I created Caves of Lore because of my deep love for RPGs. This project took me 6 years to make and I learned a lot about coding, art, and storytelling. If you reach the end then be sure to let me know! Caves has deep combat, classic-styled pixel art, and (of course) LORE! 📖
Players can create a protagonist and distribute points across six attributes, ranging from Strength to Willpower. The classless system lets you invest in a variety of skills and abilities, encouraging experimentation. As you use these skills in combat and exploration, they gradually increase, unlocking new options.
Traversing the sprawling underground world reveals a wealth of hidden surprises. Closely examining your surroundings can uncover secret passages, stashes of powerful loot, and important lore. Some mysteries, such as those governed by lunar alignments, require careful observation and problem-solving to unveil.
You can recruit up to six party members, each with unique abilities, traits, and progression paths. Optimizing your team's equipment, skills, and synergies is crucial, as you can create diverse party compositions to tackle various challenges.
Battles use a grid-based system that rewards careful planning. Effectively utilizing your party's spells, abilities, and items to exploit enemy weaknesses is key to victory. The combat mechanics encourage experimentation, as you discover powerful combinations and strategies.
The spellcasting system is a highlight, as you learn new spells by casting them repeatedly. This encourages you to experiment with different magical effects, from elemental damage to summoning creatures. Gradually memorizing spells allows for greater flexibility in and out of combat.
Defeating enemies and exploring the environment yields a wealth of weapons, armor, and enchanted items. Identifying, crafting, and enhancing these items is a satisfying process that can dramatically alter your characters' capabilities, leading to a constant sense of progression.