In Calley Caves 4, Calley needs to hunt for the Talisman that will remove the curse from her dear friend. It isn’t entirely clear if this is a long continuous story carrying over from the previous games that remains incomplete or if the story really doesn’t matter and it just begins in medias res.
It doesn’t really matter, as the gameplay starts immediately, with only fleeting references to the story when absolutely important.
Calley is a spritely girl with the ability to double jump. Also, she has a gun. Getting through levels requires timing your jumps to be able to reach a distant block or to jump between blocks to reach a greater height. Of course, this includes a nice amount of murder.[sc name=”quote” text=”Of course, this includes a nice amount of murder.”]
Wandering around is a variety of enemies throughout the level that will attempt to kill you for daring to trespass on their plot of stones. At the start, the enemies are just “Thugs” that will beat you up a bit, making them quite easy to gun down with impunity.
As you progress through the levels, however, the enemies gain new attributes and are given new names and classifications. The footballer runs much faster than other enemies and attacks really quickly. However, something he possesses that changes the dynamic of the gameplay is a projectile – most advanced enemies gain some sort of relevant projectile. Fittingly, the Footballer’s is a football.
When he sees you, he kicks it towards you at an angle that exactly intersects with your height if you jumped up as soon as you saw him. This means you will most likely get smacked in the face by his ball the first few times until you learn to expect it. This little addition speaks volumes about the developer minds behind Calley Caves 4; they know what you’re going to do and want you to be surprised when it doesn’t work.
This kind of telling knowledge about the player continues all the way through the game. Constantly, enemies work against your expectations or provide a new and interesting way to challenge the player. Projectiles fly towards you, chests are hidden in little side alleys and the weapon variety encourages you to try something new.[sc name=”quote” text=”Projectiles fly towards you, chests are hidden in little side alleys and the weapon variety encourages you to try something new.”]
Your pistol can be swapped around with a boomerang that does damage twice, flying out and then in again, as well as a shotgun and a myriad of other weapons for the situations. This gives the player a great deal of agency in deciding how they want to defeat the enemies in their way and ultimately win the game.
Calley Caves 4 is a game made by people who know their player base, understand what they want and how best to challenge them. It manages to be tricky in places without being frustrating, all the while ensuring that players get the chance to make meaningful choices about their gameplay.
Calley Caves 4 is a traditional platformer that still manages to subvert your expectations and makes a really enjoyable experience out of it.
[review pros=”Clever platforming and enemy design. Great variety in weaponry and player decision making.” cons=”You are forced to sometimes double back on yourself to get the best loot.” score=9]
[appbox appstore id1217857869]
