Cave Story

The Good
Simple story that still manages to suck you in.

Funny characters that manage to endear themselves.

Fantastic controls that leave nothing to chance.

Unmatched flow thanks to the great level-design.

Music straight from the Gods of Goodness.

The Bad
Christmas theme thoroughly confused me when I got this game around December.

Some alternative paths in the story are unreasonably obscure.

True final boss is impossible. No discussion possible.

The Bottom Line
Story

Oh boy, I did not see this one coming. This title has been on my radar for a while now, but some bad experiences with other Indie games that received similar praise kept me from getting it earlier. I was very wrong...

Cave Story tells the story of "Quote", a humanoid robot that awakes in a mysterious cave. The cave eventually leads him to a small village filled with small rabbit-like creatures who call themselves "Mimiga". Here you learn that an evil doctor has been kidnapping their kind for some evil purpose and that a girl called Sue is probably the reason for it. After finding Sue, though, you discover that the doctor has bigger plans than just experimenting on cute animals. Naturally, you team up with a handful of others who seek to oppose him and set out on adventure.

What really sells the story is just how subtly it gets you emotionally invested. The Mimiga are all friendly, polite and cute, causing your cuteness-gland to explode into a loud "Awwww". The cast of main characters is also very varied and likable, such as the Amnesiac robot "Curly" or the excitable villain "Balrog". Most of the crew also gets plenty of screen-time and dialogue, so you get plenty of enjoyment out of them. There is nothing truly bothersome about the story either; no offensive material, no dragging cut-scenes, no obnoxious exposition... It just all works so well.

There are also three different endings that you can pursue, but not by the Deus Ex: Human Revolution way of just pushing a button. The ending you get is based entirely on your own actions, but never in a way that punishes you or leaves you paranoid about messing up in decisive situations. The "bad" ending also genuinely feels like you skipped out on content, while the "neutral" ending is nice while still making you feel guilty about some of the feats you couldn't achieve.

Gameplay

Cave Story is a lot like Super Metroid, in the sense that it's a 2-dimensional shooter with RPG elements. Over the course of the game you unlock various weapons and discover secrets that give you more health or ammunition. You use all of these against a variety of enemies while platforming through the many themed stages. Like many other Metroidvania titles, this game prioritizes boss-fights. The only major difference is that Cave Story puts more emphasis on the story than either Metroid or Castlevania.

There are also a few twists too: Most enemies drop experience points when killed, which you can pick up to level up your weapons. Doing so increases their power, speed, firing-mode or a combination of those. However, receiving damage decreases the experience of your weapons (depending on the enemy), so this means you are not just running&gunning, but also dodging like crazy. Naturally, this game is also as challenging as they get, even on the easiest difficulty, which is a common trait in the indie market. There is however never a moment where you feel that the controls are the source of your deaths. Quote controls very satisfyingly and responsive, which is further helped by high jumps that give you enough time to perform a good landing and consistent physics that never betray you.

The game generally maintains a reasonable challenge, but it goes a little too overboard when you want to get the Good Ending. The player is asked to make it through a maze of instant-kill traps (that can only be done with the otherwise useless jetpack), a hallway filled with enemies, a mini-boss that constantly spawns small enemies and then the final boss all on the same live and with no health-refills anywhere in-between. Kind of a dick-move, but again, it's the only flaw in an otherwise solid gem.

Presentation

The second I booted this game, I knew it was going to be something truly special. The music on the title screen was absolutely glorious and the rest of the soundtrack is on the same level (every damn tune in it). The music is exciting when it needs to be, emotional when the situation demands it and sometimes even silent when the imagery says enough. Most tunes focus on creating a solid rhythm above the instruments, which results in that classic kind of songs that you can easily remember and end up humming.

The visuals are kept deliberately retro, as with most other indie titles that seek to evoke the feeling of the good ol' days. Even with that now overused aesthetic, Cave Story manages to look nice and original, whereas titles like Super Meat Boy just looked lazily generic. This can be attributed to the variety found in each level and the amount of detail placed in each sprite and texture. I also grant extra points to the game for not getting its head trapped in pretentious Super Nintendo references. Instead of that the game allows itself to be enjoyed by both gaming veterans and younger audiences, since the story and humor are completely contained in the context of just this one game.

One minor flaw would be that the game had some kind of seasonal theme going on when I got it this December, so I have no idea how it actually looks when all the snow and knitted caps are removed.

Replay-Value

The game will last you a good ten to fifteen hours on your first playthrough and nearing the end of that the game drops a few hints about the existence of a special ending. Getting that ending requires you to play the game again and make a few obscure decisions, which will likely require you to keep Gamefaqs open in the background. The second shot at the game will last you maybe five to six hours, though the final stage will undoubtedly give you a lot of trouble.

For the completionists out there, there is option to collect all the health and ammo upgrades, a "bad" ending and a bunch of fun secrets for you to discover. Overall, you are certain to get your money's worth in terms of content.

Verdict

I do not believe that I ever handed out a full 5/5, but this game truly deserves it. Reading over this review made me realize that my words don't do justice to how much fun I had with this and how many emotions it awakened within my sour, rotten body. You will almost certainly grow to love this title for how well the gameplay flows and aargh! I give up on trying to explain it!

Get it if you have the chance. No exceptions.