The Cave

The graphics are sharp, with that distinctive Double Fine cartoony look, and both the soundtrack and voice work are top notch. The Cave and other voiced characters are funny as well, and while it's possible Gilbert either enlisted his friends to do the parts or picked hobos at random, they all do a great job.

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.

Adventure game fans should take the time to do a little spelunking in The Cave.

A remarkable adventure with an imaginative puzzle design and a funny plot that offers the best face of Ron Gilbert.

Characters, puzzles, humor: The Cave bears the distinctive handwriting of its creator Ron Gilbert. But while this creative beauty was awakened after a 20-year-long slumber, it shows some facets that are not as pretty. The puzzles could be more elaborate, the level design more varied and the engine more fluent.

A brilliant adventure, platform and puzzle game. [Issue#95, p.84]

The Cave reminds us why adventures like Monkey Island and Zak McKracken were so loved: even if offering a much more essential experience, Ron Gilbert’s irony and creativity are all still there. It fumbles on the weird co-op implementation and some frustrating moments, but it surely deserves to be played.

The Cave is a solid adventure game.

The Cave has become a special downloadable adventure which was obviously worked on with lots of love and care. The humor, clever game mechanics, fun puzzles and infallible visual presentation; anything you'd desire from an adventure-game can be found here. That makes it forgivable that the few hours of entertainment it initially offers contain a few minor errors.

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.

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.

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.

A fine attempt at modernising adventure games that's sullied by too much repetition. [March 2013, p.71]

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.

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.

The Cave is a nice game and worth it to play because of the good puzzles. You definitely need to be patient to solve all.

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.

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!

The Cave does a good job creating a cool character (the Cave itself) and using the classic point'n click engine in a whole new package. Is funny to play, also charming, and definitely feels like a Ron Gilbert Game. It has some problems related with the core mechanic, but as a downloadable title deserves at least one try specially if you like the genre.

A morbid, humorous romp filled with life lessons which should be apparent already to all but the total sociopath. While there are some niggling issues with overall polish, it's a fun time for fans of adventure games that should set you to giggling and, hopefully, feeling just a little bit guilty about that glee.