Caves of Qud

Caves of Qud is an early access roguelike role-playing video game developed by American[3] studio Freehold Games set in an open world that is partially pre-made and partially randomly generated.[4][5][6][7] The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic science fantasy setting and is inspired by the pen-and-paper role-playing games Gamma World and Dungeons & Dragons.[8]

Caves of Qud
Developer(s)Freehold Games
Designer(s)
  • Brian Bucklew
  • Jason Grinblat[1]
Artist(s)
  • Samuel Wilson
  • Cyril van der Haegen[1]
Composer(s)
  • Craigory Hamilton
  • Brandon Tanner[1]
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS, Linux[2]
Release15 July 2015 (Early Access)[2]
Genre(s)Roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Contrary to other traditional roguelikes, the game has a quest system as a core mechanic, with some of these quests being scripted, while others are procedurally generated.[6][9] Players can choose to follow the main questline, but can also choose to ignore it and play the game without following the pre-written plot. When creating a character, the player can select either a "True Kin" (unmutated humans) who have higher base stats and access to cybernetic augmentations, or a mutant that has access to both physical and mental mutations that offer a wide degree of utility. The default starting location is the pre-made town of Joppa, but it is also possible to choose to spawn in one of the many procedurally generated towns.[5]

A player has their reputation with various factions change due to their decisions and relationships.

The game has "deeply simulated physical and political systems" which are randomly generated and different each session.[2] It generates a set of historical events and group relationships mostly centered around a set of five randomly generated ancient rulers, dubbed Sultans. It takes inspiration from the history systems of the games Dwarf Fortress and Epitaph. Instead of having historical events being generated without bias, its procedural history system is based around historical accounts, like word of mouth and ancient texts.[8]

Kitfox Games, the publisher that helps bring the Steam version of Dwarf Fortress to the market announced in July 2023 their support to the Caves of Qud's developers as to help bring their game out of early access for a full release some time in 2024.[10]

Reception

While most rated the game highly for being more accessible compared to other roguelikes,[6] other reviews found the game's interface confusing due to their own mental "limitations".[11][12]

References
  1. "Freehold Games". freeholdgames.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  2. "Caves of Qud on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  3. "Press". freeholdgames.com. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  4. "It's best to play this roguelike the same way you'd read The Grapes of Wrath". Kill Screen. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  5. "Roguelike Lets You Kill Your Evil Twin With Mind Bullets". Kotaku. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  6. "Caves of Qud Gameplay Overview". Polygon.
  7. Dominic Tarason (3 October 2017). "These 3 roguelikes are pushing the genre's boundaries while remaining true to its roots". Pc Gamer. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019. The spirit of Rogue lives on in this trio of indie roguelike trailblazers.
  8. "Procedurally Generating History in Caves of Qud". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  9. Bolding, Jonathan (18 July 2020). "Caves of Qud introduces a sprawling new dungeon: The Tomb of the Eaters". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  10. Brown, Fraser (July 28, 2023). "Dwarf Fortress's publisher is now helping the best early access roguelike across the finish line after 8 years on Steam". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  11. Smith, Adam (9 June 2017). "Have You Played… Caves Of Qud?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  12. Marsh Davies (20 July 2015). "Premature Evaluation: Caves of Qud". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
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