Caves of Qud Switch Review

Caves of Qud Switch review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 

Have you ever had a game get under your skin, in a good way? I initially only had a taste, playing it for an hour before having to move on to other projects and reviews. In that hour, I had no idea what was going on, and I still do not. I died almost instantly, and yet despite the game looking like it is running in a word processor, it kept drawing me in to keep playing it. That game is Caves of Qud, an almost text-based RPG with almost infinite possibilities. What’s It Like? Create your character, have a break after that, and then take some water as we review Caves of Qud for Nintendo Switch.

So, what are we even looking at? Caves of Qud is a complex, procedurally generated RPG inspired by old-school designs. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world of mutated humans, cyborgs, and all sorts of strange creatures. You can play as a mutant yourself, gaining new mutations as you level up. These range from winged gunslingers, turtle warriors with high defence, to electric beings skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and that is just some of the presets. You can also choose more humble backgrounds, like a farmer, tinkerer, or merchant. The other subclass is True Kin, non-mutated humans who rely on cybernetics to gain advantages in combat. These can include enhanced jumping, night vision, or even metal wings that allow you to fly. You can also explore a library of player-created characters for all sorts of wonderful and weird possibilities. The choice of who you want to be, or what you will become, falls under an almost endless set of possibilities.

Caves of Qud is a simulated world of actions and consequences that often plays out without your knowledge, shaping the world while you explore. One example of this I experienced was when I was tasked with solving the theft of an artifact in a village. After reviewing the evidence, I accused the head of security and, for my good deeds, was awarded his legendary axe “Ari,” which I spent hours using to slay enemies. Later, I returned to trade in the village only to find it had been massacred. Survivors placed the blame on me, and I spent another hour trying to uncover what happened, only to realise that by removing their strongest warrior, the village had fallen easily to its enemies. In the world of Caves of Qud, reputation matters, and while it mostly affects who you fight, the world continues to engage in conflict based on reputation, even as you explore the rust wells for copper wire.

That reputation and the history of each playthrough are procedurally generated, meaning political allegiances and local history are different every time. You will not know any of this starting out… as a matterof fact, you will not know anything, and the game will not hold your hand outside a brief tutorial that shows only the basics. I died roughly three minutes after the tutorial set me free, restarting as a different character in a different town and experiencing a completely different world. While this sounds daunting, there are a few difficulty modes to ease you in. Classic is an unforgiving permadeath mode. Roleplay checkpoints you at settlements. Wanderer makes most creatures neutral and awards XP based on exploration and discovery. There is even a daily challenge, using preset characters, to test your skills.

Now, I have seen many people refer to this game as a roguelike, but in terms of gameplay mechanics like unlocking new items for your next run, it is not* (EDIT – It most certainly is, and the internet has now caught me up to speed on Rogue, roguelike, and roguelite) . Sure, you will die and start fresh with new knowledge as a player, but dying in Caves of Qud means the end of that world and the beginning of a completely new one. You explore tile by tile. The top level is your world map for traversing great distances, and the lower level is the world itself, which you will constantly be dropped into while exploring, fighting, or getting lost. I have lost characters who stumbled into elite creatures, outnumbered and outgunned. Combat is relatively simplistic. Most of the time, you move your character into an enemy and let the dice rolls behind the scenes play out. You can use abilities to gain an advantage, and investing skill points can make a big difference. I did not even realise how important skill points were until about five hours into my current playthrough. Eventually, you start to understand the systems and become fully drawn into the world of Caves of Qud. Each run feels like a new story, and the more you experiment, the more the game rewards curiosity and patience.

Caves of Qud looks very simple, almost like it is paying homage to the DOS games of old. This will put a lot of people off at first glance, as it uses a top-down view of a world represented with icons and shapes. You quickly adjust and start differentiating enemies and NPCs, spotting treasure, finding stairways, and locating NPCs to trade with. While the top-down view is your window to the world, the text box on the right side of the screen acts as your narrator. It tells you what your character is seeing and helps you discover loot from fallen enemies or objects that might be obstructed by the view. You can also zoom in and out to get a better look at the environment. It is not perfect, which we will cover in the accessibility section, but it does a great job of immersing you in the grand tale it weaves. At the same time, it stays true to the classic games it pays tribute to, giving the world a sense of both history and mystery. Performance-wise, there are a few pauses throughout the game, particularly when loading new areas, as the game has to generate or unfreeze sections of the world. I also experienced the occasional short hitch in a couple of areas. These issues were not frequent, but they are worth noting for anyone curious about how the game runs on Switch.

Another standout in Caves of Qud is its outstanding score. The soundtrack blends ambient tones with percussive, tribal rhythms, creating an atmosphere that feels ancient, mysterious, and unsettling. It never overwhelms the experience, just draws you into the post-apocalyptic world you are exploring.

For my True Kin and Mutants looking into accessibility, I am pleased to report that Caves of Qud offers a wide range of options to make your experience more comfortable. You can turn visual effects on or off, including flashing effects, remove filters for a sharper picture, rebind all controls for accessibility, scale the UI, and even display nearby objects in a list. There are many more options beyond this, and it is fantastic to see such thoughtful accessibility features in a game like Caves of Qud. That said, some players may still find visual cues and events on screen difficult to follow. Your character can blend in with the environment when zoomed out, and some information is delivered primarily through text. As always, I recommend doing further research to ensure that Caves of Qud suits your accessibility needs before diving in. While the game is intentionally difficult, I also found the UI can be tricky to navigate in the early stages. Using the analogue stick instead of the D-pad occasionally led to misclicks. I really hope the game is successful on Switch enough to warrant a Switch 2 version with mouse support, which would be ideal for this adaptation of Caves of Qud.

At just over $38 AUD, Caves of Qud may give some buyers pause, especially at first glance. The visuals are not flashy, and if you judge it purely on screenshots, it might not look like a premium experience. But once you step inside, the sheer depth of content becomes clear: Endless character builds, procedurally generated histories, factions, reputations, dynamic villages, daily challenges, and multiple difficulty modes. This is a game that can absorb dozens, even hundreds of hours if it clicks with you. For players who appreciate old-school design and deep, systemic RPGs, the value is undeniable, and in that sense, Caves of Qud offers one of the most expansive and replayable RPG experiences currently available on Nintendo Switch.

As I reach the end of this review, I almost feel like a fraud writing it because, despite putting in the hours, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what Caves of Qud has to offer. There is simply so much content in this game that it feels almost like trying to explore every planet in No Man’s Sky. Even the trailer showed wild and wonderful scenarios: time-travelling assassins, the ability to transform into a door and play as a door, or having four arms and becoming an axe-wielding fighting machine. Each character you roll is a new story, each mistake could lead to a new discovery, and every screen you explore is full of possibilities. Caves of Qud will not be for everyone, and in my first few hours, I thought it might not be for me either. But for those who love weird and wonderful games full of possibility, Caves of Qud is calling for you. Live and Drink my friend.

So, What’s it Like? I haven’t experienced anything like Caves of Qud before.

In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.

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