3/5
Cave Story! It's a game that's synonymous with indie gaming, everyone knows it. And I mean, there is a reason why it's received such critical acclaim. There is a lot of charm that comes in the package of this small Japanese freeware game, with cutesy captivating characters, and beautiful chiptune music that accompanies you throughout exploring the underground areas of the floating island.
A floating island? Yes! The game begins with a robot named Quote, waking up in the middle of some random cave. As you progress through the game's introduction, you learn what you are fighting for, as you meet the Mimiga, and then more characters! Such as Kazuma, or Sue… I'd rather not say anything else, as that ruins the fun of stories!
Anyway, aside from the story, the gameplay… It's alright. I really did want to enjoy playing this game, however there are a multitude of things that just dampened my enjoyment of playing the game little by little, chipping away at my attitude towards thinking if I actually liked playing the game. A major complaint echoed throughout other reviews I've read is just how floaty the game is! Along with being incredibly slippery, the platforming in Cave Story is sloppy, and you often miss most jumps because of it. As well, another thing is just how steep the spikes in difficulty are! While traversing through the game, it's honestly simple, and easy. However, when encountering a boss fight, I've seen people just drop the game entirely due to just how difficult fights are. They're frustrating, tedious, and just downright annoying, even with the aid of more powerful weapons you get as you progress and explore.
There are things however, I did thoroughly enjoy throughout my run! Starting with the game's aesthetic. The areas in Cave Story are a treat to explore, discovering tiny secrets and even rewarding the player by thinking out of the box with little bits of dialogue, an item, or even a new weapon! There's so much you can find in Cave Story that you can't experience in just one run alone, and with there being multiple endings, it leaves you wanting to see what outcomes can arise with just how you play, and what decisions you make. Another thing I liked about Cave Story were the characters and dialogue, the story, while linear, does carry itself quite well!
In the end, a common sentiment shared throughout other reviewers is just how much they wanted to like Cave Story, but in the end, just didn't enjoy it as much as they hoped. From repetitive gameplay, slippery movement, and sudden spikes in difficulty that could lead one to quit playing entirely, there are a lot of problems one can go through while playing Cave Story. I thought the game was alright, I personally went for the game's "true ending" for the sole purpose of getting a full grasp of the game's story, but would I replay the game to try and achieve the other endings? Probably not…
