Crystal Caves

About

Crystal Caves is a single player arcade puzzle game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Apogee Software and was released on May 5, 2014. It received overwhelmingly 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 p…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

music3 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a strong sense of nostalgia, bringing back fond memories for players who enjoyed it in their childhood.
Crystal Caves features colorful pixel art and creative level design, making it visually appealing and engaging.
The gameplay is straightforward and forgiving, allowing players to retry levels without a life limit, which enhances the overall experience.

The controls can feel clumsy at times, which may lead to frustrating moments during gameplay.
The game has aged poorly in terms of graphics and audio quality, making it less appealing to modern players.
Some levels can be overly difficult, especially in the later episodes, which may deter players who prefer a more casual experience.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's story is described as simple and somewhat silly, centering around the character Mylo's quest for wealth while gathering crystals in space. While some players find the narrative amusing and engaging, others criticize its overall quality as poor. Despite its shortcomings, the ending of the story has been noted as a highlight for those who complete all volumes.
- “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!”
- “The story quality is poor.”
- “The story is silly and the action simplistic.”
- “The simple story plot keeps you informed about what you're actually doing in space gathering crystals.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's graphics are considered poor and extremely dated, reflecting the limitations of the '90s era with EGA color and PC speaker sounds. However, many users emphasize that despite the lack of cutting-edge visuals, the gameplay remains enjoyable and solid for its time.
- “This is one of those games that demonstrates that you don't need cutting-edge graphics to be fun.”
- “The graphics may not look great, but hey, it's the '90s.”
- “Graphics quality is poor.”
- “A solid game from its time, but the graphics are extremely dated.”
- “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.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music aspect of the game is highlighted by the inclusion of a high-quality soundtrack featuring mp3, flac, and wav-24bit masters of the '3D Realms Anthology Re-Rockestrated Soundtrack.' While some users express dissatisfaction with the in-game music, they suggest using external music options, like Steam's music player, to enhance the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is a notable feature for those who appreciate it.
- “Because there's a soundtrack included that contains MP3, FLAC, and WAV-24bit masters of the '3D Realms Anthology Re-Rockestrated Soundtrack'.”
- “If you are interested in the soundtrack, get this; otherwise, get the HD version :)”
- “I used Retro City Rampage's soundtrack for this game, and it fit perfectly!”
- “To the people who complain about the lack of music, just use Steam's music player and put on some tunes.”
- “If you are interested in the soundtrack, get this; otherwise, get the HD version.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing it for being simplistic and repetitive across episodes, while others praise its responsiveness and engaging mechanics involving enemies, traps, and puzzles. Overall, the experience varies significantly among players, highlighting a divide in enjoyment.
- “Gameplay consists of various enemies you can blast away with your rocket pistol, along with some traps and puzzles.”
- “Great gameplay and responsiveness.”
- “The gameplay of Crystal Caves is straightforward and engaging.”
- “Gameplay quality is poor.”
- “The gameplay of Crystal Caves could not be more simple.”
- “Gameplay doesn't change much through the episodes, where the first episode shows more or less everything the game has to offer.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The replayability of the game is primarily driven by a high score system, allowing players to challenge their own records. However, since scores are saved locally, the competitive aspect is limited to personal achievements rather than global rankings. Overall, it receives a replay value rating of 7/10.
- “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 achieve a higher score than anyone else.”
- “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%
The game features a humorous storyline that adds charm, despite some clumsy controls. Players appreciate the lightheartedness and comedic elements woven into the narrative.
- “The controls are sometimes a little bit clumsy, but it is a nice game with a funny story.”
- “A small, funny story.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users find the game's optimization satisfactory, noting that it runs smoothly for a title from 1991, which enhances the overall enjoyment of the experience.
- “Pog steam, love the game... runs smoothly (as much as a '91 game can).”