Crystal Caves

About Crystal Caves

Crystal Caves is a single player arcade platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Apogee Software and was released on May 5, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

Enter an underground world of treasures and traps in Crystal Caves, a colorful EGA game that rivals any commercial game with its arcade quality, puzzles and graphics. As Mylo Steamwitz, enter cave after cave of adventure, gathering teasures and evading countless hazards. Crystal Caves is a mixing of Nintendo's Mario Brothers, Commander Keen, and Indiana Jones. As with all Apogee games, a high pri…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

87%Audience ScoreBased on 92 reviews

story5 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

Strong nostalgia factor, especially for players who grew up in the 90s with DOS games; faithfully preserves the original experience.
Simple, straightforward, and fun 2D puzzle-platformer gameplay with well-designed, challenging levels that reward strategic play.
Good controller support and smooth DOSBox integration on modern systems; includes three full episodes providing substantial content.

Graphics, sound, and interface are very dated by modern standards with minimal audio and low-resolution visuals that may be hard to interpret.
Difficulty can be unforgiving with some frustrating trial-and-error sections and occasional level design flaws that can cause soft-locks or require restarts.
Lack of new gameplay elements or variety between episodes; controls sometimes feel clumsy and limited, which affects the overall experience.

story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 39% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions
The story is generally described as simple, quirky, and funny, with a light-hearted plot about the protagonist Mylo trying to get rich. While some find it engaging and enjoyable, others consider the story quality to be poor or overly simplistic. Overall, it provides a charming backdrop that complements the gameplay without being deeply complex.
- “So, if you like to play a trial and error platformer that reveals you a quirky little story or want to check old school games, I recommend this one.”
- “Here's the story plot - you play the role of Mylo, who is trying to come up with ways to get rich.”
- “I just did all 3 volumes to see what happens at the end of the story, and it was cool to see the ending, but I'll keep doing the 1st volume from now on, that one is great!”
- “Story quality - poor”
- “The story is silly and the action simplistic, but with Steam automatically setting up and configuring a DOSBox for it, this is an easy way to relive the old days.”
- “The simple story plot keeps you informed about what you're actually doing in space gathering crystals.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The graphics are clearly dated, featuring basic 2D EGA visuals with only 16 colors, reflecting the limitations of its early '90s era. While not impressive compared to contemporaries like Commander Keen, they hold nostalgic value and are considered adequate for the time. Overall, the visuals are simple and have aged poorly but still support enjoyable gameplay for those who appreciate retro style.
- “This is one of those games that demonstrates that you don't need cutting edge graphics to be fun.”
- “The graphics are pretty good for its time and the audio is okay if you know what to expect.”
- “With that being said, the game is well played even today if you can look past the PC speaker sounds, EGA color graphics, and other DOS era details.”
- “It features EGA graphics and only PC speaker sounds.”
- “The game has aged pretty badly; the graphics aren't even close to Commander Keen and the gameplay isn't nearly as good either.”
- “A solid game for its time, but the graphics are extremely dated.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as simple and basic, reflecting the game's age, with classic platform mechanics and some challenging moments. While some find it fun and responsive, others note it lacks variety and has not aged well, with limited changes across episodes and somewhat outdated design. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable but modest in complexity and innovation.
- “Basic platform mechanics, as it's a very old game, but still fun and, at times, challenging.”
- “Gameplay consists of various enemies you can blast off with your rocket pistol and some traps and puzzles.”
- “Great gameplay and responsiveness.”
- “Gameplay quality - poor”
- “Gameplay doesn't change much through the episodes where the 1st episode shows more or less everything the game has to offer.”
- “The gameplay of Crystal Caves could not be more simple.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 24% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions
The game offers a high-quality "3D Realms Anthology Re-Rockestrated" soundtrack in various formats, appealing to fans interested in the music. However, the game itself lacks in-game music, leading some players to play their own tunes while playing.
- “Because there's a soundtrack included that contains mp3, FLAC, and WAV 24-bit masters of the '3D Realms Anthology Re-Rockestrated Soundtrack.'”
- “If you are interested in the soundtrack, get this version; otherwise, get the HD version.”
- “I used Retro City Rampage's soundtrack for this game, and it fit perfectly!”
- “Another drawback can be that the game is silent, no soundtrack to be found.”
- “No music.”
- “Review: no music whatsoever.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The game's replayability centers on surpassing high scores, offering a decent challenge for players. However, since scores are saved only locally, competition is limited to personal bests. Collecting randomly appearing fruits provides a straightforward way to improve scores, contributing to moderate replay value.
- “Replay value lies in beating the highscores, but in the case of Crystal Caves, the highscores are only saved locally, so you may only be beating your own score.”
- “Replay value: 7/10”
- “Replay value lies in beating the high scores, but in the case of Crystal Caves, the high scores are only saved locally, so you may be only beating your own score.”
- “The game's replayability is based on a high score system, but simply staying in a level and picking up the randomly appearing fruits will allow you to get a higher score than anyone else.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor is characterized by a small, funny story that adds charm to the game, making it enjoyable despite some control clumsiness.
- “The controls are sometimes a little bit clumsy, but it is a nice game with a funny story.”
- “Small funny story.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding is enjoyable and engaging, as the levels are fun and kept at a manageable length, preventing it from feeling tedious.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game runs smoothly and is well-optimized, especially considering its release in 1991. Users appreciate its stable performance despite its age.
- “Pog Steam, love the game... runs smoothly (as much as a '91 game can).”