Cave Quest

About

Cave Quest is a challenging 2D pixel art platformer. Traverse treacherous caves, outwit mysterious creatures, and solve complex puzzles to recover stolen relics. With procedurally generated levels, each playthrough is a unique experience. Gather resources, upgrade abilities, and delve deeper into the mysterious caverns in this thrilling adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Engaging story with a variety of match-3 gameplay mechanics that keep the experience fresh.
Fun art, music, and sound effects enhance the overall enjoyment of the game.
Offers both relaxed and timed modes, catering to different player preferences.

Gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, especially in the later stages.
Lacks depth and replay value, making it feel basic compared to its sequel.
Technical issues such as dated graphics and lack of achievements detract from the overall experience.

story
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The story of Cave Quest is generally described as simple and engaging, serving as a framework for the match-3 gameplay and various puzzles. While some players appreciate the light narrative and adventure elements, others find it basic, especially when compared to its sequel, Cave Quest 2, which offers a more developed storyline and character interactions. Overall, the game provides a pleasant, if not particularly deep, narrative experience that complements its casual gameplay.
- “Cave Quest offers two modes - casual (no time limit for solving boards) and time limited, providing a fun little story to follow, puzzles to solve, worth the couple of bucks for entertainment when you don't want to engage something for a long period of time.”
- “I would strongly recommend Cave Quest for those who like to sit down with an excellent match-3 game, particularly because this game offers much more with respect to storyline, puzzles, great music, and most of all, requires a bit of thought here and there.”
- “Despite its dated graphics, Cave Quest is a very nice example of casual adventure with many different match-3, hidden object, and point-and-click mechanics, followed by an interesting story.”
- “While the story and variety of tasks initially drew me in, after a few hours, I just wanted to finish it and move on.”
- “Well, this is your match-3 hidden object game with some elements of match-3 combat and some generic mystery story to tie in together all the fetch quests.”
- “The story-line and the click puzzle stuff just impeded me from matching 3.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
14%
Cave Quest features a unique blend of match-3 mechanics and point-and-click elements, offering a refreshing take on casual gameplay. Players can enjoy various match-3 styles alongside hidden object challenges, with options for both timed and standard modes, enhancing the overall experience. Despite its dated graphics, the game is praised for its engaging mechanics and addictive gameplay, making it a standout in the genre.
- “Cave Quest is a combination of match-3 mechanics and point-and-click elements, making the gameplay original.”
- “Of note is the rather fun 'travel' gameplay, where you first discover new locations by leading your characters through a match-3 board which shifts 'gravity' with each twist and turn you take, for different board combos as you progress.”
- “This is a super-addictive match-3 with great gameplay variety and some light adventuring.”
- “The mechanics go like this.”
- “As I mentioned above, you’ll find an element of hidden objects several times during your gameplay, where you’ll have to find hidden objects within one or more locations.”
- “In addition to the various match-3 scenes, we have some light adventure gameplay.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
33%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, with many users describing it as excellent, soothing, and a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. The soundtrack is complemented by good sound effects and offers customizable audio options, allowing players to tailor their listening experience. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's engaging atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “First, it has really, really cool music!”
- “I enjoyed the music a lot, quite soothing.”
- “I would strongly recommend Cave Quest for those who like to sit down with an excellent match-3 game, particularly because this game offers much more with respect to storyline, puzzles, great music and most of all, requires a bit of thought here and there.”
- “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
- “I found the soundtrack to be uninspired and forgettable, which detracted from the overall experience.”
- “The background music is too loud and drowns out important sound effects, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The graphics in the game are generally described as dated and cartoony, with a mediocre quality and locked resolution typical of mobile games. While some users appreciate the smooth gameplay and nice artwork, the overall consensus is that the graphics lack modern polish and customization options. Despite these shortcomings, the visuals complement the casual adventure and puzzle mechanics effectively.
- “Despite its dated graphics, Cave Quest is a very nice example of casual adventure with many different match-3, hidden object, and point-and-click mechanics, followed by an interesting story.”
- “Solid match-3 game with good cartoon graphics and story, lots of puzzles (not difficult), and a good variety.”
- “Smooth gameplay, nice artwork too.”
- “The graphics are dated.”
- “The graphics lean more towards a cartoony style, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The quality is mediocre, the resolution is locked, and like most mobile games, there are no graphics tweaks available, forcing you to accept the mobile app as it is.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort for minimal rewards. While some appreciate the game when purchased at a discount, many express frustration with the necessity of grinding, especially near the end, to progress or unlock content. The presence of timers adds to the annoyance for some players, leading to a mixed reception regarding this gameplay element.
- “They take a lot of time, and the more you have, the longer and stronger they are. You only have one item which is broken to use them, and much later in the game, you only find a second upgrade while money has more upgrades, and the other stuff is useless. At one moment, the game becomes grinding, which takes a lot of time for very little reward.”
- “Best, with a discount, the game is not bad, but there is a lot of grinding at times.”
- “I hate timers, so I went with relaxed mode and had to do a bit of grinding near the end, not to unlock everything but simply to progress, because I kept forgetting to use the hourglass for a resource boost.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally find that the game lacks replayability, citing a lack of cards, achievements, and overall content that would encourage players to revisit the experience. The match-3 format, typical of story-driven games, contributes to this perception of limited replay value.
- “As with all these match-3 story types, it has no replay value.”
- “There are no cards, achievements, or much replay value.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Cave Quest is criticized as a cash grab on Steam by hh-games, a developer known for releasing low-quality mobile apps, indicating a negative perception of its monetization practices.
- “Cave Quest is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam by serial offenders, HH-Games, as a cash grab.”
- “The monetization in this game feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on features that should be included in the base game.”
- “It's frustrating to see a game that could be enjoyable turned into a pay-to-win experience, where players are pressured to spend money to progress.”