Die Höhlenwelt-Saga - Review english

Die Höhlenwelt-Saga

Release date: 1994
Developer: Weltenschmiede
Publisher: Software 2000
Game language: German (only)

Boxshots

USK: for all ages

A review by André 12th November 2002

The Hoehlenwelt-Saga (Caveworld Saga), a 3rd-person-adventure of the year 1994, is actually one of the great fantasy adventure classics from this time and must not hide from the two brilliant classic Legend titles Shannara and Death Gate for example. For Software 2000 did nearly everything right to land an adventure hit and a rating around 88-90 % would be theoretically justified. The graphics are more than marvellous. The story succeeded absolutely. The dialogues are entertaining and funny. And almost all puzzles are great! But only almost! Because you can already read in the enclosed manual, that you can fail in the game! And that is to be taken quite literally! So I decided, to substract some points! Fortunately this is the only major shortcoming in this game! In my opinion comparing Hoehlenwelt-Saga with Shannara or Death Gate has its entitlement in three respects, even if the two Legend games are actually played in ego perspective, while Hoehlenwelt-Saga is a pure 3rd-person-adventure. Because...

Graphics

... first of all the beautiful handpainted background graphics remind me of the two Legend titles, which were released more or less at the same time. The graphics for the most part look really beautiful and gradually transfer the gamers into the right fantasy mood and let them dive deeply into their own world. While one is at the beginning in a rather sober but already impressing SF-like scenery, the game yet takes a turn after a short time and you arrive in a world of its own with small villages, mountains, lakes and forests, which I would like to call simply successful. The whole world is highly detailed and fanciful. One is confronted with human shaped characters but also dragons, statues und mysterious caves, which are very well integrated into the scenery and also animated amazingly well. So for example, if our hero climbs a mountain or if he swims and one sees the vague outlines in the water. That still looks today amazingly up-to-date while considering the age of the game!

Story

... secondly it's a novel adaption like Shannara and Death Gate. While the intro is is still quite meagerly animated and rather resembles a radio play, it gives the idea of a great story. I don't know, to what extent the game's story matches the original novel, since I haven't read the book, but even then it is noticeable that a novel is the basis. The story is simply more interesting, more capturing and shows more facets than many other adventures and I came under its spell after a short time. It remains comprehensible, is however too complex, to report it here. Besides I don't want to spoil the fun. Therefore only a brief description of the prehistory:

Our protagonist interestingly enough has a full beard like all other male characters and is called Eric "Speedy" McDoughan. At the beginning of the game, he is on a spaceship and meets a mysterious man named Cal and he tells him that he is fighting for the liberation of the Cave World against the Drakkan and asks Eric for help. If Eric would succeed to find the bright crystal, he would be the saviour of the Cave World. But he first had to contact the rebels. A love story as sub-plot enriches each adventure game and so he meets the mysterious Maomi. Exciting is the fact, that you don't know for a long time, on which side Maomi is. The game is varied, imaginative puzzles increase tension and unexpected strands result in new situations.

Puzzles

... thirdly one can die as well as in Shannara and Death Gate or end in prison, which comes out to the same. But in Hoehlenwelt-Saga - due to the puzzles - there is more frequent cause for early dying, which is not as dramatic, as it sounds. Because going to prison is quite amusing and also nicely commentated, so that I sometimes insulted a guard intentionally to watch the funny dialogues and situations resulting from it. After all one can load a savegame fast.

Also nearly all other puzzles are quite good, varied and humorous. In particular you have to combine objects and find the right answers out of long dialogue sequences, until you get a new object or information, helping you to proceed. The dialogues are however extremely funny.

There are also nice sliding and button-pressing puzzles. Or you must find the exit from really simple labyrinths (in this game of course caves). Normally I find mazes rather discouraging, but here they offer a welcome change because of the simplicity and the change of perspective. Even the degree of difficulty is measured correctly!

BUT!!! As already mentioned and said in the manual, that you should be economical with your money, otherwise you may fail. I find those dead ends annoying in adventure games!!! If one forgets for example an object at the beginning, spends too much money or deals badly with goods and gets not enough money, it has the consequence that at worst one must load a by far earlier savegame and replay. This happened to me one or two times! Thus I was uncertain thereafter during the whole game whether I possibly had not made another serious mistake, so I controlled my progress in the walkthrough occasionally. That is absolute frustrating and highly disturbs the game flow. In any case one should save frequently and in short intervals! Fortunately this remains the only major shortcoming.

Sound

While most games in 1994 are underlaid with thin, monotonous beep-music, Hoehlenwelt-Saga is already a step ahead. The songs are recorded as normal CD-music and added as individual pieces to run suitably in the different scenes. The music is also really beautiful and varied and very well integrated into the game. The publisher is obviously proud of it and thought of something special: All 28 music pieces can be played on your home stereo. But I voluntarily wouldn't do so, because the songs were nevertheless created rather for the game. While they do support the atmosphere of the game quite well and even intensify it, they are rather boring on your home stereo system with standard synthi-music. My CD collection has to offer more excitements. Nevertheless a good idea and in-game the songs function very well.

There is also speech - but only in the intro and in a few intermediate sequences. But this doesn't spoil fun at all. On the one hand the dialogues are really first-class and with their subtle humor often really funny and besides the music ensures that the game never appears "empty".

Installation

The DOS era is long gone yet. The comparatively easy handling of Windows is probably responsible for the fact that the medium computer became mass-compatible. Meanwhile the majority of gamers (like me, unfortunately!) might understand nothing at all of DOS anymore. Actually the Hoehlenwelt-Saga is a DOS-title and it might become difficult to start this beautiful game on the latest computers under Windows. It could however be installed problem-free on an older computer with Windows 95 (by the way like nearly every old game, released beginning to mid 90's). Thus here again the advice: Who likes to play older adventure games and is frustrated of not getting them installed, I can only recommend to get themselves an older PC machine. You might be astonished, which treasures can be easily installed suddenly. I have made - by the way - very good experiences with a Pentium I.

Handling

The same save function as with "Archibald Applebrook's Adventure" (likewise software 2000) was implemented and it's a bit long-winded, since you have to confirm your save 2-3 times in a row. Besides our hero could run a bit faster, but that is only slightly annoying. Long distances from village to village are comfortably done with a dragon. That is an exciting thing and also very beautiful animated, however it's also somewhat annoying, since one must lead a conversation each time before the flight starts with the local dragon-attendant and pay a fee.

Otherwise there are all ingredients such as inventory, dialogues etc., which a classical 3rd-person-adventure should have and these were appropriately and practically designed. Texts are well readable and hotspots well recognizable. The object in the hinge at the prison however was a bit too well hidden.

Result

Please don't misunderstand: Even when I wrote that the Hoehlenwelt-Saga partly reminded me of the two Legend-titles, it's not a Shannara 2 or Death Gate 2! It's just too independent or different for that. But I find that it equals in quality of graphics, story, puzzles, fun and great ideas. If there wouldn't be the dead ends it would probably be one of my absolute favourites. Thus it slips down a few ranks (in my imaginary rank list), however remains a timeless classic nevertheless and ranks for me amongst the most innovative, most imaginative and best adventures. Thus it's only left for me to point out that a second part is planned. Whether it will ever be released, is still uncertain. I hope for it in any case!

Rating: 83%

Adventure-Archiv-rating system:

80% - 100% excellent game, very recommendable
70% - 79% good game, recommendable
60% - 69% satisfactory, restricted recommendable
50% - 59% sufficient (not very recommendable)
40% - 49% rather deficient (not to be recommended - for Hardcore-Adventure-Freaks and collectors only)
0% - 39% worst (don't put your fingers on it)