The Cave
The Cave is a Xbox 360 action game released in 2013 developed by Double Fine Productions. It centers on puzzle, maze, or device solving, area and route exploration, and stage objectives, with controls and information arranged around the Xbox 360 wired or wireless controller's twin sticks, analog triggers, directional pad, and face buttons.
- AI score · out of 10
- 7.4 / 10
About this game
The Cave is a Xbox 360 action game centered on puzzle, maze, or device solving, area and route exploration, and stage objectives. Stages build pressure through routes, enemy patterns, and changing objectives, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Animation, hits, camera behavior, and readable hazards determine whether feedback remains dependable, while HD video, DVD streaming, surround audio, HDD installs, and television-distance interfaces need to keep action, state, and text readable. The genre-specific limitation is that camera behavior, collision rules, input mapping, and repeated ground after failure can raise the entry barrier. Platform conditions also include disc and HDD installation, storage devices, controller batteries, video connections, resolution and frame rate, Kinect space and calibration, and retired online services affect the current release. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
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Xbox 360AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Clever dark comedy puzzles survive some repetition and Xbox 360 roughness.
The Cave on Xbox 360 asks players to take three of seven unusual characters into a sentient cavern. Each has a special ability, and their routes expose darkly comic stories about desire and selfishness. The puzzle vocabulary is simple—objects, switches, pushing and swapping characters—but combinations create mostly logical solutions. Jumping is a means of travel rather than a test of precision. Different character-specific sections reward another trip, yet the shared cave areas must be repeated to see every vignette, making later runs less fresh. The cavern’s sardonic narration and themed regions give the journey stronger identity than some of the individual endings. The direct Xbox 360 reviewer found basic movement responsive but jumps a little gummy, and noted occasional clipping of characters or objects in pushing puzzles. Falling generally restores a nearby position, so the roughness rarely causes a severe penalty. These are observations of the reviewed XBLA build, not other console ports or later patches. Present-day digital acquisition has not been verified, so the rating assumes a legitimately accessible copy rather than promising a current storefront purchase.
Strengths
- Character abilities and sardonic narration enliven logical puzzles.
Weaknesses
- Shared-route repetition and rough jumping reduce polish.
Who it is for: Adventure-puzzle fans happy to revisit shared areas for more stories.
Play notes: Current XBLA acquisition is unverified; this concerns the reviewed build.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Distinct vignettes reward returns, but shared sections slow replay. | Reviewed | 7.0 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Logical character-based puzzles offer variety beyond the basic movement. | Reviewed | 7.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Dark humour and authored spaces lend personality to the puzzles. | Reviewed | 8.1 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Forgiving retries offset but do not erase Xbox 360 control and collision roughness. | Reviewed | 6.3 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Double Fine Productions
- Publisher
- SEGA
- Release date
- 2013
- Platforms
- Xbox 360
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Puzzle · Primary genre
- Tags
- Linear LevelsPlatformingSolo-friendlyThird PersonDodgePuzzle SolvingReplayableMain Story Under 10 HoursExplorationFast-pacedReal-time Combat3D Graphics
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Co-opSingle playerMultiplayer
- Perspectives
- Side view
Release editions
- Xbox 360Worldwide2013
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided