The old saying goes it’s always darkest before the dawn…

…and sometimes, *you* continue to persist as the darkest thing sulking about, even after the dawn

After the impressively vile and rampantly chaotic liquid shitting episode that any replay of the level Control turns out to be (at least on 00 Agent), we move into position to reach up high, for one of the last ledges we must grab, before we may lay eyes on the summit that represents the glorious finale that is GoldenEye 64.

Much akin to the mixing of an album, I do feel there is a lot of worth in being strategic about where a developer puts certain “mood outposts” during the campaign, as the context of where the player is, what they’re doing, how the music and visuals sync up, are all quite vital in building an atmosphere of intent. This practice doesn’t even have to only relate to emotionally burdened or hard hitting narratives of course, any game, even goofy little novelties or bombastic over the top action romps, can benefit greatly from this sort of cognitively reinforced and mindfully centered approach, as it tends to magnify and heighten whatever target we are all collectively aiming for; intentionality being key in making sure the aim is true.

This reasoning is why I’ve always been surprised that developer Rare saw it so fitting to place the level “Caverns” betwixt Control and Cradle, representing the penultimate level of the entire story mode, as it represents more of a down tempo shift in rhythm and beat; a breather moment in-between two powerhouse levels of excitement. I mentioned towards the beginning of this whole “Bonding Experience”, when I first started my replay of GoldenEye 64, that the game seems to thrive in drawing attention to variance of level design on display through levels of contrast, in placing a radically different environment right next to another. This is a thankfully thoughtful approach, as when one doesn’t do that, shrieking cries of visual repetition are likely to crop up, especially where mid 90’s shooters are concerned, and the famously drab post-Quake “browning” that occurred, that honestly, still plagues a certain brand of shooters, even to this day.

This becomes even more blatantly obvious upon reflection, after one has finished the game and can see the big picture in totality, as opposed to the smaller images one by one that make up the whole album of experiences representing a whole run-through. This is more due to the fact that, perhaps the first time through Control, and though I single out 00 Agent as being this terrifying slice of trauma that we are grotesquely force fed, depending on ones experience level, I’m sure there are plenty of players that were sweating bullets on secret agent, and even newbies who fought tooth and nail on default Agent mode, too, that also needed a bit of a breather after such frenetic action, so the Caverns, with its chill, subterranean, tucked away atmosphere is divine to step into; a fine little hidey-hole in the ground one can crawl into to shield themselves from the horrors of the surface and beyond.

The Caverns works well in that capacity, though, when one has the foresight of how ridiculously compact the last act is with the final level Cradle, Caverns almost seems too lenient in being the doorstep to the end, as you then have an effective median to step to from the insanity that was Control, but one that arguably creates too much time and space in returning to a state of relaxation, as one slowly meanders through the Caverns themselves before entering the Cradle, totally dehyped in the process. Not to say I dislike the vibes of the Caverns; I feel the level acts incredibly effectively as a level of self-reflection, one that draws out an internal monolgue of sorts, a thinking man’s fps level…which I know is a compliment usually attached to things like crowbars and gravity guns, but there is room for more than just one free man in this world of oppressive fire power.

Due to this. I think Caverns would have benefitted the overall flow of the level mixing, if it had been placed between Jungle and Control, rather than between Control and Cradle, as I think the slightly unnerving but tense stomp through the Jungle, has a much more effective build up when leading into Caverns that gives way to the continuing effort of swelling intent and thoughtful consideration of knowing the end is near. This reworking would avoid the pitfall of the too long of a pause that mutes the momentum post Control, and a remixing which would have set up perfectly the building intensity and final thrust to the finish line by the time Cradle takes off; a missed opportunity by Rare here. C’est la vie.

Caverns represents yet another level who’s kind of ebb and flow are heavily influenced by the difficulty setting toggled, though unlike other levels, where 00 Agent helps to jettison any hope of positive reinforcement where engagement is concerned, Caverns doesn’t transform into an absolute slog when things ramp up, though there is a lot more methodical heavy lifting involved. Since there are a number of eccentricities that come with the territory of Caverns, the length of the level doesn’t bother me, as the area holds plenty of secrets and hidden techniques, both literal and metaphysical, that I feel everything ends up being balanced by days end. Default difficulty on Caverns counts as one of the levels with the least discerning requirements necessary in order to finish successfully, as making it to the end is the only concern, outside of minimizing scientist casualties, all but a near impossibility all things considered.

I suppose the only other thing of major relevancy to mention about Caverns, is that while it does represent another moment of filler developer Rare saw fit to slide into the experience to pad the level count, as there is no equivalent scene in the film where such events take place, it doesn’t feel out of place, only out of pace, as previously asserted, in where it was put in the grand scheme of the level placement. However, between the unique atmosphere it creates, with both the music and aesthetics coming together to create this sense of earned somberness amongst the heated skirmishes that are peppered throughout, and the quirky approaches it offers minute to minute, Caverns feels well crafted to exist amongst the overwhelming majority of standout areas GoldenEye has to offer.

Especially when contrasted with Control, Caverns will always come off as a breezy jaunt through what feels like an off the beaten path kind of moseying, and before you know it, the whole thing will have already passed you by, the elevator door closing behind you, as you ready yourself for the grand conclusion and final showdown with 006, to close out GoldenEye 64 with one last stylish bang.

~Pashford