This article isn’t for the hardcore Caves of Qud folks who likely rolled their eyes and scrolled past this when they saw the headline anyway. Rather, this is for fellow curious newbies into the Rogue-like subgenre. Not the Hades or Sworn kind of roguelike. The purist Rogue-like — attributed to the granddaddy of all Rogue-likes: Rogue (or Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom, if that tickles your fancy).
Before the term was made to be more “mainstream accessible”? Rogue planted the first flag for the entire roguelike genre (or was the first to popularize the concept, anyway). You created a character, walked through some procedurally generated dungeons with equally unpredictable loot, and you likely perished. Losing everything and being forced to start anew with another character, your only reward being knowledge. Knowledge of the items and weapons you come across, enemy types and strengths/weaknesses, and your last character’s flaws and failures. Well, many consider Caves of Qud to be the first real Rogue-like in honor of the OG itself!
Videos by VICE
“Caves of Qud is a science fantasy roguelike epic steeped in retrofuturism, deep simulation, and swathes of sentient plants. Come inhabit an exotic world and chisel through layers of thousand-year-old civilizations,” the game’s Steam page briskly states. However, a look into the user reviews reveals a dedicated, ravenous fanbase that adores this game!

‘caves of qud’ seems scary, but perhaps I’m up for the challenge
Going further into the game’s nuances, Caves of Qud promises an emergent world where your “goal” is whatever you want it to be. Additionally, publisher Kitfox Games and developer Freehold Games seem to have gone out of their way to make Caves of Qud beginner-friendly. (There’s an “official” Tutorial for Beginners here, as a matter of fact!) From everything I’ve seen, this is a true labor of love from developers who won’t get the “mainstream” recognition they deserve because many will see this as “too hardcore” for them.
However, I just might give Caves of Qud a try! …I may have to watch a bunch of beginner tutorials before I’m bold to the point of taking that fateful leap. But, I’m certainly open to it! It’s not too different from what I usually enjoy in games anyway. Deep RPG elements that grant players total agency? Check! Weirdo builds with various unique functions and playstyles I can experiment with? Hell yeah! Tactical turn-based combat that encourages creativity? You had me at “Hello”!
We’ll see! I figured I’d at least highlight it because, clearly, it’s amazing. You have to be ready to rock and roll with all the game’s layers, though!
More
From VICE
-
nadia_bormotova / Getty Images -
Iryna Alekseienko/Getty Images -
Screenshot: Bandai Namco -
Jamali with Passport Bros Harry and Sam.