The Cave is a platform-adventure video game by Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Productions. The game released digitally earlier this month for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, Xbox 360 via Xbox Live and on Windows PC, Mac OS X and Linux via Steam.
The game is about a magical talking cave with a labyrinthine of tunnels with in it. Players select any three of seven characters to explore the cave and collect items as in a typical adventure game. The characters are based on typecasts such as a scientist, a hillbilly and orphans.
The game cost 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live or $14.99 on the PlayStation Network and Steam.
Here is the game's synopsis from Xbox Live's dashboard and the Major Nelson Blog:
"The Cave is a new adventure game from Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert, and Double Fine Productions, the award-winning studio behind Psychonauts and Brütal Legend. Assemble your team of three from seven unlikely adventurers, each with their own unique personalities and stories, then descend into the mysterious depths to explore locations including a subterranean amusement park and a medieval castle, not to mention a fully armed and ready-to-launch nuclear tipped ICBM. The Cave awaits."
So is the game worth 15 bucks? Here is our review round up for the adventure game:
Eurogamer says, "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." Eurogamer gives The Cave a 7-out-of-10 score.
GameTrailers gives the game a higher score of 8.6-out-of-10. The reviewer says, 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."
IGN says, "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." The reviewer gives the game a score of 7.9-out-of-10.
Game Informer says, "The Cave's greatest strength is its characters, and the way those individuals inform the game. Any single playthrough involves only three of the seven available protagonists. Each character has a unique special ability, but the more significant effect of your choice is the paths it opens." The reviewer gives the game a 7.75-out-of-10.
The Official Xbox Magazine says, "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." The reviewer gives the game a 7.5-out-of-10 score.
You can check the game's trailer below and tell us what you think of The Cave in our comment section.
