This Indie Darling Wants You to Ditch Your Keyboard
Precision platformers are known for demanding lightning-fast reflexes and complex finger gymnastics on a controller or keyboard. Games like Super Meat Boy and Celeste have built legacies on this challenging formula. But what if you could have all the brutal difficulty and satisfying movement with just one hand? That’s the brilliant premise behind This Is No Cave, a new indie game from the two-person team at monome.studio that’s built entirely around a one-click, mouse-only control scheme.
How Does It Work?
In This Is No Cave, you play as a space explorer stranded on a hostile alien world. Your goal is simple: get back to your ship. Your execution, however, will be anything but. Your character runs automatically, and you control everything else with your mouse. A single click can activate your suit’s thrusters or fire a grappling hook. You don’t aim your character; you aim your mouse cursor. It’s an incredibly intuitive system that’s easy to understand but incredibly difficult to master. You’ll be slinging your character through 30 hand-crafted levels, using momentum and physics to navigate treacherous environments, all while being chased by colossal, terrifying alien worms. It’s a minimalist concept that opens the door to incredibly complex and satisfying parkour gameplay.
More Than Just a Gimmick
While the mouse-only control is the main hook, the game is packed with content that gives it real depth. It’s not just a novelty; it’s a fully-featured platformer designed for hardcore fans of the genre. The developers, a pair of childhood friends, have included multiple ways to play, ensuring there’s something for every type of player.
- Campaign Mode: Test your skills across 30 unique and challenging levels.
- Online Leaderboards: For the truly competitive, every level has a leaderboard to track the fastest completion times in the world.
- Endless Roguelite Mode: See how long you can survive in a mode that offers periodic character bonuses and ramps up the challenge, adding huge replayability.
- Local Multiplayer: Grab some friends and gamepads for a four-player local mode, perfect for some couch co-op or competitive fun.
The developers have also made a point to include robust accessibility options. If you love the idea of the game but find the difficulty overwhelming, you can tailor the experience. Adjust parameters like the number of lives, burst charges for your thrusters, and even the game speed. It’s a thoughtful touch that allows everyone to enjoy the journey at their own pace.
Made with Passion
This Is No Cave is a clear passion project. The hand-drawn landscapes, the fluid physics, and the incredibly fine-tuned controls all speak to a development process that was focused on one thing: making a fun and unique game. The response from players has been fantastic, with many praising the fresh take on a familiar genre. It’s a testament to indie creativity and proof that you don’t need a massive team or a huge budget to innovate.
FAQs About This Is No Cave
What is This Is No Cave?
It’s a fast-paced 2D precision platformer with a minimalist art style that is designed to be played using only a mouse.
How do the controls work?
You use your mouse to aim and a single click to activate your character’s thrusters and grappling hook. Your character moves automatically, and your job is to guide them through the level using physics and momentum.
Is the game very difficult?
Yes, it is designed as a challenging precision platformer. However, it includes extensive accessibility options to adjust the difficulty to your liking.
Do I have to use a mouse?
While the game is designed for mouse play, it does still support controllers. The local multiplayer mode specifically uses gamepads.
What game modes are included?
The game features a 30-level campaign with online leaderboards, an endless roguelite mode, and a local multiplayer mode for up to four players.
Who developed the game?
It was created by monome.studio, a two-person indie team composed of childhood friends.
Conclusion
This Is No Cave is more than just its unique control scheme. It’s a thoughtfully designed, challenging, and deeply rewarding platformer that feels both fresh and familiar. By stripping away complexity and focusing on a single, well-executed idea, the developers have created a game that stands out in a crowded genre. If you’re a fan of precision platformers looking for your next challenge, or just someone who appreciates clever indie design, this is one game you won’t want to miss. It’s proof that sometimes, the simplest ideas are the most brilliant.