OpenCrystalCaves rebuilds Apogee’s Crystal Caves for Windows and Linux

OpenCrystalCaves has been steadily rebuilding Crystal Caves for Windows and Linux, and its latest release is the first one that feels like a complete slice of the original game rather than a work-in-progress collection of individual levels. The big change is simple: Episode 1 works from start to finish. That gives players the whole of Trouble with Twibbles, the first part of Crystal Caves, on both Windows and Linux. It’s an important distinction, though, because Crystal Caves originally came in three episodes. OpenCrystalCaves hasn’t reached the other two yet. So, right now, this is a playable reimplementation of Episode 1. Not the entire game.

Episode 1 can now be finished

Earlier versions of OpenCrystalCaves supported parts of the game while its developer worked through missing mechanics, levels and other engine behaviour. The latest build takes that a good step further by making the complete first episode playable. You can start Episode 1, work through its levels and reach the ending.

There are still some rough edges. The familiar save-slot system isn’t in place yet, for example. Instead, the current version uses a single save for continuing progress. That gets the job done, but it also makes clear that OpenCrystalCaves is still under active development. Episodes 2 and 3 remain on the to-do list.

The release is available for Windows and Linux, which means you don’t need to set up a DOS environment just to run this version of the engine. OpenCrystalCaves has its own modern implementation designed to reproduce how Crystal Caves works.

So what exactly is OpenCrystalCaves?

OpenCrystalCaves isn’t a remake with new graphics, redesigned stages or a different take on the original game. It’s an open-source reimplementation of the Crystal Caves engine. That means the project is rebuilding the technology and game behaviour needed to run Crystal Caves on modern hardware while sticking closely to the mechanics of the DOS original. Development has happened piece by piece, with earlier releases adding more levels and systems as they became functional.

The project first appeared publicly in 2024 with limited playable content. Since then, support has expanded until reaching the current point, where the whole of Episode 1 works as a connected game. The plan is eventually to support the remaining episodes as well. Those later chapters were part of the registered version of Crystal Caves, so players will need to own the appropriate original game data when support for them arrives.

Crystal Caves goes back to Apogee’s DOS days

Crystal Caves originally launched for DOS in 1991, developed and published by Apogee Software. It came from the company’s shareware period, when giving away the opening part of a game was a perfectly normal way to sell the rest. Episode 1 could be distributed freely, while Episodes 2 and 3 came with the registered version.

You play as Mylo Steamwitz, a space trader heading into a collection of dangerous mines in search of crystals. The basic idea is easy enough. Run, jump, shoot enemies and collect everything the level asks for. Actually doing that is another matter.

You need to gather the required crystals before you can leave a stage, so simply spotting the exit doesn’t mean you’re done. Miss something and you’ll be heading back through the level to find it. Ammunition is also limited, which means firing at everything that moves isn’t always the best plan.

Levels mix platforming with enemies, traps and environmental tricks. Gravity changes in some areas, while other stages lean more heavily on careful movement or figuring out how to reach awkwardly placed items. There’s also a central level-selection area, so the game doesn’t push you through every stage in one fixed order.

The other two episodes aren’t playable yet

The original Crystal Caves contains three episodes: Trouble with Twibbles, Slugging It Out and Mylo versus the Supernova. OpenCrystalCaves only supports the first of those as a complete playable episode at the moment.

That’s worth stressing because the current release shouldn’t be mistaken for a finished version of the full Crystal Caves trilogy. Episodes 2 and 3 still need more development before they can be played through in the same way. Still, the latest build gives the project a much clearer shape than before. OpenCrystalCaves is now available on Windows and Linux, and Episode 1 is fully playable from beginning to end. For anyone following the project, that’s the headline. The rest of Crystal Caves will have to wait.

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Episode 1 can now be finished

So what exactly is OpenCrystalCaves?

Crystal Caves goes back to Apogee’s DOS days

The other two episodes aren’t playable yet

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