Roberta Williams, 69 years old, has recreated a 47 year-old video game classic in what may be one of the oldest versions of a video game ever seen.
There are two options if you don’t know what Colossal Cave means. Either you’re a student of history and really know your stuff or you’re very old. The game was first released in 1976. As home computers weren’t available back then, students would have to have been playing it at the time. While that’s fine and there should be videogames for everyone, it does mean this new version is targeted at a specific audience.
It is impossible to underestimate the impact of Colossal Cave. Colossal Cave was created in a time before video games were common. This allowed for an interaction with the environment that, although only represented via text, would set the foundation for most modern games.
Colossal Cave, aside from any other thing, was the first text-based adventure. A genre that only relates the modern world of visual novels or indie titles like Rodorden. The original game had no graphics and you only interacted with the world by typing commands such as “GO SOUTH” and “TAKE LAMP”. This new version has the advantage of visually recreating all of the original game’s graphics while maintaining the gameplay. It was made with love and respect. However, it’s not clear how much.
It wasn’t a commercial product so it went through many iterations. Or there Atari 2600 adventure gameIt was an informal attempt to create a graphic version. It had almost the exact same effect.
Roberta Williams, who retired just for this occasion, helped to create the remake. She and her husband Ken were co-founders Sierra On-Line. They are well-known for their pre-Lucasfilm graphic adventures. Roberta was the most prolific game designer of both and she worked on the King’s Quest series and the interactive film Phantasmagoria.
The original Colossal Cave Adventure had a profound impact on her career. That is why she and husband, 69 years old, chose this as their return project. The new version allows full 3D motion. Locations previously described in only text are now illustrated in a concise, but clear prose with modern graphics. At least that’s what the intention is. In fact, the visuals are more than 15 years behind any state of the art.
It’s understandable, given the small niche it’s trying to capture and the modest budget that suggests. However, the remake’s very poor graphics immediately take away the majority of its reason to exist.
This is a shame as the remake shows such a love for the original(s), you could almost forgive it for how it looks. The text is still there. However, the narration will read it to you. It’s a neat addition, but it only emphasizes how imaginative and imaginative their original descriptions were.
The descriptions of an underground volcano deep within the cave system should be interpreted as the fiery end of The Northman or the Return of the King. However, the lava effects are like a bad tech demo for an 2000s graphics card. It’s almost like reading a holiday brochure, but instead you’re presented with the shocking facts about two rainy weeks at Morcombe.
Visuals are a matter budget, but they create other tangible problems. The most obvious is the fact that interactive stuff can be difficult to understand, especially considering that Colossal Cave Adventure had very little in it. Although the text makes it easy for you to know, or at least guess, where there is something you can use, the exact same spots in the remake are cluttered with background details that appear to be something you should be capable of picking up, but you can’t.
The other items aren’t well-aged and could be used in a modern sequel. You could die instantly if dwarves suddenly appear from the ground. Mazes are annoying and frustrating, and you can’t see them now.
The positive side is that most of the puzzles work well. Although adventure games have always had a complex logic, Colossal Cave has made it easy by introducing the puzzles to modern gamers. They think that pulling a switch or following clear instructions is like solving a puzzle. The subtle cues in this text are especially clever. The narrator’s consultation is the only place where the combination of fresh prose, graphics makes mechanical sense.
It is more interesting to explore the history of Roberta Williams’s Colossal Cave Adventure, than to play the remake. The original source code can be found here hereInstead of wasting your time on these reimaginings that aren’t very good, we recommend you spend an enjoyable afternoon looking for one of the most important titles in gaming and leaving the world of Colossal Cave to imagination.
Review of The Colossal Cave
Briefly: An attempt to recreate one the most iconic and influential games of all time, but it was misguided. The visuals are outdated and the gameplay elements are prehistoric.
Positives: The ancient text is a wonder of economy, subtle allusions and puzzles are generally very good. It’s good to know that Williams is still around.
cons:Poor graphics make it impossible to understand the concept, especially when you consider how difficult it is choosing interactive objects. It is annoying to have dwarves and mazes. Very expensive.
result: 4/10
Formats: PC (Reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Meta Quest 2
Price: £33.50
Publisher: Cygnus Entertainment
Cygnus Entertainment is the developer
Release date: January 19, 20,23 (Xbox One and PS4TM TBC)
Age rating: 7
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