The Cave (2013)

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 224 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 224
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 224
  3. Negative: 22 out of 224

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  1. BinarySplit
    Apr 28, 2013
    3
    Even 4 months after release this game is still frustratingly buggy. So far I've been completely stuck twice because important items were stuck on the ground due to overlapping background items. I've also had a handful of times where the a character gets stuck in level geometry and can't move or do anything except suicide.

    Assuming you can get past the bugs, the game still sucks. 90% of    Even 4 months after release this game is still frustratingly buggy. So far I've been completely stuck twice because important items were stuck on the ground due to overlapping background items. I've also had a handful of times where the a character gets stuck in level geometry and can't move or do anything except suicide.

    Assuming you can get past the bugs, the game still sucks. 90% of your time will be spent running the characters back and forth between unnecessarily distant puzzles and items, with horribly clunky platforming controls. It's BORING! And you have to play through it 3 times to see all the puzzles.    … Expand
  2. utherpenpusher
    Jun 6, 2015
    3
    A mediocre game that seems unfinished to me. The story is virtually nonexistent, the platforming component is ridiculously underutilised and pointless, any difficulty with the puzzles stems from the amount of time it takes to travel between locations and the controls tend to be frustrating. The graphics are pretty but monotonous. Not sure why it's hailed as original and genre-breaking. TheA mediocre game that seems unfinished to me. The story is virtually nonexistent, the platforming component is ridiculously underutilised and pointless, any difficulty with the puzzles stems from the amount of time it takes to travel between locations and the controls tend to be frustrating. The graphics are pretty but monotonous. Not sure why it's hailed as original and genre-breaking. The Lost Vikings already did it all 20 years ago, and much better at that.… Expand
  3. Player_1
    Feb 9, 2013
    3
    I grew up with Ron Gilbert's adventure but this "adventure" lacks dialogue and story. It is a straightforward puzzle game with three variable stages depending on the three main characters you choose.

    I wouldn't consider it a classic adventure, you just move from puzzle to puzzle. I guess it is an okay puzzle but not an adventure. The humor often seems very forced. So basically I would    I grew up with Ron Gilbert's adventure but this "adventure" lacks dialogue and story. It is a straightforward puzzle game with three variable stages depending on the three main characters you choose.

    I wouldn't consider it a classic adventure, you just move from puzzle to puzzle. I guess it is an okay puzzle but not an adventure. The humor often seems very forced. So basically I would say it is a good 6-7 for a puzzle but for a Ron Gilbert adventure it is a disappointment.    … Expand
  4. Zmajek
    Jan 27, 2013
    2
    Very disappointing. Its just a platform game with boring puzzles which makes you constantly go back and forth to pick up items. Its NOTHING compared to their previous adventure games. Sad really.
  5. taco241
    Jan 25, 2013
    4
    A pale comparison to the monkey island/maniac mansion-esque throwbacks. The puzzles are far too simple and linear. The humour is not great, and feels forced. The game looks good but has little replay value. I finished it the first time in 3 hours. Far too short of expectations. The promised cave "world" is but a few character-oriented puzzle rooms.
  6. NeverwinterMoon
    Feb 12, 2013
    2
    A mediocre game. Not surprising though. I don't get all the hype about Ron Gilbert, really. Look at any of the games he has been involved in making for the past 20 years or so. All rubbish. Even if you take Lucas Arts games, the ones he worked on are nothing compared to, say, The Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango. Even if his idea was used for TDotT, it was Tim Schafer who brought it toA mediocre game. Not surprising though. I don't get all the hype about Ron Gilbert, really. Look at any of the games he has been involved in making for the past 20 years or so. All rubbish. Even if you take Lucas Arts games, the ones he worked on are nothing compared to, say, The Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango. Even if his idea was used for TDotT, it was Tim Schafer who brought it to realization. Now Tim brought Mr. Gilbert in... and it was a mistake. Double Fine was producing vivid original games, it was on a streak that felt like it's not going to end. And then came Ron Gilbert and ended it. I hope he won't be leading any more projects.… Expand
  7. malcolmm
    Apr 9, 2014
    4
    A very mediocre and derivative game that is devoid of any charm. It reminds me of Zak & Wiki on the consoles, except Zak & Wiki is somewhat better.
    Clumsy interface, boring puzzles and no humour. I haven't liked much that Double Fine has produced, and the Cave is no exception. Gilbert is well past him prime, much like Sid Meier.
  8. Voyou
    Mar 13, 2016
    3
    I'll admit that the narrative is terrific. And the scenery is excellent. But, the Cave has a very big but. Several in fact:

    - Controls are bad. That's a technical flaw that should have been fixed before release. Jumping is very hazardous, and that's unforgivable coming from such pros. - You have 7 characters to control, but 4 of them are useless. That's a design flaw that is probably    I'll admit that the narrative is terrific. And the scenery is excellent. But, the Cave has a very big but. Several in fact:

    - Controls are bad. That's a technical flaw that should have been fixed before release. Jumping is very hazardous, and that's unforgivable coming from such pros.

    - You have 7 characters to control, but 4 of them are useless. That's a design flaw that is probably not an actual flaw but a dick move. A trick to make you believe in its replay value. Which is fake. Not there. Smells of a swindle.

    - After a promising start, the meat of the game becomes incessant, looooong back and forth runs. By multiple characters. What a bore ! It would be even if the Cave had decent controls. Here lies the reason why I didn't even bother finishing my playthrough. Crooks, I mean... guys, please stop making your games artificially longer with cheap tricks such as these. You fail. And you lose face.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 10, 2013
    82
    A dialogue system and a fully functional inventory would not only vastly enhance the game, we could be talking about the birth of a new sub-genre. Even so, we enjoyed it. From now on, when someone asks, what the heck of a game is The Cave, we will answer “a really great game”… after all, that’s what really matters. [March 2013]
  2. Hooked Gamers
    Apr 14, 2013
    65
    The Cave is a game that showed lots of promise, given those pulling the strings, and when it’s great, it’s really great.
    Read full review
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Mar 12, 2013
    60
    Far from Ron Gilbert or Double Fine's best, but The Cave manages to deliver just enough satisfaction to avoid disaster. [Apr 2013, p.74]
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