When comparing Caves (Roguelike) vs Brogue, the Slant community recommends Brogue for most people. In the question“What are the best roguelikes on Android?” Brogue is ranked 4th while Caves (Roguelike) is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Brogue is:
The gameplay itself is quite straightforward, making for mechanics that can be picked up within a few minutes of playing. Of course the challenge of the game is a whole other mater as like most roguelikes, this game can be quite challenging.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Easy to pick up and play for those familiar with roguelike gameplay
Anyone with any familiarity with roguelikes at all should be up and running with the basic game mechanics within seconds.
Pro New experience every time
It's Minecraft, but roguelike. Awesome game.
Pro Game is in early dev, where new content is constantly being added
A lot of new content is planned. The game is constantly updating. No need to start a new game after each update. Old saves are compatible with new versions.
Pro Easy to get into, hard to master
The gameplay itself is quite straightforward, making for mechanics that can be picked up within a few minutes of playing. Of course the challenge of the game is a whole other mater as like most roguelikes, this game can be quite challenging.
Pro Free to download and play for anyone
Doesn't cost a dime as the game is free to download and play. Which is great as there is no obstacle to one trying the game out.
Pro Simple and easy to understand design
The graphics of the game consist entirely of ASCII characters which keeps the design simple and easy to understand.
Pro Perfectly balanced rather than filled with features
The balancing is done quite well, as there is just enough elements to the gameplay to keep one interested without being overly complex or heavy weight.
Pro Open source
Pro Good graphics that are easy on the eyes
The game's dark, modern graphics help to make the game playable and look good even if you have very sensitive eyes.
Pro Can be played on persons preferred platform
It can be played on Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux, and on mobile devices running iOS or Android .
Cons
Con Poor documentation
While figuring it out as you go is part of the charm of roguelikes, this gives you nothing at all. Press "new game" and go.
Con Resets to start of floor when app is idle for too long
Whenever you reload, it sets you back to the start of the current floor if you have had the app running in the background for long enough that it forgets where it was. More frequent saving would alleviate this problem somewhat.
Con Difficult to learn
You can easily get confused by this game, unless you have prior knowledge of what's going on.
Con No classes
While not having any classes for the main character means that any item can be equipped it does make for less replayability due to not having different classes to try out on multiple playthroughs.