Cave Story 3D

[This review is largely focused on this new remake and the changes it brings. Details on the gameplay and plot are at a minimum. In my opinion, the less you know about Cave Story before you play it, the better.]

Cave Story is, hands down, my most loved game. The story, the gameplay, the music, the art--it all comes together to create a beautiful whole that is unlike anything else. Just that alone would have been amazing but then you realize it was made by ONE man and it becomes some sort of miracle and/or a work of a genius. Cave Story is perfect, and that's why this remake scared me so badly.

The very first screenshot was released and I wanted to barf. What had they done to my beloved Cave Story!? It looked like a terrible PS or N64 game and continued to look just as bad right up to release day. It was Cave Story though, so I HAD to buy it...and I'm glad I did.

I popped the cart into my 3DS and started to play. My very first impressions were the same as my views on the screenshots...but then I flipped the 3D on and the game came to life. This is, by far, the best 3D on the system. Every other game I have I only use the 3D for a few minutes at a time before turning it off again but, with Cave Story, I leave it on for the entire time. The sense of depth is second to none and, really, no matter how hard I try to describe it you just have to experience it for yourself to truly understand.

I can, however, describe the scenery for you. The original Cave Story--while beautiful--looks almost empty in some levels compared to the massive amounts of detail found in this remake. Where once there was a background of mostly one solid color, there is broken machinery and dripping pipes. What was once a randomly floating platform is now a fully constructed statue. Things like that are in every single area in the game, some are so wildly different that if they didn't have the same level design I wouldn't have known that they were the same places I had visited in the original.

Along with the new graphics is lighting effects. Cave Story 3D takes the cave part of its name very seriously as nearly every area in the game is lightly lit and sometimes downright dark. On one hand, this can take away from the whimsy and charm of the original but on the other it adds a touch of realism and atmosphere fitting of the environment.

The only other negative I could find was that a lot of the 3D character models are...off somehow. Some are great, like the main character (you won't get his name from me!) and Curly, but others are just weird. And they aren't minor enemy models either, but important members of the main cast! This problem would have easily knocked off one, maybe even two stars if it wasn't for the brilliant Classic Mode feature. With this mode turned on, all of Pixel's original character animations replace their 3D counterparts and are just as perfect as they always were. This mode easily saves the whole package.

The final remade aspect that needs mentioning is the music. It is so fantastic, so one with the spirit of the old tracks that I almost forgot to talk about it at all because of how perfectly it blended in with everything else. I found myself humming all the same songs and enjoying every one just as much as I did my first time playing Cave Story. And for good reason too, all of the tracks have been carefully recreated by none other than Danny B, the composer of Super Meat Boy. The tracks are--dare I say it--better than Pixel's compositions. Still, some songs can be a bit too different for some but none of them reach the level of disaster heard in the WiiWare port.

If you've never played Cave Story before, add this to your cart right now--you missed out on a classic and should be ashamed of yourself. And for old fans, this is a must as well. No matter how much you may hate what you've seen of this remake all of that will disappear the moment the 3D comes on.

Whether you're new to Cave Story or a long time fan, this remake will take you on a brand new adventure of discovery and wonder with new surprises inside (and outside!) of every cave.

The Good:

+Simple and addictive gameplay
+Actually quite a lengthy quest
+The graphical update is good
+Provides a very balanced challenge

The Bad

-There are already several other versions of the game readily available for cheap and it's hard to justify the purchase of this one just for 3D and revamped graphics alone

Cave Story is easily one of the finest achievements in Indie Gaming. Beginning as a freeware game developed by a single person, Cave Story eventually went on to be a cult success and seeing actual releases. There was the freeware game, a PSP version, one released on DSiWare and Wii Ware and there's also a version on Steam Available. With so many places to find the actual game itself, one has to wonder if the 3DS version is really worth the purchase. And in some ways it's nice. But then again... it's hard to justify the forty dollar price tag. But more on that later. If you haven't played Cave Story, it is a game worth experiencing. It's solid fun and the adventure actually last a while.

You play as a character who pretty much just wakes up in a cave. You don't really know how you got there or anything like that. But as you begin exploring you'll soon find a gun to help you in your travels. It's not long before you stumble into a village where rabbit like creatures keep finding themselves taken by a strange doctor. And it's up to you to get to the bottom of it. There's actually a lot of story to Cave Story. Nothing too big or surprising, but it's a charming game nonetheless.

Cave Story most certainly follows the feel of the Metroid series in some ways. You'll begin with just a pea shooter, but you'll find other items such as fireballs and missiles and much more. New tools will also allow you to progress further. The game is actually quite big and there's a lot to explore. And just like in some of the Metroid games you've no doubt played you'll find health capsules to increase your health, expand on your missiles and fight strange bosses as you unravel the tale. All of these corridors are crawling with baddies. It can feel a little overwhelming at times, but the way Cave Story works out is pretty excellent. The story is paced well, but even better is how the gameplay holds up. As you battle enemies will drop items that will increase the power of your weapon up to three levels. Take too much damage and your weapon drops a level. It's a nice balance. One that'll make you want to kill enemies once you find yourself in a tough spot. It's simple and rewarding.

Cave Story isn't the easiest game out there. In fact, it can be very difficult. While recognizing enemy patterns is key, a lot of them hit hard and a lot of them may take a try or two. Likewise, it isn't always quite so obvious where to go next all the time (although the game is always providing you with hints). But this is all what makes Cave Story so much fun. The feeling of exploration and the accomplishment you get from diving further into the game itself. There are times when it can be difficult to stop playing.

As for the 3D itself, it's not so bad. The new graphics are not bad in the slightest and it retains quite a bit of charm. The only thing that's a little hard to swallow is the asking price of the game itself. Especially when there are so many other versions available. With the freeware version still floating around (though you'll need to apply a patch), PSP, DSiWare, Wii Ware and Steam (all of which are cheaper alternatives) one has to wonder if the 3D and vamped up graphics alone are reason enough to buy Cave Story 3D. This is especially true if you've already got one of those other versions of Cave Story out there as it is. The 3D isn't terribly done by any means. On the other hand, Cave Story was designed to be a 2D side scroller to begin with. That makes it hard for the 3D to really enhance the experience. And that can make the forty dollar price tag seem steep.

This, in no way, makes Cave Story a bad game. It is easily one of the most competently designed games you'll ever play. And it's an all around fun experience. 3D or not, if you're a fan of some the finer moments of the 8-bit and 16-bit era you have to play Cave Story--regardless of which release you decide to get your hands on.

Cave Story in all its incarnations has been an excellent product. I first played through it when the english translation patch was released many years ago for PC. I played it all the way through again when it hit the DSi store. This is the third time I've played the product and by large, the experience remains the same. Solid platforming mechanics with fantastic level design and player progression. Anyone who enjoys the gameplay styles of classic Metroid or Castlevania will feel right at home with Cave Story.

Gameplay aside, I have run into a few small issues with the 3DS version of the game.

1.) 3D Depth falls apart in certain limited areas in the game. Developers are still coming to terms with how to develop camera systems that work well with stereoscopic displays. One of the issues I have encountered on a number of 3DS titles is that the developers allow the 3D assets to get too close to the camera causing the images to tear/separate further apart than the eye can compensate for which is one of the primary causes of eye strain with stereoscopic images. Adjusting the 3DS' depth slider does little to alleviate this issue. There's a simple fix that can prevent this from happening which is to set an optimal camera plane distance, and to not allowed 3D assets to clip beyond this plane. If you can't implement this, then have items nearest the camera fade out so they don't break the ideal plane. Ocarina of Time and Skylanders Sypro's Adventure both do not exhibit this issue and should be used as reference for future developers working with stereoscopic images.

2.) Sometimes the graphic fidelity seems to take precedence over readability of the environment. What does this mean? too many details in the environment makes spotting spikes and death pits more difficult than it original was. This is coming from someone who is already very familiar with the layout of most of the content in the game. The foreground and background elements that help add parallax to the scene interfere with the main gameplay plane.

Both of the above are severely nit picky on an otherwise spectacular product.