The Cave (computer game)

The Cave
Studio	Double Fine Productions
Publisher	Sega
Lead Developer	Ron Gilbert
First published	23. January 2013
Platform	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Ouya, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360
Game Engine	Buddha
Genre	Action-Adventure
Game Mode	Single player
Controls	Keyboard & Mouse, Gamepad
Medium	Download
Language	English (Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish)
Age Rating	PEGI

The Cave is an action-adventure game developed by Double Fine Productions and released in 2013.

Storyline

The Cave tells the story of seven characters who descend into a cave equipped with a consciousness in order to fulfill their greatest desires. On their quest, the characters are confronted with their past and the reasons for their search.

Gameplay and technology

The Cave combines the mechanics of a platform ‘n’ run game with adventure game elements. The game is presented from a sidescrolling perspective, and the game world is composed of pre-rendered, two-dimensional image scenery. The three-dimensional characters are composed of polygons. At the beginning, the player chooses three out of seven game characters and can run and jump with them through the eponymous cave. Occasionally, he comes across items that he must use in certain places to unlock further areas of the cave. Each of the seven possible game characters has its own skills that influence the solution of the game and allow access to certain levels that are only accessible to that character.^[1]

Production notes

Ron Gilbert had been carrying around the basic idea for The Cave for over 25 years. He started working on the game with a small team in 2010. His three basic ideas were the selection of different game characters by the player, the basic concept of an easy-to-handle platformer, and the lack of a classic adventure game inventory.^[2] For the development of the game, the game engine Buddha was used, an in-house development by Double Fine.^[3]

Reception

The Cave received mixed reviews. The review database Metacritic aggregated 21 reviews for a mean score of 68.^[4] Frequent criticisms were made, such as in the c’t review,^[5] the black humor, the design of the characters and the not too difficult puzzles were praised, whereas the technical realization and the long-term fun were rated as average. The game reminded Peter Steinlechner on Golem.de of the classic game Maniac Mansion, also developed by Ron Gilbert.^[6]

Web links

• Official website (english)
• The Cave at MobyGames (english)

Individual references

1. ↑ The Cave in review:– Puzzle game with a lot of charm and heart. PC Games website. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
2. ↑ Eurogamer.net: Double Fine’s Ron Gilbert explains why adventure game The Cave has no inventory. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
3. ↑ Gamepolitics.com: Double Fine’s Massive Chalice Hits Funding Goal | GamePolitics. 4 June 2013, retrieved 15 June 2013 (English).
4. ↑ ^{a b} Metacritic.com: The Cave. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
5. ↑ Hartmut Gieselmann:Little cavers. In: c ‘t. March 2013, p. 186.
6. ↑ golem.de – Cave with humor– Test The Cave. Retrieved 13 April 2016.