Cavern Kings
- September 30, 2014
- VINE
- 22h median play time
Get on SteamCavern Kings is an infinite action platformer with unique characters, randomized terrain and monster generation, and a variety of weapons. The game features increasing difficulty, explosive special effects, and numerous powerups to help you dig deeper. Although no longer in development, it offers a mostly playable experience with a dozen characters, big boss monsters, and beautiful pixel art .
Reviews
- The game is fun and addictive, providing a solid experience for players who enjoy roguelite mechanics.
- It has a unique blend of gameplay elements reminiscent of popular titles like Risk of Rain and Nuclear Throne, offering replayability and a variety of characters and power-ups.
- Despite being abandoned, the game is still enjoyable for casual play and can provide a few hours of entertainment.
- The game has been abandoned and is no longer in development, leaving it in an unfinished state with many promised features unfulfilled.
- There are significant balance issues and bugs that detract from the overall experience, making it feel incomplete and frustrating at times.
- The lack of updates and communication from the developer has led to disappointment among players who supported the game during its early access phase.
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is polished and smooth, featuring a simple yet enjoyable experience with a variety of unlockable content. While some weapons feel similar and the game draws comparisons to titles like Risk of Rain, it maintains a unique arcade-like pace with streamlined mechanics. The arena mode presents a challenging start but becomes easier as players progress, contributing to a satisfying overall gameplay experience.
“Pixel art is beautiful, and the overall mechanics feel polished.”
“The developer is active, the gameplay is simple, and there are plenty of things to unlock.”
“The gameplay is already quite smooth and enjoyable.”
“Three weapons with the same general mechanic do not play and feel unique.”
“When I heard 'procedurally-generated' with a unique variety of weapons, I thought I'd be getting a different gameplay experience every time.”
“Arena mode can be hard for the first few minutes of gameplay, but after 10 minutes you are on the verge of being unbeatable.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the catchy soundtrack and find it enjoyable, others criticize it for being overly loud, repetitive, and lacking variety. Many users express a desire for more diverse tracks and better volume control options. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, but improvements are needed to enhance the experience.
“Honestly wasn't too sure what to think when I bought it... but now that I have played it, I can say it is by far one of my favorite indie games. I come close to putting it beside The Binding of Isaac, and the great thing about it is it's only in beta, so there is much more to come. Catchy soundtrack, cool weapons, cool melee/digging tools, and soon there will be a multiplayer feature, so I have very high hopes for this game. Oh, and let's not forget the awesome bosses.”
“A great soundtrack with fun characters and unique graphics.”
“It has great music (but sometimes it does get kind of repetitive) and the gameplay is smooth.”
“Listen closely, devs: fix your music - it is horribly loud and terrible sounding at this point.”
“Allow options to manage music and sound volume separately, and stop looping that single track.”
“Game rating of 8/10... mostly because it's beta and there is one really long song throughout the game, add more songs please!”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players praise it for offering tons of fun and great co-op experiences, others criticize it for being too easy and lacking clear guidance on unlocking characters, which diminishes its overall replay value.
“Amazing game, tons of replayability, great co-op fun for up to 4 people.”
“The replay value on this is really good.”
“Lots of replayability and fun.”
“Stupidly easy, no replay value, and no explanation on how to unlock characters.”
“I would recommend the game if it were playable, but it's not... so yeah...”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is currently a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant glitches and crashes, particularly during gameplay and character selection. While some players find it enjoyable despite these issues, others experience severe problems that hinder their ability to start or play the game effectively. Overall, the game is described as still buggy and unbalanced, impacting the overall experience.
“Lots of glitches at the moment; I can't even get my game to start up.”
“I loved the pre-Steam demo of this game, but the Steam version has absolutely awful controller configuration and freezes on the character select screen when I attempt to use the mouse.”
“It is still buggy and unbalanced, but it's still a really fun game to kill time.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are widely praised for their unique style and high quality, contributing to an engaging visual experience. Players appreciate the combination of appealing visuals with solid controls, enhancing overall gameplay enjoyment.
“Awesome concept, nice graphics, great controls, and a huge boss every couple of levels.”
“A great soundtrack with fun characters and unique graphics.”
“I love the solid controls and the graphics; 10/10, shovel for the win!”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for underestimating performance requirements, particularly in arena mode, leading to significant lag even on high-end gaming rigs. Players have noted that performance issues become more pronounced in later levels due to the high number of on-screen mobs, indicating a need for further optimization.
“The performance requirements are quite underestimated, especially in the arena mode.”
“The game needs further optimization; I cannot play in fullscreen without it lagging terribly, and I am playing on a gaming rig.”
“Speaking of lag, the performance requirements are quite underestimated, especially in the arena mode.”
“Performance does start to chug in later levels, but that's not unexpected with the amount of mobs on the screen.”
“Needs further optimization; I cannot play in fullscreen without it lagging terribly, and I am playing on a gaming rig.”
