The Cave - PlayStation 3

Ingenious Puzzles, Tedious Runaround

2013-01-22T20:30:00Z

Ron Gilbert’s return to adventure games has been widely anticipated, and as his first co-venture with Double Fine, The Cave represents an amalgam of new and old. The twisted humor and inventive puzzles that define classic Gilbert-authored adventure games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion are in full effect. However, the new 2D presentation streamlines play, and the absence of an inventory demands logical choices in your approach to solutions. The creepy characters and varied locales hidden away inside the cave make for a fun adventure, but the whole affair is hampered by confusing level layouts and the need for backtracking, making this a game squarely targeted at the more patient among us.

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. Half of each playthrough is set in character-specific locations that can only be breached by the connected adventurer. If you want to visit all of the cave’s locations, you will need to play through a few times.

The voice of the cave itself narrates your journey – a not-so-subtle malevolent presence that draws unfortunate souls into its depths. The hidden nooks and crannies contain all sorts of surprises, from a lost Egyptian pyramid to an attraction-filled carnival. Each environment introduces a new linked set of puzzles, all of which lead to a subversive and twisted story payoff – often to further our understanding of the adventurers.

Puzzle design is varied and often fascinating, demanding careful observation of the environment for clues on how to proceed. The Monk’s meditative trials task players to think like a Zen master. The Time Traveler’s challenging scenario forces players to alter small details in an environment millions of years ago to get a different result in the far future. When the solutions to these puzzles click, the game nails the thrill of old-school adventure gaming.

Even so, frustrations abound as you explore the twisting corridors. It’s easy to get lost in any given section, as similar-looking chambers and branching turns meld together in the mind. Items you need for a puzzle are often several minutes away, and that presumes you wrap your head around the solution the first time you pass the requisite bucket, barbell, or bone. Backtracking is tiresome, and the absence of any quick travel system further slows things down. That’s especially true as you navigate each of your three characters into the spots they need to stand to solve a particular challenge, often running each down the same paths to reach something like a weight-sensitive pressure plate. The lack of an inventory forces you to think critically about which single item to carry, but it also means if you pick up the wrong item you’re running back to get the right one. Fans of old-school adventure games won’t balk at the irksome runaround, but The Cave misses its mark in eliminating the pacing problems that characterize those earlier classics.

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.

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The Latest Trailer For The Cave Details More Characters

2012-12-22T23:29:31Z

Double Fine and Sega have offered a new glimpse at The Cave, and we get to learn why a few more of the characters have found their way into the mysterious dwelling.

In this trailer we learn about The Adventurer, The Knight, The Time Traveler, and The Twins. We actually learned about The Twins in the last trailer for the game. I'm not sure if their inclusion in this trailer is a mistake, or maybe they get to double up on entries because there are two of them.

The Cave is a downloadable title coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PC, and Wii U next year.

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Double Fine Combines Silly Puzzles With Breezy Platforming

2012-06-06T04:37:00Z

Adventure games just won’t die. And why should they? With developers like Double Fine creating games as whimsical and offbeat as Ron Gilbert’s upcoming downloadable, The Cave, I say keep them coming. The game infuses genre standards like goofy puzzles, odd characters, and item collection with refreshing new features. Ron Gilbert took time out of his packed E3 2012 schedule to take us on a tour of his mysterious cave.

The presentation begins with an introduction form the cave itself, which speaks in a sultry voice. The sentient, sprawling cavern is not only the setting – it’s another character in the story. The game’s main stars include seven unique personalities all searching the cave for something different: A Monk seeking his master, a Scientist hoping to help the world, a love-hungry Hillbilly, a set of spooky twins searching for their parents, a Knight hunting for a blade, and a Time Traveler questing to undo a mistake one million years in the making. Players select three characters to form their ragtag crew, and Gilbert encourages folks to play through the game to see what each member of the cast has to offer. Each has a unique ability that will be necessary to solve certain puzzles, such as the Knight’s invulnerable shield and the Hillbilly’s ability to breath underwater indefinitely. In one instance, the Knight absorbs a dragon’s fiery breath with his shield, allowing the Scientist to sneak up from behind and steal a piece of gold.

To begin, Gilbert selects the Hillbilly, Knight, and Scientist. Much like Trine or The Lost Vikings, players switch between the three characters at will to solve environmental puzzles. One scenario involves luring a dragon under a crane with a piece of meat. After much humorous trial and error, Gilbert steers the Hillbilly in position at the controls of a claw machine, posts the Knight at an attention-grabbing bell, and makes the Scientist grab a hotdog from a vending machine. After all the pieces are in place, Gilbert manages to lure the dragon towards the sausage by ringing the bell, which brings it just underneath the claw machine, allowing him to snatch up the monster and clear the way. As evidenced here, Double Fine’s wacky imagination is in full effect, and the results are hilarious.

The Cave implements elements that set it apart from the early point-and-click adventure games created by legendary developers like Double Fine’s Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert. Instead of selecting your characters’ destinations and waiting patiently as they walk across the screen, The Cave allows you to take direct control. Light platforming elements make traversing the vast cave more rewarding, though difficult jumps aren’t part of the equation. Each death sets the character back a few seconds before death. Double Fine wants you to beat the game, not punish you.

Multiplayer is also implemented into The Cave, allowing up to three players to search the mysterious caverns together locally. We didn’t see the co-op in action, but it sounds like a good way to hammer out tough puzzles with friends.

The Cave looks like a fantastic treat for adventure fans wanting more control over the onscreen riddles. The interesting environmental puzzles don’t appear to hold your hand, which should make solving them all the more rewarding. Additionally, the lack of annoying death penalties means the only thing that may stop players from beating the game is a lack of wits. Gilbert’s tour through his new creation reminds me of a colorful, funny version of Limbo that incorporates multiple characters. I couldn’t be more okay with that. The game hits 360, PS3, and PC early 2013.

Sega Announces It's Publishing Double Fine's The Cave

2012-05-24T14:07:05Z

Longtime adventure-game fans no doubt recognize Ron Gilbert. The veteran designer was behind genre touchstones including Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. In his latest game, The Cave, seven unique characters have to explore a vast underground world. Sega just announced that it's publishing the downloadable game, which is being developed by Double Fine, and they've released the first trailer showing it in action.

Take a look at the clip to see characters including a monk, knight, hillbilly, scientist, and more flip switches, solve puzzles, and battle monsters. Players will be able to swap between each character at will (after choosing three from the seven), which is critical considering each of them has a unique ability. The hillbilly is able to hold his breath indefinitely, which makes him a great candidate for underwater exploration, while the knight can heroically protect his teammates from harm. Characters are able to unlock specific areas unique to themselves, which certainly makes it seem as though there's a nice amount of replay value, too.

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The Cave is due out on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and various PC download sites in 2013.