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Cally's Caves 3 is a true old-school platformer, warts and all

The App Army Assembles

Cally's Caves 3 is a true old-school platformer, warts and all
|
iOS
| Callys Caves 3

Each week, we ask members of our App Army for their feedback on the latest and greatest releases on mobile.

One top pick this week was Jordan Pearson's retro-styled action platformer Cally's Caves 3.

Let's see what our App Army had to say...


Cally's Caves 3 does a great job of conjuring up memories of the original Duke Nukem for DOS!

It's pretty different from most iOS platformers I've played too, which felt a little weird at first, but I definitely have sunk into it now. Almost at World 3!


I'm not digging the control layout.


It bugged me a little at first as well, but I've become used to it. I've actually had less trouble with mis-hits so far, despite also feeling like the control layout is a little odd. Really, it's pretty much on-par with other iOS platformers as far as that goes.


It's the sole reason my character dies. It's rather irritating.


I'm having trouble with the controls too, but I'm enjoying the music and the overall feel of the game.

I figured out all I have to do is repeatedly hit an enemy with my sword to stun it. That way I never die. The bosses are fun too.


The controls work for the most part with me, but having the sword button above means I end up never using it.

Also: There's a coin doubler! Always buy the coin doubler!


I barely use the sword at all. I really don't see the point of it.


I'm loving the old school vibe of this platformer. It's just solid platforming, which is nice for a change!


Some of you are complaining about the control layout, but it's honestly working just fine for me!


I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. My coin doubler upgrade has just turned into a coin quintupler!

At first I didn't use the sword much, but now I've been upgrading it almost exclusively so far. I've found that its paralysing effect is extremely useful, especially now that I've run into the spider enemies.


So this is a roguelike then?


It a standard platformer. You can warp to any level you've completed too, which is a nice touch.


I found Cally's Caves 3 suitably challenging to start off with, and more than enough to keep me entertained. I haven't had any trouble with the controls - they're pretty standard controls for a mobile platformer.

I often play my games with no volume (dating back to the Game Boy days where I had to save battery), but the audio here really adds a nice little extra to the game. More of a sense of urgency, I think.


In Cally's Cave 3 you play as an eight year old girl. No... it's not about feeding kittens or baking cupcakes.

Instead, you'll have to defeat dozens of monsters with a variety of deadly weapons which should never be used by a child, to save your parents from a nefarious genius named Herbert.

Aside from the story, I really like this game. It brings back good memories and it has a great arcade-esque soundtrack. Although the controls aren't perfect, they're reliable and I feel comfortable enough landing on narrow platforms, which is not the case in some other platformers.

I completed the game and I have to say that the balancing is a bit off. Some bosses are frustratingly hard, others surprisingly easy. The items and upgrades you can buy in the store are a bit overpriced as well if you haven't bought the IAP.

As a free-to-play game, it does a pretty good job. There are no ads, but you can buy additional game modes if you like the game. Cally's Caves 3 is a pretty neat looking platformer that will hook the moment you start playing it.


I like the simplicity of Cally's Caves 3. There's no tutorial, as what you have to do is pretty obvious. Not too much of a storyline either - seems like a "save your parents from the alien" kind of game.

Sometimes all I want is an easygoing platformer where I can shoot and kill things without having to pay much attention to the storyline. This certainly does the job.


This game lets itself down with the controls. They aggravate me more and more the deeper I work my way into the game. Makes me find myself not wanting to go back.


'Cally, take a Snickers. You turn into a murderous psychopath when you're hungry!'


I think I'm done with Cally's Caves 3. It is getting a little tiresome now. It's a cute game, but the magic faded after a while. I like that everything is upgradable though.


I find this game to be quite a tough one. If you don't have a checkpoint handy in the next part of the cave, you are often sent back quite a long way if you get knocked out. I find this slightly off-putting.

Thankfully the level design and enemy placement isn't randomised, so I can use my memory of to help me through to the next level when I'm having trouble. Some enemies are not avoidable, which can make things tough!


Yeah, this game is pretty old-school in terms of its design. It's interesting reading all your reactions - looks like us smartphone gamers are used to a different style of platformer!

It's cool that a game like this can bring the spirit of the classic platformer to a new generation of players.


I find myself having to be a bit more careful than I like with games like this.

The amount of times I've died and been forced to start the whole area again is frustrating, but it shows that the game rewards you for not storming your way through.


Same here Ed! This game is tough to the point that I think I'm done with it. More punishment than pleasure at times!


Cally's Caves 3 is fun, but it's pretty hard. The difficulty reminds me of games like Dark Souls. If I try to progress too quickly through a level... I die.

If I go slowly, planning ahead... I live. Progressing feels good and is perfectly paced. Earning weapon upgrades by using each weapon is fun, pushing you to use each different gun if you want to keep them all around the same level.

When I first looked at the pricing of items my first thought was that the prices are high because it's a free to play game.

That's not the case though - the prices are high so you don't buy the overpowered items right away. That's all fair and good, but it'll take time to save up for certain items.


I think more checkpoints would help a lot.


Definitely!


Almost a week in and I'm still enjoying myself. I've found different weapons, power-ups, and abilities throughout the course of the game, each of which has been wonderful.

Maybe I've just been conditioned by my DOS upbringing, but this one is a hit in my book. It's not perfect, but the flaws are what make it feel genuinely old-school to me.

These days too many games feel like flawless, modern games with a pixellated veneer pasted on top for the sake of tugging at the ol' heartstrings.


Couldn't agree more!


I found myself playing this game for quite some time. My first thought was 'Oh, cool, pixel graphics!', but after swinging my sword I realised that the animation was a touch janky. Sure, you get used to it, and I guess it gives that old-school feel, but it still bothers me.

Cally's Caves 3 is both fun and hard. It seems pretty easy at first, but when you make a tiny mistake after making your way through a few caves you have to start all over again because there was no checkpoint.

After failing a few times it gets pretty frustrating and repetitive. The death screen is kind of creepy too! There are a variety of weapons and power ups that keep the game from getting dull. There really needs to be more checkpoints though.


You can buy lanterns relatively cheaply at the shop. They let you respawn on the same stage that you die once. You can only equip one at a time though!


Thanks for the heads-up Sjoerd! I'm just really cheap I guess. I tend to save the coins for no reason whatsoever!


I can relate to that!


While it certainly isn't unique or cutting edge in any way, Cally's Caves 3 has a real cham going for it that's all it's own.

It doesn't break any boundaries, but it's decidedly old-school nature sits perfectly fine with me. Yes, it's unforgiving, and sure, the checkpoint system will leave many players running for the hills.

However, with a game like Cally's Caves 3 I get the impression that that's the point. It's aimed at a certain demographic and it doesn't apologise for that. For me, that's all the better for it.

The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article.

Did you pick up Cally's Caves 3? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!

Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.