Cave Story – oh, *that’s* what all the fuss was about!
If you’re not already familiar with Cave Story, it’s a Japanese freeware platformer, a 5 year labor of love by one man, and possibly the finest example of that 8-bit genre.
It combines the delicate physics, precise controls, and insanely demanding dexterity of the 2D Super Mario series, the exploration and story of Metroid, and a weapon power up selection mechanic inspired by the best of side scrolling shooters like R-Type. If that wasn’t enough, this phenomenal gaming package is wrapped in a style that is uniquely cute and cool in that Japanese style that seldom made it to the US in the 8-bit Golden age.
Yet despite this appealing presentation, the story is surprisingly heartrending. Sure the backstory and setting are the typical patch work fluff you expect in this era of games. However the plot is really moved by the characters, and that exhibits a sensitive and tragic sensibility that was never present in the games I played as a child. I guess it helps that I was immediately infatuated by Sue – even though at first I thought she was a boy! (^_^);;
If any of the above appeals to you in the slightest, then really there’s nothing more to say. Go download it now, here!!!
Tags: 8-bit, cave story, pixel, sue, video game
I ended up downloading this, and I am intrigued. Curses, yet another source of distraction keeping me from writing the script for my game!
This looks interesting.