The Cave

Gaming Age (A-)

It's really great to see a well-known developer do well with the genre that made them so beloved to begin with, and show that they've still got what it takes to pump out a really fun game like Ron Gilbert has with his direction of The Cave. Of course, being paired with Double Fine is also going to be a huge plus, what with their proven track record of successfully blending humor and enjoyable gameplay. The Cave has a handful of faults, sure, but the overall experience is well worth checking out.

GameTrailers (8.6 out of 10)

Despite some brief rough patches and a structure that requires replay, The Cave is a thoroughly entertaining descent that lives up to its pedigree. Gameplay and narrative work together to create a funny and surprising adventure with inventive puzzles that hit the challenge sweet spot just right.

3D Juegos (8.5 out of 10)

Le teníamos tantas ganas que nos preocupaba sentirnos algo decepcionados, pero The Cave ha sobrevivido a nuestras expectativas. Es una gran aventura, muy divertida y original en el desarrollo de su acción, que destaca sobremanera por el inteligente diseño de sus rompecabezas, su impecable narrativa y el encanto propio de las míticas aventuras de LucasArts. Hay mil excusas para comprarlo, pero muy poquitas que indiquen lo contrario.

4Players.de (83 out of 100)

Fans von Ron Gilbert werden sich freuen, dass der Maniac Mansion- und Monkey Island-Schöpfer sein Höhlenprojekt nach über zwanzigjährigem Dornröschenschlaf endlich verwirklicht hat. The Cave trägt eindeutig seine Handschrift. Egal ob Charaktere, Rätsel oder Humor - es weht ein unverkennbar vertrauter Wind durch die herrlich abgedrehte Unterwelt. Wo gibt es sonst sprechende Höhlen, unterirdische Jahrmärkte oder von Affen bemannte Atomraketen? Allerdings hat die schräge Expedition auch ein paar unschöne Schattenseiten wie das insgesamt wenig charakterspezifische Rätsel- sowie im Hinblick auf die sieben- bzw. achtköpfige Heldenriege wiederholungsanfällige Leveldesign. Auch dass die mit individuellen Talenten gesegneten Figuren völlig wortlos von Schauplatz zu Schauplatz ziehen, trotz Koop-Funktion nur selten echtes Teamwork gefragt ist und die Kollisionsabfrage so ihre Tücken hat, nagt am Spielspaß.

Gamer.nl (8 out of 10)

The Cave is noch een wederopstanding van het genre, noch een absoluut hoogtepunt. Maar er zijn hier talloze kleine glimlachjes te vinden, in een titel die bijzonder goed doordacht is en bol staat van karakter en tientallen bevredigende momenten. Heel veel anders hadden van we Schafer en Gilbert niet verwacht. Misschien is dit het moment om te pleiten voor meer van dit. Meer puzzelwerk in een jasje van 2013 met de ziel van de jaren ’90. Maar dat pleidooi laten we over aan de verkoopcijfers. Wij zijn allang blij dat we weer een creatieve en goed geproduceerde titel als The Cave voorbij zien komen. Waarvan akte.

Chip Power Play ( )

Die abwechslungsreichen und leicht bekömmlichen Rätsel von The Cave haben mich einige Abende lang blendend unterhalten. Ich mag den Humor, den drolligen Grafikstil und die entspannte Atmosphäre. Obwohl die Wiederholung einiger Bereiche etwas nervt, habe ich mich freiwillig zweieinhalbmal durchgespielt, um alle charakterspezifischen Puzzle- und Handlungsstränge zu erleben. Ob die Hüpfspiel-Steuerung für ein Adventure der Weisheit letzter Schluss ist, darf diskutiert werden; beim Koordinieren von drei Charakteren artet die Laufarbeit etwas aus. Und warum habe ich nicht die Freiheit, verschiedene Spielstände zu speichern? Der Charme der Gesamtproduktion lässt manche Holprigkeit vergessen. Für wenig Geld serviert The Cave eine gute Menge an „typisch Gilbert“-Gags und Puzzleauflösungs-Wohlgefühlmomenten. Die nicht übermäßig komplexe Natur der Rätsel empfinde ich als angenehm, mancher Adventure-Profi wird härtere Nüsse knacken wollen.

TrueAchievements ( )

While some gamers may balk at the 1200 MSP price point, The Cave really delivers on fun, high replay value, a hefty set of achievements (expect some of those ratios to stay in the 2’s), and an incredible voice (both literally and figuratively). The deeper message behind the game is one best-left unspoiled, but will definitely make you consider your actions in subsequent playthroughs. If you’re a fan of adventure games or the work of Double Fine, this game should not be missed.

Worth Playing (8 out of 10)

The Cave is a solid adventure game. The puzzles strike a good balance between tricky and easy, and the different character abilities ensure some variety in the gameplay. The stories are good and the humor, a hallmark of the developer, hits just the right marks. The replay value seems good until you realize that the tales don't deviate much, and the brevity of the game means you can finish most of it in one sitting, provided you only want to see the conclusion of three of the tales. The Cave is still an enjoyable game that is well worth the price of admission ($15 or 1,200 Microsoft points).

videogamer.com (8 out of 10)

The Cave is a carefully updated throwback. It’s as funny as you would hope, with humour both warm and dark. It makes concessions where they need to be made, but recognises the importance of tradition. One shame is that your characters don’t interact with each other, so there’s no real reason to try different combinations. The lack of an overarching story seems unfortunate considering Ron Gilbert’s pedigree, too. However there is a strong thematic link throughout the game: archetypes are turned on their heads by egotism, and by the time you make it to the bottom, one man’s treasure has become another’s trinket. The Cave, though, should be treasured.

MondoXbox (8 out of 10)

The Cave ha il pregio di ricordarci perchè una volta le avventure punta e clicca alla Monkey Island erano tanto amate, seppur si presenti come un'esperienza decisamente più essenziale rispetto a quei capolavori di un tempo; la grande ironia e creatività di Ron Gilbert non sembrano però essersi affievolite e questo è di per sé incoraggiante. Se amate gli enigmi e le storie surreali, e se non temete di finire per sbattere qualche volta la testa al muro senza sapere come procedere, è sicuramente un titolo da prendere.

GamesRadar ( )

The Cave is an extremely entertaining, surprising, and inventive adventure all the way through. The characters' surprising stories make you want to uncover the dark history of each one, and the challenging puzzles are rewarding to conquer. Ron Gilbert and the team at Double Fine have created a truly memorable adventure title that will keep you engaged until all of the fascinating characters' stories have been told.

Gaming Nexus (8 out of 10)

A clever adventure puzzle game that reminds me of a simpler time in gaming. The guys at Double Fine do a great job in working with mechanics of yesteryear and make The Cave a compelling adventure from start to finish.

IGN (7.9 out of 10)

Delightfully, The Cave is, in fact, a pure, puzzle-solving adventure game rife with funny lines and chuckle-inducing non sequiturs despite trying to disguise itself as a side-scrolling platformer. It doesn’t stay with you the way Gilbert’s classics did, however. You experience it, you enjoy it, but you’re not likely to catch yourself daydreaming about unforgettable sequences in The Cave the way you fondly recall Monkey 1’s insult sword-fighting or Monkey 2’s endlessly debatable ending. Maybe that’s because the story is mostly told through scattered comic-book-style panels or because the only real dialogue comes from The Cave itself and not the seven characters. But being a Ron Gilbert-built adventure game in the modern era, it’s wholly unique in the market and your game library will be a better place with it included.

Game Informer Magazine (7.75 out of 10)

At least you don’t have to solve solo; The Cave supports up to three players working together on a single TV, but falls short of letting players split up, so you still have to switch back and forth as puzzles demand characters in different locations. Still, that cooperative vibe echoes the way many players first encountered the genre – a group of friends gathered around a screen, laughing at the crazy solutions required to slip past a perplexing blocked path. In replicating that novel experience, The Cave succeeds.

Gameplanet (7.5 out of 10)

The Cave clings to some genre tropes that we could do without in 2013, but the game is redeemed by its wicked sense of humour and wonderful presentation. A must for puzzle fans.

Official XBox Magazine (7.5 out of 10)

Then again, The Cave’s charms aren’t meant for longevity or deep, thinky examination. Its breezy morality play feels more like a small, self-contained, eccentric dose of dark humor, best suited for whiling away a gloomy afternoon spent indoors.

Meristation (7.5 out of 10)

Ron Gilbert ha creado un pequeño parque de atracciones atrapado dentro de una cueva parlante. Divertido, fresco, no muy original (no inventa nada) pero bastante ameno, tiene ciertos problemas que se habrían arreglado con facilidad y desaprovecha su modo multijugador, pero si eres capaz de conectar con la forma en que se lleva a cabo la resolución de los puzles, entre lo coherente (muchas veces) y lo disparatado (otras tantas), vas a disfrutarlo bastante. No es muy largo, puede rejugarse para conocer otros puntos de vista de la historia y qué diablos, es una aventura gráfica que aún renunciando a la narración un poco ambiciosa, es capaz de sacarnos una sonrisa con momentos bastante inspirados. Si os gusta el estilo de Gilbert, adelante; aún sin estar a la altura de sus mejores juegos, aquí hay muchas cosas que os recordarán al creador de mitos como Monkey Island.

Jeuxvideo.com (15 out of 20)

Les fans de Gilbert attendaient The Cave avec impatience. Dans l'esprit, pas de quoi être déçu, l'ambiance et l'écriture sont là, même si les habitués de la prise de tête trouveront forcément les puzzles trop accessibles. Mais c'est surtout l'obligation d'avoir à refaire certains passages obligatoires pour avoir la chance de connaître l'histoire des 7 personnages qui s'avère regrettable. Une lacune toutefois compensée par le charme de l'univers mis en place par Double Fine. Typiquement le genre de titres pour lequel on a un gros coup de coeur.

Console Monster (75 out of 100)

Whether you are looking for a short escape from the backlog of games, a treat before the gaming year begins or simply a pleasant arcade title that is actually worth the Microsoft Points, The Cave is worth picking up and will cater for most player's wants in an adventure game. Plus, everyone loves a good laugh and this one will leave you with a sore stomach!

411mania.com (7.3 out of 10)

There is a lot of heart within The Cave, be it the humorous dialog, good puzzle design, well-designed characters, and interactions the characters have in the environment. The technical issues crop up too often though which drags the game down. Some fundamental game design choices are also a bit odd. I would say to check out the PC version, but they have been very reluctant to show off the PC version which makes me…not hopeful. I can only pray that the increased power of a good gaming computer can help with the issues I (and many other people) experienced.

InsideGamer (7 out of 10)

The Cave is een interessante mix tussen platform- en adventuregame met de typische charme en humor die we van Double Fine gewend zijn. De combinatie laat een aantal flinke steken vallen, maar de eigenaardige personages, ludieke puzzels en de cartoony wereld uit de onmiskenbare geest van Ron Gilbert zijn het waard om in te duiken.

DarkZero (7 out of 10)

Even with some of the structure and backtracking problems I had with the game, The Cave is an amusing title that on the first time through is entertaining enough to warrant attention. It’s just a shame that even with the clever puzzles, once you have travelled through this amusement of rocks, you will most likely not want to go much deeper into The Cave’s concept of a changeable adventure game. The concept sounds fantastic, and there is potential in setting a game up like this, but in reality, The Cave’s take on telling a story like this ends up making it a fun but flawed adventure game.

Gameblog.fr ( )

Le talent, ça ne se perd pas comme ça. The Cave démontre que Ron Gilbert a toujours ce grain de folie qui fait la différence. Et que, sous sa houlette, un jeu d'aventure peut encore se montrer rafraîchissant. En dépit de quelques petites erreurs, notamment concernant sa durée de vie et sa rejouabilité, ce joli titre édité par Sega fait montre de qualités indéniables, en termes d'écriture et de conceptions d'énigmes. Il devrait sans problème parvenir à captiver quiconque souhaite rire de bon coeur - seul ou avec des amis - face à des puzzles astucieux et des histoires abracadabrantesques. C'est intelligent, drôle, mignon, parfois surréaliste, et proposé à un tarif (12,99€ sur Steam et le PSN, 1200 MS Points) qui fait qu'on lui pardonne à peu près tout.

VentureBeat / Gamesbeat (70 out of 100)

Although it’s not as funny as past Ron Gilbert games, The Cave still manages to charm through its visuals and honey-tongued narrator, but it falls flat when it comes to storytelling. Double Fine fans looking for a light diversion while waiting for their Kickstarter project, however, could do worse.

The Escapist ( )

Ultimately it's a game that feels good, but not great; Worth a play, but by no means on its way to becoming a classic.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (7 out of 10)

And that's The Cave in a dank and gloomy nutshell: never bad, often good, but only occasionally great. Its frustrations are fleeting but with core gameplay that struggles to be as clever and witty as the script, it never quite manages to bring together its best features in a truly satisfying way. Plunge into The Cave and you'll definitely have fun finding your way out. It's just a shame it doesn't go deeper.

GameSpot (7 out of 10)

The Cave's puzzles are challenging, its story is well constructed and narrated, and its cartoon-like visuals and sprawling, morphing tunnels are pleasant to look at. Its mashup of elements from platformers and point-and-clicks fare less well, but if you can overlook those small flaws The Cave is a dark, yet humorous adventure that ably exercises the grey matter.

Joystiq ( )

The Cave turns out to be the cruelest of Double Fine's games, and perhaps the most sharply written. Ron Gilbert and Chris Remo miss on the explicit narration, but their underlying story is perfectly pitched through puzzles and your own wicked participation. The repetition inherent in the game's structure is severe, while also being home to a wonderful, unfurling evilness. Reliving a life over and over may be apt punishment for an adventurer's ill deeds, here in this warm place beneath the earth.

Vandal Online (7 out of 10)

Quizás esperábamos un poco más del regreso de Ron Gilbert a las aventuras, más humor, más ingenio o un desarrollo más elaborado y complicado. Pero se nota es un juego poco ambicioso, lo han realizado unas pocas personas, y como calentamiento para algo más grande, y un primer trabajo en su reencuentro con Tim Schafer en Double Fine, no está mal. Es corto, es bastante fácil, y en un par de tardes le habréis sacado todo el jugo, pero el tiempo que hayáis pasado con él os habrá entretenido, y seguro que os saca alguna que otra sonrisa. La idea daba para algo un poco más ambicioso, su toque plataformero no aporta nada y no hace más que entorpecer el desarrollo, pero por suerte para los más nostálgicos de las aventuras gráficas, destila, aunque en pequeñas cantidades, algo del aroma y los puzles de aquellos míticos juegos de los 90.

Official Xbox Magazine (UK) (7 out of 10)

The three-player co-op could well help with spicing up repeat journeys, though, and with every character's area worth playing (not least for the lovely hidden endings for those who think around the final section), those intent on searching its every inch will find that The Cave runs very deep - and dark - indeed.

Retro Spirit Games ( )

Unfortunately the same suffers from some technical problems. While playing, the game suffers from frame-rate hiccups. The XBLA version is especially bad, jerking and twitching around like Mohammed Ali attached to a car battery. It is completely unacceptable and as such I highly recommend you choose the PS3 or PC versions, which run much better (I have not tested the Wii-U version). Worse still, often your character will glitch into the background and get stuck. This happened to me twice, resulting in having to completely restart the game (reloading a save didn't work).

Eurogamer.de (6 out of 10)

The Cave stellt sich fast alle Beine selbst, es stolpert über seinen Wunsch, anders zu sein. Dieser ging ohne Frage in Erfüllung, zeigt hier aber letztlich nur, dass man vorsichtig sein sollte mit dem, was man sich wünscht. Es könnte in Erfüllung gehen. Ironischerweise ist das die Lektion, die euch The Cave erzählen möchte. The Cave ist anders als jedes andere Adventure, das Ron Gilbert je machte. Aber leider auch deutlich schlechter. Am Ende bleibt ein nettes, behäbiges Puzzlespiel mit zu viel Leerlauf zwischen einzelnen, mal lustigen, mal schlauen Einzelmomenten und fast immer wohlkonstruierten Rätseln. Von Ron Gilbert hätte man erwartet, dass er genug Erfahrung hat, um diese selbst gebauten Hürden einfach zu Hause zu lassen.

Digital Spy ( )

Though we're not sure about its multiplayer appeal, The Cave is an enjoyable single-player game with plenty of humor, lots of well designed puzzles and enough content to warrant two or three playthroughs, even if it's not entirely what the heart desires.

Games TM (6 out of 10)

At once entertaining, frustrating, beautiful and fleeting, The Cave is way better in concept than execution. And as much as it has going for it, some poor design decisions mean that frustration and boredom will quickly get rid of players that would otherwise have lapped this up.

Edge (6 out of 10)

Approached as the latest work from one of the industry’s favoured fathers, The Cave could seem like a tourist trap, packed with old ideas to lure in passers-by. Taken for what it is – a simple, characterful adventure game from an independent developer – it offers just enough to be worth the price of admission.

Giant Bomb ( )

Which is a shame, because on my initial play-throughs, I enjoyed large swaths of what The Cave had to offer. It's a sharp-looking game, the voice acting is largely on-point and funny (if occasionally obnoxiously repetitive), and there are at least a few solid hours worth of puzzle-solving to be had here. It's just that those hours don't really add up to a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, ultimately relegating The Cave to an interesting curiosity that sadly doesn't have much sticking power. Its moral finger-wagging never really amounts to more than thematic window dressing, regardless of how you end up finishing the game, and its puzzles are just intriguing enough to keep you interested for the duration. There is most certainly fun to be had in The Cave. I just wish its promise of an eminently replayable adventure ultimately proved truer.

Metro.co.uk (6 out of 10)

The mechanics could well help to rejuvenate the adventure genre, but the story and puzzles of The Cave are nowhere near as entertaining as they should be.

Polygon (6 out of 10)

Who knows, maybe you’ll even get a little perspective into the nature of man. But don’t be surprised if even after you’ve stopped dwelling on the The Cave’s lesson about the importance of doing good, you’re still stuck on how easily it could have been great.

GameWatcher / Strategy Informer (4 out of 10)

Given the pedigree of Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Productions' past works, a lot of people will be understandably excited by the prospect of The Cave. On paper, it sounds appealing, with its variety of characters and plethora of reasons to replay. It looks charming and, at first, the humour hits the spot. Problems lie with its inability to give you any great reason to replay it. It's just all too disappointingly shallow.