Caves of Lore is everything I love about classic ’90s CRPGs with a fresh coat of paint

246700

SHOULD I PLAY CAVES OF LORE?

Play it, especially if you like old-school RPGs. Caves of Lore offers intense, strategic turn-based combat inside an incredibly deep world. While it might not be for everyone, this is an adventure worth embarking on if you enjoy timeless classics or engaging pixel-art games.

TIME PLAYED

I played Caves of Lore for four hours. I’ve explored seven areas, completed around five quests, and reached act two in the main story.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT CAVES OF LORE?

• Engaging turn-based combat. Fighting green slimes and ferocious bats thrilled me. Each enemy had their own unique battle style and weaknesses that I needed to watch out for if I wanted to survive. Every battle felt balanced, but also forced me to think strategically about my approach. The turn-based combat system allowed me to spend as much time as I wanted to come up with tactics too. Put together, Caves of Lore had a complex but easy-to-learn combat system that filled the game with interesting fights and never-ending challenges.

• Fun exploration. From underground waterfalls and deep cave systems to lush villages, Caves of Lore has all an explorer could want. I had a great time discovering secrets, stumbling across creatures to fight, and just generally exploring the game’s vast dungeons and open areas.

• Expanding the team. When I met new characters during quests in Caves of Lore, I was able to invite them to join my crew. I could only have six characters on my team at one time, but I enjoyed the freedom I had with creating the perfect party composition. Each character came with their own preset equipment and skills, but I could tweak their gear and progression over time to help me cover different necessities. For example, I made one of my close-ranged fighters into a spell-weaving sorceress because I needed more magic damage. This flexibility made the game much more satisfying and exciting.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT CAVES OF LORE?

• It’s not for everyone. Caves of Lore emulates the decades-old RPGs that the genre was built on. As such, this game may have trouble finding appeal to younger players. That’s not a major criticism of Caves of Lore, by the way. It’s just made for people that enjoy PC RPG classics like Avernum and Baldur’s Gate. If you don’t have any fondness for games from that time, or if you have trouble going back to older, less polished RPG experiences, you may not find as much to love here.

• No hand-holding. Again, this isn’t a serious knock against the game, but more of a warning. Caves of Lore has little to no guidance outside of its short tutorial. I spent most of my time trying to figure out mechanics, quests, and generally where to go next at every step. This lack of help made for a challenging time where I needed to learn things on my own. It’s a setup that fits with the old-school vibes of the game but may frustrate some players who are used to modern games and how they guide players.

PLATFORM TESTED

PC via Steam.