S&S Review: The Cave

Title: The Cave
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC(reviewed), Wii U, Mac
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Price: $15
ESRB Rating: T

The Cave comes to us from Double Fine, and the game looks to reinvigorate the adventure game genre.  Legendary game designer, Ron Gilbert is once again behind the wheel, and is looking to create another unforgettable experience.


Story, Presentation, and Core Gameplay:
The Cave is one of those games that puts all of it's emphasis on it's story, and for good reason, the characters chosen for the tale really make this game one of kind.  Now given, the actual characters themselves aren't entirely original, but the way they coagulate together really separates this game from others.  You have the Monk, the Adventurer, the Time Traveler, the lovable Hillbilly, the Scientist, the Knight, and the creepy Twins.  Each one of them has their own reasons for exploring the mysterious Cave, and it's your job to help them find it.  Since you can only choose three of the characters, you won't get the whole story on just one playthrough, the game really pushes you to try out different characters.  As you explore the cave, you will uncover secrets about the characters you chose, slowly releasing more backstory about the eccentric characters.  Learning about the Twins' and Hillbilly's past is just as fascinating as it sounds.  The visuals are great, each character has their own unique look and animations.  This is what really impressed me, when I controlled the Hillbilly, his uncoordinated walking and jumping made him stand a part from the others.  This goes the same for the Twins, since you're basically controlling two people at once, they always use each other to make it seem like you're controlling one person.  You might think that because you're in one Cave, things may get a bit repetitive at times.  You don't realize how big the Cave really is until you've finished the game.  You aren't just looking at dank and dark caverns, there is a surprising level of diversity in the cave.  You'll even come across a huge desert island, which sounds pretty ludicrous, but it looks really cool in the game.  The Cave also features some good voice acting, although every character doesn't talk, the narrating cave has a lot of funny humor, that's dark at the same time.

The platforming is where the game takes a bit of step back, it's not as bad as other people are letting on, but it's not perfect.  Since all the characters have different animations, the jumping and climbing can feel a bit wonky at times.   It seems like this could be easily fixed with a patch or two.  Since you are controlling three characters, you have to control each one separately.  This isn't a problem, it's just a weird game mechanic that I'm sure most people aren't familiar with.  The game does a good job of managing your characters, making it that you don't have to travel a long way, only to have to switch back to your two other characters and walk the same path.  When you cross a certain path, your other characters will catch up to you automatically.  When you come across the puzzles, you will have to control each character.  The puzzles are tailored for three different people, and this can make for some interesting outcomes.  The puzzles are tough, and they'll make you think.  The game does feature three player local co-op play, but since you all have to use the same screen, it doesn't really work all that well.  I preferred playing through the game in single-player, not only did it make the platforming and puzzle solving better, it made me appreciate the story even more.  Besides the platforming, the framerate can also be a problem.  When you begin exploring a new environment, the game stutters severely.  Luckily, the framerate doesn't break the game, it just hurts it a little.

Final Thoughts:
The Cave is very good game, but the game has a few problems that will get in the way of your enjoyment.  Even with the problems, the story is good and interesting enough to finish it, and the game offers a ton of incentive to playthrough it multiple times.  If you're looking for a great story experience I would easily suggest the Cave.

S&S Rating: 7.5/10

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