Caveboy GO is a mashup of three game genres (match-3, puzzle, and runner) to provide a surprisingly satisfying gameplay experience that you may not expect. Let’s take a closer look at the game and what it offers feature-wise to see how it holds up.
Before you can jump into the game and start playing it, you’ll of course need to head to the Play Store and download Caveboy GO to get started.
Like many games these days Caveboy GO puts you through a nice and short tutorial to get you started so you can become acquainted with how the game works, this way you aren’t left struggling to figure things out and you can jump into the content more quickly.
The gameplay is easy to get used to and consists mainly of you trying to get from one room in the cave to the other. The idea though is that you can only move across tiles that have at least three matching squares. You’ll repeat this step until you reach the end of the room and then go onto the next. Every few rooms or so you’ll also come across a collectible item that you can pick up by reaching the end of that particular room, and this continues until you collect three collectible items.
Once you’ve collected the three items you can tap on it to merge them together and this is where you learn that the items are three pieces of a whole that make up an idol and the idols are your lost friends, which have been trapped in the idol due to a curse. You’re the only one that can release them, and this is the main goal of the game, to make your way through the caves and release all of your friends from their curse.
As you release each friend you’ll be able to use them as a playable character in the labyrinth, and each one has their own unique passive abilities that will change the gameplay in some way. Toothmoore for example which is the first friend you release will allow you one extra second of the elixir enhancement after you use one.
There are 28 different characters total, and you have to go through at least a few rooms before you find just one item that is part of an idol, of which you need three to release a friend, so there’s quite a bit of gameplay here when it comes to the amount of levels you’ll be able to play through.
Once the tutorial is over and you’re playing the game normally, you’ll be able to see the level you’re on, your personal score, how much gold you’ve acquired, and a pause button that allows you to pause the gameplay if you need to take a quick break. There is also a timer which is a challenge element to this game as you’ll need to get make your way through the maze to find and release your next friend before the timer runs out.
If you don’t beat the timer the round ends and you’ll need to start over, but after each round you’ll also get your total score for that play through, as well as how much gold you made.
Gold can be used to purchase elixirs for use during gameplay or to buy characters at 200 gold each, but you won’t necessarily be racking up gold by the thousands in no time, so you’ll have to play to collect it. The game also offers in-app-purchases though so you can sidestep the gold needed by buying it if you wish.
The game allows you to compete against friends and other players and it even has leaderboards so you can see how you rank against others in various areas of the game from who has the highest score to who has played the most levels, all thanks to the Google Play Games Services.
Of course, the game also includes achievements and you can see these from the main screen by tapping on the dedicated achievements button, which you can acquire by playing more of the game and completing certain tasks.
When all is said and done Caveboy GO is a pretty decent little game that is not only fun but is also easy to get used to and it offers up more than you would expect for such a simple game. The theme also makes it a great game to play for kids as it’s rather family-friendly, so whether it’s you as an adult who might be enjoying it or you’re looking for something for your kids to play, it’s something to consider.
Ratings
- Speed (5/5) – The game opens and loads quickly and the tutorial is short but not too short, allowing you to get to the regular gameplay fast.
- Features (4/5) – Not jam-packed with features but it certainly has what it needs to be a fun game.
- Theme (5/5) – Excellent look and feel, family-friendly gameplay style.
- Overall (4.5/5) – A very well-rounded game that is lots of fun for people of all ages.
Pros
- Family-friendly
- Easy to learn and get used to
- Plenty of gameplay levels to go through
- Lots of playable characters
- Leaderboards and achievements
- In-app purchases aren’t in your face or pushy
- A mashup of genres that is nice and fresh
Cons
- Levels could be more challenging at an earlier point
Caveboy GO is a great little game that has much to offer anyone that likes puzzle and match-3 games, and just for kicks it throws in some runner elements to keep players on their toes. It’s fun for all ages which is definitely another huge plus and it has enough gameplay content to keep you engaged for a while. Competing against friends and earning achievements are other nice touches that many gamers will appreciate here and hopefully the game continues to have more content added in future updates. If you want an awesome game that’s free and somewhat challenging this is definitely a game to consider.