A few weeks ago, I came across a list of a few games that stood out to me and I thought I’d – again – try to get hips deep into the world of mobile gaming, initially through the medium of two games. Dawncaster, a deck-building ‘cardventure’ developed by the Netherlands-based studio Wanderlost Interactive, and Caves of Lore, an RPG in a more classic vein from solo developer Mike Robins. I have to say, these titles have both been incredible discoveries, and have reinvigorated gaming on a mobile device for me, with Dawncaster taking the place of a game that is fun to both dip in and out of as well as have lengthier session on (my four year old is also a fan, loving the character and card designs), whilst Caves of Lore really connected with me with its pixel visuals, dynamic lighting and classic, open-world sensibilities that fill the game with quests and quirks, very clearly the vision of a single individual, which makes the scope of the game all the more impressive, and the vibe very personal.
Dawncaster:
A game that allows you to choose from several characters (arcanist, hunter, warrior, knight, rogue etc.) and make your way through the land of Aethos, a fantasy world through which you must make progress chapter by chapter, through making one of three choices in each ‘round’, these could be taking an opportunity/risk on a random encounter, camping to get back some precious health, attacking an enemy/boss, or visiting a specific location/person to progress the narrative. The areas are distinct in their design, and whilst the game is mostly static aside from the combat actions, there is a sense of breathing and gentle animation in most of the art that gives the game a feeling of kineticism and life. The music adds a lot to the experience of this being an epic, dark journey filled with threat, and the visuals are crisp with wonderful creature designs that ensure the graphics jump from the screen.
The fact that this is a full, rich, tightly-designed game for under a fiver is an incredible deal and there are also expansions to dive into as well as other modes such as Sunforge (which removes the story and just PUMPS enemies and bosses at you), as well as featuring difficulty modes that vastly impact the game, allowing for players of all skill levels – and available gaming time! - to enjoy Dawncaster at their own pace. I have several friends who are hips deep into Slay the Spire, and I’ve seen Dawncaster mentioned as a serious contender to that crown. If you like deck builders, absolutely give Dawncaster a crack! And if that doesn’t sway you, the title of the game sounds like an upper class English lady from the 1920’s saying the name of my father’s place of birth – if that helps?
Caves of Lore:
As someone who leans towards indie games and grew up in the era of bedroom coders on the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64, reading the press kit to Caves of Lore genuinely warmed my cockles:
"The concept of Caves of Lore all started while carpooling to work. My friend and I planned a partnership in which I would do the art and he would do the programming. We brainstormed ideas and once I got home that day I immediately began to get to work on the art.
However, a few weeks in I asked my friend what he had done so far only to find out that he had yet to start. . Although discouraged, I still was eager to test my art out so I tried my hand at some minor coding. Week after week, the same thing happened and soon it became clear that I was going to be the only developer on this project.
Fortunately, by this point I had enough confidence to keep moving forward, overriding my fear of not being talented enough to program. As I worked I drew from my years as a tabletop dungeon master and the countless hours of my youth playing video games in the 80's and 90's. Inspired by those experiences I was also mindful to avoid the same pitfalls that made aspects of those games frustrating.
I ended up with a weird hybrid that I feel lives in both the modern and classic era. Now the game is out, and I am continuing to support and grow it as much as possible."
Caves of Lore begins with your character (whom you can name) wandering off ill-advisedly through the mysterious fog that surrounds their home town town, and falling into a pit whilst attempting to retrieve a cat, natch. From there on you befriend a dog (whom you can also name), and make your way through various underground and overground areas in this top-down pixel RPG as you build up your party and delve deeper into the world.
Combat is turn-based, and is incredibly varied due to the vast amount of systems, spells, abilities and weapons that the game throws at you – admittedly with little to no explanation of the true depths of options that lay before you. Luckily, I’ve come into this game some time after release, and so any curiosities just need a quick google to find my way around them, but admittedly this adds to the charm, although I can very much imagine it was a tad overwhelming upon the time of initial release.
The music is lilting and absolutely in keeping with the places you explore and discover, and there are secrets to be found as well as various side quests to distract you from the main narrative thrust.
This is a game that almost can’t not have its quirks and oddities, people respond to you differently dependant on which character that you choose to interact them with, there are myriad systems that overlap and can mean that that you feel over or under-powered depending on how you choose to spend your skill points, but it all adds up to this wonderful sense of home-cooked charm that I personally find so appealing about gaming as a whole. I’ve already had more fun with Caves of Lore than I had with Starfield and I fully intend to spend more time with it over the coming weeks and months.
I’m hoping against hope that this isn’t a blip, and that these two entries on the Apple store don’t represent the culmination of titles that will appeal to me, but I have to say – it’s hard to find a crafted, single-player experience that appeals. If anyone knows of some adventure / RPG / Strategy titles that really grab them and they hold dear, please let me know in the comments so we can shine a little light on them here at GF. As it stands, these two are absolute beauties, and it’s already been worthwhile in diving back into mobile gaming to make these discoveries. Bloody lovely stuff that we highly recommend here at GF.
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