Cave Story Review
Finally, one of the most highly anticipated WiiWare titles makes its downloadable debut. Originally created by Daisuke Amaya, aka Pixel, developer Nicalis has helped bring this indie game gem to Wiis everywhere. For a charming and entertaining old-school style adventure, look no further.
Though Cave Story has a story (surprising, I know), the plot is really a rather bizarre glue that holds the gameplay together. You wake up with no knowledge of where you are, discover a town of rabbit-like creatures called Mimigas, and end up helping them ward off villains including a doctor, a witch, and some sort of box…thing. Like many classic games, you are essentially thrown into a peculiar situation and are forced to work your way out–not that this is a bad thing. The story may be outlandish and quite loose at parts but it’s fun, simple, and entertaining, just like the gameplay.
Seriously, I don't know what Balrog is supposed to be.
Cave Story plays like a 2D adventure game straight out of the eighties. You’ll run, jump, and shoot your way through various enemies in a handful of locales, while picking up weapons, health expansions, and various other items that help you on your journey. The gameplay is simple and addicting, perfect to pick up and play quickly. If you’re looking for a challenge, never fear–not only are there multiple difficulty levels, but the challenge ramps up considerably as you progress. In fact, it gets downright cruel at times when you run into instant-death traps and are forced back to the last time you saved, often losing a chunk of progress.
The truly unique aspect of Cave Story, though, is the weapon system. You can pick up a variety of weapons as you progress, and as you defeat enemies, you’ll collect experience from them, upgrading the power of your currently equipped weapon up to three levels. The max is three because when you’re hit, you don’t lose just health, your weapon loses power, so you’ll constantly need to replenish it. It’s a clever little system that puts extra emphasis upon avoiding attacks; the more you’re hit, the harder it is to defeat your opponents.
Since the controls use a very basic attack and jump system, the Wii remote alone is sufficient for playing the game, and works well for the most part. The only minor issue are the slightly floaty jumps, but a little practice remedies that. On the presentation front, the game has had a huge overhaul from it’s pixelated roots. The sprites and animation look great, boasting smooth and colorful movement yet with a retro vibe. The music features classic bubbly tones that sound great–though the buzzing during dialogue grows annoying quickly. If the upgrade doesn’t appeal to you, though, you can revert to the original art and sound to experience the game as Pixel originally crafted it.
Danger at every turn for our intrepid hero!
While you can finish the game in a mere matter of hours, there’s a lot more bang for your 12 bucks than that. Aside from the different difficulty levels, there are multiple endings that aren’t unlocked through arbitrary options at the very end of the game, but by actively pursuing side missions that open up new paths and bosses. In addition, there is a boss rush mode, a time trial mode, and the option to play as an alternate character. When you get down to it, Cave Story has a lot of content that is varied enough to keep it interesting.
If you have any interest in old-fashioned 2D action/adventures, Cave Story is the download for you. It’s hard not to be charmed by its simple yet polished gameplay and presentation, and join in on the plight of the Mimigas. With multiple game modes and alternate endings, Cave Story is well worth your time.
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