play this game.

A great homage to the gameplay style of Super Mario Bros. 2 without the obsession with verticality that game seemed to have. Stunning colorful graphics that blends the feel of a throwback project with the finesse of modern design. The gameplay is polished with just the right amount of difficulty where death is inevitable but you never feel like the goal is impossible. Would I have preferred a bit more checkpoints and respawning in the area right before the cliff I fell off of with 1 (one) less heart rather than instant death? Yes but I'm a baby who wants (and deserves, mind you) the world. Overall a really great game from a studio that puts out quality work time and time again.

edit: forgot to mention, lives are a dated concept and unnecessary in any form for modern gaming