I’m out of water because I spent it all
buying a book from the mayor of this
little hamlet, who also happens to be
a towering albino ape named Nuntu.
I needed that book because it’s the
only way I can find the procedurally
generated cure to
Glotrot, a disease that
will slowly rot out my
tongue and make it
impossible to speak.
This is just my most
recent playthrough of
Caves of Qud,a
daunting but brilliant
roguelike that focuses
as much – if not more – on story and
worldbuilding than game systems.
Sadly, I don’t imagine I’ll survive
much longer. If the Glotrot doesn’t
get me, the hordes of goatmen who
prowl the jungles outside of this
village definitely will. And then, like
so many times before, I’ll have to start
an entirely brand-new character.
Hopefully this next one won’t slip in
M
y name is Hashur, and I am a mutant. I have four arms, two
wings and the surprisingly useful ability to expel a cloud of
corrosive gas out of my pores. I also have a very slim chance
that, at any moment, I might spontaneously combust. Right
now, I’m bartering with a sentient beanstalk named Yurl. It’s
not going very well because I have very little water, the de facto currency
of those who live among the jungles of Qud.
a puddle of black ooze and contract a
horrible, disfiguring illness. I guess
this is what I get for venturing
unprepared into the chrome ruins
that dot Qud’s toxic jungles.
I’m not too saddened over my
inevitable death,
however. With over 70
mutations to choose
from – everything from
telepathy to night
vision to
photosynthetic skin- making a new
character in Caves of
Qud is just as fun as
playing one. And don’t be fooled by
the ASCII-style graphics either, this
is one of the most robust and
imaginative worlds I’ve explored.
That’s largely thanks to how Caves
of Qud uses procedural generation.
Though the general overworld stays
the same, entire fortresses, ruins and
cave systems are randomly generated
on each playthrough. Even more
interesting, Caves of Qud also
procedurally creates entire histories
and cultures to unearth. That makes
each playthrough so entirely different
that I never know what to expect
when I step into a cave. It’s like
Dwarf Fortress only I don’t need a
degree to understand what’s
happening on-screen or how to play.WEIRD WORLD
In the dozen or so hours I’ve played,
I’ve made friends with tinkerers that
also happen to be sentient bears,
spelunked through ancient techno-
ruins filled with lonely robots and
once met a legendary cobbler while
being chased by stone-throwing
baboons. I’ve also died. A lot. But
Caves of Qud uses each death as an
opportunity to offer a new
perspective into its bizarre, colourful
post-apocalyptic world where
man-camels trade vibroblades for
water and beneath the procedurally
generated surface lies an infinite
network of caves to explore. It’s an
alien world that comes alive thanks
to expressive bits of flavour text that
accompany every item and object. It
might still be an Early Access game,
but Caves of Qud already harbours
more secrets than I could hope to
find in a hundred hours.NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
A ‘science fantasy’
roguelike.
FIRST RELEASED
July 15, 2015
VERSION TESTED
2.0.160.5 Beta
EXPECT TO PAY
£7
DEVELOPER
Freehold Games
PUBLISHER
In-house
LINK
http://www.cavesofqud.comMakinganew
character in
Caves of Qudis
just as fun as
playing one“I don’t need a degree to understand
what’s happening on-screen”
KeepawayfromtheoozeinCAVES OF QUD. By Steven Messner
Spoilers for anyone wondering
if there were dirt paths.