Sierra Entertainment’s story is as timeless as its catalog, which includes several influential game changers. Iconic titles like Phantasmagoria and King’s Quest have unlocked the code of possibility for both developers and gamers, proving that anything you can imagine can be realized in a video game. Roberta and Ken Williams’ ideas and dreams have influenced game development and publishing so much that it feels like a gift from the past to receive a 3D reimagining of a black and white text adventure game that Sierra eventually brought to life has awakened.
The original title, 1976’s Colossal Cave Adventure, is already one of the most influential games of all time, but Roberta and Ken, breaking 25 years of retirement to transform a text adventure into a brand new experience, is as inspirational as it is exciting. This new version of Colossal Cave is one of the most articulate text adventure games, a style it maintains despite the new magical realism and picture book art style. Colossal Cave is a journey through mysterious caverns buried beneath a seemingly isolated island, and is still powered by the tools and rules of the text-adventure playset.
It’s impossible to separate the 47-year gap between the two titles. Colossal Cave Adventure may as well be the cornerstone that the 2023 release was carved into, but Colossal Cave is an exciting adventure waiting to be experienced by anyone who is okay with the dust and debris of all the game design digging . You still solve text-adventure problems, but with intuitive controls, ambient music and sound effects, and a lantern made of 3D graphics to light and guide your path.
Exploring the caves and the isolated island above is a colorful journey of treasure, magic and wonder. Players are tasked with achieving the highest score (out of a possible 350) by collecting special treasures while uncovering the secrets and mysteries beneath the eponymous cave. Like the original, you’ll likely get lost on a regular basis while using trial and error tactics to find the next treasure or way forward. It always feels like you are three steps behind, but with enough time and walking you will eventually find your way.
In Colossal Cave, players climb ladders, open doors, and even fight a dragon while performing as many crucial actions as possible. Colossal Cave retains a classic adventure game bump, as situations, characters, and items don’t always work intuitively, making it a test of patience for any stranded explorer. Although putting the puzzles together can be confusing, I always felt really rewarded and excited when I finally found the solutions. Watching a massive, hissing snake disappear after solving a puzzle was a thrill. However, with little guidance or pointer to the solution, it took a frustratingly long time to realize I had to drop my recently acquired Black Wand before proceeding.
In an era where almost every objective was displayed on a HUD, it was refreshing to walk down the creeks and through the darkness of Colossal Cave. I didn’t always know where to go or what to do, but I kept exploring and playing. I’ve often felt lost, but I’ve always managed to find some odd item or way forward that gave me enough to keep going.
For all its charms and flaws, Colossal Cave is a warm “Sierra” passion project that transports you to a simpler time when you were just thrown into a game and only had an idea of what was to come. All you know is what you’re told at the start: you’ll explore a cave to see sights and collect treasure. It’s only at the end that you learn about the cute frame narrative packaging. Exploring and finding treasure is still fun, but Colossal Cave includes some immersive simulation elements that add just a little more mystery at the end of the tour.
Cygnus built Colossal Cave with VR in mind, but playing outside of VR comes at a small cost. The sound effects, ambient sounds, and graphics all meet at the perfect intersection of technological compromise and art style. This should help the title stay even more timeless than the original adventure from all those years ago.
Colossal Cave isn’t for everyone, but it’s like a slow-paced and meticulously crafted amusement park ride, all built around an ancient text adventure game, making for an immersive experience. Playing it or not is probably more down to personal sensibilities, but Colossal Cave remains an immersive dig that’s more than worth the trip, even with all the old screws and rusty bolts that tie the two periods of gaming history together .
