There’s been a bit of a Double Fine renaissance on Game Pass recently, as we have welcomed back Stacking to the service. Now we get the pleasure of some more great games.
Those additions to Game Pass come in the form of The Cave (Cloud and Console). And to complete the pattern of something old, something new, we also get Techtonica in Game Preview (Cloud, Console and PC).
Techtonica (Game Preview) on Game Pass
Let’s start with the newbie, Techtonica. Arriving as a Game Preview title (meaning that it’s subject to constant game changes and updates, as well as having no achievements), it’s something relatively common – a factory management sim – mixed in with something more unusual: it’s entirely in first-person. Not only that, but it can be played entirely in co-op, as you both whistle while you work.
Everything needs equipment, power and resources in Techtonica, as you and your teammate drill further and deeper in the hope of uncovering motherlodes of ore. Having brought that ore back, you’re making more efficient conveyor belts and machinery to process it all. You might even find the odd artifact or further the narrative.
We’re getting some Subnautica-with-drills vibes from Techtonica, and we think you’ll agree that’s a very good thing indeed.
Expect a preview as soon as we’ve drilled to the centre of the Earth.
Play The Cave (again) on Game Pass
More of a known quantity is The Cave. This modest little Double Fine adventure has some real quirks. At the start, you pick three adventures from a roster of seven, and then you dive into the titular cave to see whether the three’s particular skillsets are enough to survive.
This one is too old to have been covered by our reviews. But know that it’s got the usual Double Fine seal of quality, even if it doesn’t stick in the memory as long as a Psychonauts. The humour is present and correct. It has a lovely cross-section, silhouetted aesthetic too, which means – at least from a visual perspective – it stands alone.
More Double Fine games on Game Pass is always a good thing.
What else is coming to Game Pass?
July isn’t over yet, as there are some treats to follow. Expect The Wandering Village (Console) on July 20th. And from there you can add the highly anticipated Venba (Console) as a Game Pass Day One morsel on July 31st. We predict that the list will be rounded out with more titles in the coming days too. Especially as we’ve recently had news of the new Game Pass Core tier of subscription.
Are you returning to The Cave? Let us know in the comments or on our social channels.
