TL;DR: A bona fide, true-to-its-roots CRPG with all the content you could possibly want without being mechanically overwhelming. Puzzles, secrets, exploration, dozens of spells, traits and abilities, and enough combat to make Genghis Khan proud.


Caves of Lore unexpectedly caught my attention when it placed 5th in the RPGCodex 2023 GOTY vote[rpgcodex.net]. It wasn't the first time I heard about the game, but accounts from random YouTubers don't quite compare to a stacked scoreboard where Caves of Lore had to compete against the heavyweights like Colony Ship, Rogue Trader, the latest expansion for Underrail and the behemoth that is Baldur's Gate III. And if there were enough voters to push it almost all the way to the top, there must be something about the game that stands out, right? Right.


I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for high-quality exploration. You know the type – the "bust out a notepad and start scribbling furiously" sort of thing. And when it comes to wandering around and getting lost in the depths below, Caves of Lore manages a careful balancing act without being overbearing – some secrets and hidden nooks are ready to reveal themselves after a mere look-around, while others will put certain metroidvanias to shame and make you retrace your steps many times over, testing theories and triple-checking the notes. The more you play, the more you realize that "Lore" isn't just a fancy word in the title – it's there for a reason.

Remember Avernum? That old-time RPG by Spiderweb Software that put your party into an impossibly huge series of underground caverns with no particular goal and let you roam free to your heart's content? Similarly, Caves of Lore adores its tunnels, crypts and grottos, and it's easy to draw a comparison between it and any number of dungeon crawlers of yore – Ultima Underworld, early Wizardries, Anvil of Dawn and the like. And while perspectives shift and mechanical differences naturally set these games apart, the essence remains the same – deep below, in the heart of the land, there be dragons. And it's up to our adventuring party to drag the beasts out of their murky lairs, apprehend the treasures and satisfy your hunger for power fantasy while at it.


But mechanics are just one side of the coin – what about the food for thought? Rest assured – the developer poured his very heart into the game's script, and it really shows. No character is bland; no one was left without some form of speech mannerisms or intonations. There is humour, but not too much to ruin the "serious fantasy" atmosphere. An old man would speak like an old man, have trouble hearing you and complain about the failing eyesight, while his young farmer son would readily approach the group's female members with matrimonial propositions. There are more than a few characters to talk to, and throughout my playthrough, I've never been tired of revisiting them to learn about new topics. And while the text could use a more careful comb-over in terms of typos, there aren't that many left to detract from your immersion.


Is there anything I didn't like? Absolutely. For all their lifelike nature, NPCs could really use shorter sleep breaks and maybe stick around their normal habitats more instead of wandering off on their daily strolls. Sometimes, the number of combat encounters crosses any sane limits – I still shudder with dread when I remember the time it took to clear the entirety of Mushroom Caves; and then there are locations like the Graveyard, that get populated with an entirely new set of enemies as soon as the day fades away. And for all its love of combat, Caves of Lore could really use a good log of your actions – more than once was I forced to pester the community with questions about mechanics, which could have easily been resolved with a laconic in-game line of text. Tons of randomly generated loot had me sift through the inventory after every fight, and a weird glitch with the Light spell necessitated a recast after every combat or quick load, which got annoying real quick.

Initially, I wanted to add occasional bugs and crashes to the list, but the dev fixes them almost as fast as I post complaints on Discord, so I can only praise his endless devotion.


"Commendable" is the first word that comes to mind in association with Caves of Lore. But the game is also much more than that – it is soulful and original, full of content without overstaying its welcome. It's smart and tidy and just... neat. To sum up, it's a treasure to play – and if you are remotely interested in CRPGs, don't let this one out of your sights.