A couple of decades ago, few would have been convinced that roguelike indie games with ASCII graphics, a barebones UI, and little to no animation would be a commercially viable prospect. But even then, developers like Freehold Games and Bay 12 Games believed. Both studios started development on their games in the 2000s: Freehold Games conceived Caves of Qud, while Bay 12 Games was building up Dwarf Fortress.
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Although both games have their differences in the nitty-gritty, it can’t be denied that Dwarf Fortress and Caves of Qud are competing titles. So we decided to find out, once and for all, which game is better.
8
Presentation
Winner: Caves Of Qud
When it comes to presentation, Caves of Qud has it down pat. The windows and menus are surprisingly well-organized and player-friendly. That doesn’t mean the game is easy to play, but it’s definitely easier than Dwarf Fortress, where the only thing that’s easy is getting lost because you zoomed out too fast.
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Caves of Qud also has an actual title screen and clearly labels its modding options. Dwarf Fortress’s title screen reminds us of the good old days of MS-DOS. Overall, Caves of Qud is a much easier game to navigate.
7
Visuals
Winner: Caves Of Qud
Both Caves of Qud and Dwarf Fortress are some gnarly-looking titles: they come with only the most primitive tilesets. It’s enough to make a ZX Spectrum look positively seventh-gen. If you really want spectacle out of these games, you’ll have to rely on your imagination.
Custom tilesets can be enabled with modding, but out of the box, Caves of Qud is a much better-looking game. While the sprites lack animation, they’re quite easy to tell apart and sport a surprising degree of detail. Dwarf Fortress, on the other hand, is an indiscernible mess of ASCII hieroglyphs.
6
Sound
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
There isn’t much to compare in the sound department. Caves of Qud has a decently dreamy soundtrack, but it never serves to accompany the scenarios as well as it should. On the other hand, Dwarf Fortress’s music, while much more limited, is still more evocative.
Perhaps it’s simply down to Dwarf Fortress having a stronger core theme or a more laid back gameplay loop, but the music seems to suit the game better. True enough, though, both these text-heavy games would be just as playable on mute.
5
Narrative
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
Which game has the better lore is difficult to decide, as so much of it is procedurally generated. However, the main difference is: Caves of Qud is mostly random, while Dwarf Fortress is entirely random. There are some scripted quests in Qud, and that may not appeal to you if you’re drawn to such games for the freedom of gameplay.
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Dwarf Fortress simply has a much richer setting. Caves of Qud, due to its sci-fi elements and strange new monsters, sometimes feels like it’s being weird for the sake of being weird. Dwarf Fortress, with its familiar creatures in absurd situations, feels much more believable.
4
Controls
Winner: Caves Of Qud
There’s no debate to be had about this: Caves of Qud simply controls better. The game can be played with the keyboard, the mouse, or both. Commands are bound to intuitive keys, like G for Get and L for Look. Arrow keys are used for navigation. You can also use your mouse for everything if you so prefer.
Dwarf Fortress, on the other hand, controls like a piano atop a flight deck. The slightest misclick can throw off your orientation, and a lot of commands aren’t bound in any way to the keyboard, necessitating play with the mouse. For laptop users, that can make the game a bit more frustrating, because touchpads are inefficient and most lack the middle mouse required for some commands.
3
Gameplay
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
While the two roguelikes look similar at a glance, they’re quite different in their goals. Caves of Qud is an RPG, while Dwarf Fortress in a management simulator… at least in its main gameplay mode. Caves of Qud allows you to control a single character directly, while Dwarf Fortress has no direct control — your actions are merely suggestions that the dwarves may or may not follow, depending on their temperament and skill.
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However, Dwarf Fortress has a lot more depth to its gameplay, whereas Caves of Qud stops at finding the right build. Dwarf Fortress allows you to play Adventure Mode, focusing on a single dwarf for a more role-playing scenario. It generates an entirely random new world each time, which are recorded in Legends Mode for your later perusal.
2
Progression
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
Although Caves of Qud ostensibly has a more satisfying progression system, its singular focus on one character doesn’t compare to the satisfaction of running a fortress like a well-oiled machine. Caves of Qud boasts the usual RPG progression systems for your character, who may be a mutant or true kin, using skill points and augmentations.
Dwarf Fortress, in comparison, is a game where you set up an entire dwarven civilization. Starting from an expedition team of seven dwarves, you can set up a thriving community with its various industries and social systems. There’s a lot more to do, and a lot more to focus on.
1
Verdict
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
It must be said that Dwarf Fortress’ victory takes nothing away from Caves of Qud. The latter is a wonderful, entertaining game that is surprisingly accessible, considering the genre. It has a beautiful UI and presents itself well. If you’re new to roguelikes, you might end up enjoying Caves of Qud far more.
However, once you’re ready to take on more advanced roguelikes and simulation games, Dwarf Fortress is well worth the steep learning curve. It’s a wonderful passion project with a dedicated community and constant updates, and is sure to bring you joy provided you have the patience for it.
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OpenCritic
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Top Critic Rating:
90/100
Critics Recommend:
90%
- Platform(s)
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Linux
, macOS
, Microsoft Windows - Released
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August 8, 2006
- Developer
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Bay 12 Games, Tarn Adams, Zach Adams
- Publisher
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Bay 12 Games, Tarn Adams, Zach Adams
- Engine
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Simple DirectMedia Layer, OpenGL
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty