Cave Brawlers

About

Cave Brawlers is a single player role playing game with a violence theme. It was developed by Samuel Arminana and was released on January 15, 2018. It received negative reviews from players.

Cave Brawlers is a 2D hack 'n slash which takes inspiration from games like Castle Crashers, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, and Shovel Knight. The game requires the player to use different moves and combinations to take down enemies and succeed. The game is heavily story based and will take you on an adventure through the life of a soldier of a medieval village turned hero due to an attack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

27%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

story3 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game offers a fun, nostalgic 2D action-adventure experience with a playful and humorous medieval storyline.
Combat is fast-paced and fluid with a variety of weapons and gameplay mechanics including exploration, puzzle-solving, and different combat approaches.
The retro pixel art style and vibrant environments provide charming visuals, supported by smooth character animations and an upbeat soundtrack.

Controls are clunky and occasionally unresponsive, making both platforming and combat frustrating at times.
Technical shortcomings include low resolution cap, lack of mouse support, uncustomizable controls, and intrusive pop-up messages disrupting gameplay.
The audio design is limited with unbalanced sound effects and a repetitive soundtrack that some players found irritating or muted.

gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay offers a blend of fluid combat, strategic exploration, and puzzle-solving with intuitive controls and a nostalgic art style that enhances clarity and accessibility. While the mechanics are approachable and enjoyable, providing a satisfying experience for both casual and dedicated players, some interruptions like intrusive subscription prompts detract from the immersion. Overall, the gameplay is engaging but lacks standout features compared to other titles in the genre.
- “The gameplay centers around fluid combat, strategic exploration, and puzzle-solving.”
- “Its intuitive controls and straightforward interface ensure that players can focus on the action and fun rather than wrestling with mechanics, making it suitable for both casual players and genre enthusiasts.”
- “Its approachable mechanics, colorful visuals, and playful humor provide hours of enjoyable gameplay, proving that sometimes a game doesn’t need complexity to be deeply satisfying.”
- “Messages popping up in the middle of the gameplay to ask you to subscribe or like are not cool nor fun in any playing environment.”
- “There isn’t much to say in terms of gameplay aspects that would make Cave Brawlers stand out, and yet the sequences unrelated to its combat prove the rookie developer had something more complex planned for this Steam debut.”
- “So I can’t really accuse this game of lacking gameplay diversity, but it’s still a shame that you can’t enjoy the different gameplay elements more often.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of Cave Brawlers embrace a retro 16-bit pixel art style that appeals to nostalgia and supports gameplay clarity, though some users find the visuals simplistic and lacking in quality improvements or modern enhancements. While the style suits the game's playful and accessible nature, it may feel outdated and less polished compared to other retro-inspired titles. Overall, the graphics provide charm but can appear rough and limited by their minimalistic design choices.
- “Visually, Cave Brawlers embraces a retro pixel art aesthetic reminiscent of 16-bit era classics.”
- “The art style reinforces the nostalgic charm of the game while supporting gameplay clarity, ensuring that combat and exploration are visually intuitive.”
- “Shovel Knight mastered the balance between playable and too hard elegantly, and had an authentically retro art style.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades old retro pixel "art" as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lacklustre 2D visuals.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The story offers a lighthearted and quirky narrative that effectively motivates progression and enriches the gameplay experience, especially appealing to fans of retro-inspired games. While some find it entertaining and thoughtfully crafted, others feel it may lack broad appeal. Overall, it combines humor and challenge to create an engaging, if niche, storyline.
- “The story, though lighthearted, provides a strong narrative thread that motivates progression and enriches the experience with quirky characters and amusing dialogue.”
- “As with any tongue-in-cheek storyline, our protagonist begins his adventure in an environment that has nothing to do with the overall context and dire situation he’ll be driven towards.”
- “Interesting story with an adequate challenge.”
- “Hardly a success story, gamers just weren't all that interested in the game.”
- “As with any tongue-in-cheek storyline, our protagonist begins his adventure in an environment that has nothing to do with the overall context and dire situation he'll be driven towards.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is playful and lighthearted, contributing to an enjoyable and approachable experience for many players. However, some find the humor unintentional or not to their taste, with jokes that may feel flat or simplistic. Overall, it suits those looking for a casual game with a quirky, informal sense of humor.
- “Players take on the role of a courageous soldier tasked with rescuing the captured townsfolk, embarking on a journey filled with humor, action, and exploration.”
- “Its approachable mechanics, colorful visuals, and playful humor provide hours of enjoyable gameplay, proving that sometimes a game doesn’t need complexity to be deeply satisfying.”
- “+ humorous even when it’s not intentional.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The music in the game is generally upbeat and catchy, enhancing the action and immersive atmosphere, though some players find it repetitive or distracting enough to prefer their own playlists. Overall, it effectively supports combat and exploration without becoming overly tiresome.
- “Upbeat, catchy music underscores the action and provides an energetic backdrop for both combat and exploration.”
- “Together, the soundtrack and audio effects contribute to an immersive atmosphere that keeps players engaged throughout their adventure.”
- “The music is pretty okay, able to be put on repeat without becoming too boring.”
- “No voice acting, few sounds in between and a soundtrack that forced me to mute it altogether and just listen to my own playlists.”
- “I get it, the pot kingdom is ruled by the lettuce king, who listens to loud music and implores you to 'find yourself'.”
- “The music is pretty ok, being able to be put on repeat without becoming too boring.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Cave Brawlers is well-optimized to run smoothly across a variety of systems, including older hardware, ensuring accessibility for a broad range of players.
- “Performance-wise, Cave Brawlers is optimized to run smoothly on a wide range of systems, including older hardware, making it accessible to a broad audience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The soundtrack and audio effects work together to create an immersive atmosphere that effectively maintains player engagement throughout the game.
- “Together, the soundtrack and audio effects contribute to an immersive atmosphere that keeps players engaged throughout their adventure.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have mixed feelings about grinding, with some experiencing frustrating, sticky controls that impede smooth movement, while others are curious about the mechanics and duration of floating before triggering a power.