Colossal Cave Adventure

You are in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike... Remember the magic....

Colossal Cave Adventure - Classic Text Adventure Game

"Colossal Cave Adventure" is a modern adaptation of the classic text-based game where players navigate a labyrinthine cave, uncover treasures, and encounter magical elements. This Android app features customizable text display, text-to-speech capabilities, and voice recognition for an immersive gaming experience. With a nod to its rich history, it remains true to the original game's charm while offering helpful tools such as a walk-through and developer support.
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App stats

Rating: 3.91
(940)
Version: VARY (Last updated: 2019-04-07)
Permissions
Phone: read phone status and identity
Photos/Media/Files: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Storage: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Device ID & call information: read phone status and identity

Ranking

Other platforms

Colossal Johnson (v1.2)
3.67 (3) 25
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App summary

You are in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike...

Somewhere nearby is Colossal Cave, where others have found fortunes in treasure and gold, though it is rumored that some who enter are never seen again. Magic is said to work in the cave.

430 point version of the classic text-based game that started it all.

While this was not the first text-based computer game, it broke new ground and inspired generations of gamers and programmers alike.

Just a few of the memorable lines from the game to jog your memory and pique your interest.

- You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
- "MAGIC WORD XYZZY"
- A hollow voice says "PLUGH".
- A little dwarf just walked around a corner, saw you, threw a little axe at you which missed, cursed, and ran away.
- FEE FIE FOE FOO
- Rubbing the electric lamp is not particularly rewarding. Anyway, nothing exciting happens.
- A huge green fierce snake bars the way!

This implementation is a translation of Don Woods 430 point extension to William Crowther's original Colossal Cave Adventure. At this point, it pretty much stays true to the original.

Screen Appearance
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You can change the font size of the text displayed on the screen. Use the preferences to choose between small, medium (default), large, and extra-large.

Text to Speech
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You can have the game read aloud provided you have a Text to Speech library installed (Android 1.6+) and at least one English speaking locale. I don't know how useful this will be, but I'm enjoying it.

Also, it will warn you when you start the application if you have it turned on, just in case you are in a "quiet" area (meeting at work, library, etc.).

The Preferences menu item will allow you to turn on/off the feature as well as choose the locale you wish to speak.

This feature is not required to play the game, it is just a fun addition that I wanted to offer.

Voice Recognition
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If your device supports voice recognition, you can now speak your commands to the game.

When you speak your command, the voice recognition engine will show you a list of words that it understood you to say, allowing you to choose the correct one from that list.

You can customize the behavior of this as follows using the Preferences menu option:

- Turn on/off the voice recognition capability.
- Direct it to take the best match to your spoken command and automatically use it.
- Direct it to show you up to 5 matches to your spoken command.
- Direct it to show you up to 10 matches to your spoken command.

It does take a little time learning how to speak to it so that it will understand, but as the voice recognition technology continues to improve, so should your experience here.

Also, you won't be able to use voice recognition for everything. The magic words, for example, aren't exactly something you can speak.

Finally, for those words that don't distinguish themselves from others in the first 5 characters, I've built a translator to help. For example, you speak "Northeast" and select it, the game will translate that to "ne" which it will understand. If you encounter any of these that I've missed, contact me and I will add them.

I don't know how useful this will be, but I'm enjoying it.

Walk-through
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There are a couple on the developer's web site as well as some short ones to help you out if you need it.

Support
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There is now a menu option that will make it easier to contact the developer with any issues you may have.

History
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This game has a lot of history behind it. Check out the developer's web site for more information.

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Google Play Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Nostalgia factor for users who played the original game.
  • Good gameplay experience on mobile devices.
  • Retains the original simplicity and charm of the game.
Cons
  • Lack of modern features or updates to gameplay mechanics.
  • Difficulties with navigation and unclear instructions.
  • Bug issues affecting gameplay experience.
Most mentioned
  • Nostalgia and fond memories of the original game.
  • Desire for better navigation and help instructions.
  • Concerns regarding outdated gameplay difficulty.
User reviews
It would be nice if this was available on more devices. I have been looking for a good port of this game for decades and still have not found one. I had a copy on a 5.25" floppy that you booted to, but that is no longer playable.
by Michael Pekarik, 2024-05-14

This is a blast from the past. I used to play this on a PDP11 in the late 1970s. It will be good to explore the cave again if I can remember how to get into it.
by John Howarth, 2024-01-31

Pro: same game I remember and loved. Con: same game I remember and hated. LOL. I like the nostalgia but a bit of modernization wouldn't be bad. (Come on, why won't you accept "take ax" instead of "take axe"?) Maybe you could offer a classic version and an updated version (like one that will accept "take all" for the items in the building).
by Mary Herblet, 2022-12-04
View all user reviews

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