Ultimate ADOM – Caverns of Chaos XSX 5.5/10 ⚔️ "rock, rock, stairs, rock, rock, stairs" @adom_dev #IndieGames #GameDev

I covered ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery) back in 2018 and remember thoroughly enjoying my time with the game and the level of depth that it offered, catering to different styles of play and offering high levels of replayability. At the end of that review, I mentioned that Ultimate ADOM would be released for consoles at the tail end of 2018 – and now, four years later…it was time for me to return to the world of ADOM.

Unfortunately, my experience this time was underwhelming in comparison. Set entirely in the titular Caverns of Chaos, this version of ADOM starts you off by allowing you to choose between four characters with distinctive abilities and approaches or completing your own character from scratch – which is always fun (cue a massive, thick troll with a wooden club and an inability to read) – and strongly suggesting that you complete the tutorial. I also recommend this, as the myriad controls are transposed from mouse/keyboard to controller in a way that really does need an introduction to get the most out of them, as they are not exactly straightforward.

The tutorial introduces some fun mechanics and hints at the level of options and approaches that you have when in-game. The ability to fully rotate the camera is welcomed, and it does a great job of pulling you into the world of the game, as does the lilting music – which is never overbearing, and always pleasantly moving along, well-chosen in terms of its mellow implementation due to the amount of time you’ll be playing the game – and the crisp, cartoonish visuals. However, a key issue raised its ugly head even as I was entering my troll’s name (Margaritte Flintjaw)…lag in the controls.

As I was using the on-screen keyboard to enter my name, it felt like the movements were half a second behind, which I initially put down to an oddity on that single screen, but it affects every aspect of the game. Whilst the turn-based combat and menus meant that I was not at higher risk of unfair death due to the lag, the fact that every step, menu, and attack is delayed is really unfortunate and gets grating pretty quickly. It also makes the game feel incredibly sluggish. On top of this, the fact that you spent the whole time underground, moving ever downwards through caverns that don’t really change beyond enemy difficulty and basic aesthetics just feel flat after a few hours.

I came into the game with a positive mindset, as the version of ADOM that I played in 2018 felt like a reinvigorated classic, but Ultimate ADOM – Caverns of Chaos just feels like a backstep, a game that I can imagine was initially huge and grand in scope but has been hacked back due to budget/time constraints and then released. I’m not sure if this is the case, but it certainly feels a lot lesser than its 2017 counterpart.

It’s a shame, but Ultimate ADOM – Caverns of Chaos makes a strong opening impression, before the sheer repetition of what you are doing sets in, an ever-growing cloud atop a muddy control scheme that dwarfs the clean visuals, solidly implemented music and inherent fun and challenge at the heart of the ADOM heritage.