Caves of Lore

Caves of Lore opens with a boy, a dog, and a cliff you can’t climb back up. You’re looking for Arbo, your missing mutt, when you slip into a fog-drenched hole and tumble into a world that doesn’t care if you’re ready. This sets the tone: Caves of Lore doesn’t hold your hand, it barely acknowledges you have hands.

Made by a solo developer, this chunky pixel-art CRPG throws the usual guardrails into a bottomless pit. There are stats to min-max, spells to memorize, traits tied to monster knowledge, and grid-based combat where positioning and planning matter as much as fireballs and fists. It’s the kind of game that lets you rename your dog “Boy” and your boy “Dog” without blinking, because it knows it has bigger mysteries to unravel.

Combat hits that sweet spot between strategic and chaotic, but it’s the systems piled on top, camping mechanics, gear enchantments, lunar cycles (yes, really), that make Caves of Lore feel like a retro fever dream. It’s messy, overwhelming, sometimes downright opaque, but underneath the clunky UI and occasional bugs is something magical.

You’ll get lost. You’ll get frustrated. And then you’ll punch a coffin-backed spider into the floor and feel like a god.

This is a game that dares you to learn how to learn it. And if you stick with it, you’ll find 25 hours of weird, wonky, totally unforgettable dungeon crawling in a $10 package bursting at the seams with soul.