Written by Rastafoo69, edited by Manfred Manson and Otaku Apologist
Alissa and the Have-nots Cavern, a hentai RPG game developed by Tiger Cage. Download on DLSite for $9.00. Released March 22, 2021 for Windows PC. No voice acting. Censored genitals.
Alissa is a casual adventurer who recently lost all of her belongings. Thankfully, there’s a dungeon perfect for her to conquer. The Have-nots cavern will only allow you to enter if you bring no weapons and armor, which is perfect for a broke girl like her.
Note, this game has no official English translation at the time of writing. Use MTool to auto-translate.
STORY
The game doesn’t have a main villain or main quest. The closest thing to a plot is that Alissa lost a keepsake she cared about, and later found it in the Have-nots Cavern.
There is very little world-building as well. We know the blacksmith is a major whore and the innkeeper has a tendency to rescue girls like Alissa, but that’s pretty much it.
This was disappointing because the artist has done a tremendous job at creating vivid facial expressions that convey clear emotions. If this artist could find an avid writer to assist them, the end product would be truly legendary.
The game is surprisingly popular on DLSite, sporting a very high rating and download count. I’m not sure why, because my experience with the product was nothing special. Let’s talk more about it.
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GAMEPLAY
Alissa and the Have-nots Cavern was created in RPG Maker MZ, the latest version of the RPG Maker engine. This iteration of the engine is able to support greater customizability in terms of art assets, which was essential to the foundation of this game.
Every day, you enter the dungeon with no weapons or armor. You’ll have to fist-fight at first to take down a goblin or some other creature to get your first piece of equipment. Then, you gradually acquire more as you delve deeper inside. This game is marketed as roguelike due to this mechanic. You’ll either make it deep to the lowest floors, or have to retreat and start over from the beginning.
The core of the progression system is equipment upgrades and stats. You can upgrade your equipment, so even if you restart the dungeon naked, you’ll be able to find stronger swords and shields down the road. You can upgrade your character based on their primary stats including HP and ATK.
Following the theme of roguelike games, an abrupt death may make you rage quit. Of course, slow gains and persistently learning as you progress is key to your eventual success. In that respect, the game is fantastic. I find the core gameplay loop incredible.
Sadly, this game bears some major flaws. The lack of a story means that this 4-hour experience will be purely for the level-ups and nothing more. The final dungeon floor is F45, so it’s not too deep. When I reached the ending, it felt so abrupt and unsatisfying.
There are also early game problems. Though you are not told this, the encumbrance system has an enormous impact on the gameplay. If you’re carrying too many items, you’ll miss every single strike without explanation. Not only is that irritating, but it also artificially extends the length of the game because you’ll have to purchase more carrying capacity every few minutes.
Then there’s the hentai aspect. Only some enemies have sex scenes available when they defeat you. These enemies are never highlighted in any way, so unless you use hints or view the CGs directly, you’ll be blindly letting yourself get killed hoping for a scene. Why not mark the erotic enemies with a heart to let the player know?
The biggest sin of all is that the early game encourages you to explore the town and find someone who says “When you beat the game, you will gain access to my mystery salon”. This sounds exciting! Will it be a new power? A secret boss? Maybe a special outfit? Nope! You played for four hours and your award is an arbitrary anal fisting scene. A human hand up past the wrist going inside your anus. Also, the busty beautiful wizard is a surprise futanari. What a rug pull!
GRAPHICS
Although this is a first title from this developer, their experience in creating doujinshi galleries shows. The art is beautiful! Alissa is able to pick up equipment in the dungeon and wear it. Shirts, pants, coats, masks, glasses, underwear, accessories, and so much more! Anything and everything you find in this game will change your standing artwork. This allows for a massive amount of customizability as you mix and match clothing items to create the perfect outfit. This also applies to weapons. Alissa can wield magic staffs, steel spears, mystical shields, sharp swords, and everything else in between.
Imagine that! You literally pick up a sword, and it’s shown in the standing art, on your person! Or you find a coat left behind by some lost adventurer and drape yourself in it. The sheer novelty of the concept is enough to make the game completely distinct from its competitors. It’s a level of personality and character control that most gamers wish was possible.
The best part of all is that the focus on customizing the main character does not detract from the side characters. All side characters are given standing artworks, no matter how minor their role. And each item in the game is completely unique, there are no recolors or cut corners.
The different levels of the cavern result in different background images and enemy types to reflect the danger. When it comes to both volume and variety, this beats most eroge on the market today. If only there was a solid story to tie it all together.
VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)
Alissa and the Have-nots Cavern has no voice acting.
Sound effects are generally from the stock RPG maker library, but do rely on your character build to determine the sounds being used. Casting a spell from a magic staff will give a very different audio cue when compared to a blade or spear. It’s enjoyable for certain, but can get repetitive after four hours.
MUSIC
From the stock music of the title menu all the way to the final boss battle, stock assets from the RPG Maker library are used all throughout. As a roguelike, it would be better to just put on a podcast in the background while you grind. Don’t expect some incredible music here, it’s all been played before.
HENTAI
There are approximately 18 unique scenes in this game. Some CGs repeat like the blowjob being either consensual or hypnotic, but generally speaking, each scene has its own unique artwork.
Out of the 18 scenes, the majority will not appeal to the typical gamer. There are 3 futanari scenes, two tentacle scenes, one surprise anal fisting, and all sorts of other miscellaneous scenarios like a literal insect entering your anus.
If I had to pick one scenario I greatly enjoyed it was the two exhibitionist scenes where Alissa walks nude through the city. She bought an invisibility spell and loves using it to break the rules and walk out in the nude. The first time she’s nearly caught, so if she does it twice, she’ll be seen by the local guards! This results in a game-over, because obviously, she’s going to prison.
A big downside is the lack of sex stats. I went into the dungeon and let Alissa get fucked by monsters ranging from goblins to minotaurs, but it has no actual effect on the gameplay overall. Would a creampie tracker be so hard to code in? The sex scenes are meaningless since they’re completely disconnected from every other aspect of the gameplay. And because multiple scenes need to be purchased with skill points, you’re discouraged from viewing them all until you’re done.
CONCLUDING WORDS
Alissa and the Have-nots Cavern is a hentai RPG that excels in its visual presentation. Whether its the countless unlockable outfits or the engaging use of newer and stronger weapons to fight harder than ever before, this title is impressive. But the complete lack of a story and hit-or-miss sex scenes make this far from the modern eroge classic it should have been. This is a bruised diamond, but still well worth a play. I can recommend this, even if a little reluctantly. Download this erotic RPG.
Overall
- Graphics
- Gameplay
- Story
- Music
- SFX
- Hentai
