Cave Story
A freeware Metroidvania that reshaped indie game development.
Cave Story is a 2004 Metroidvania game developed by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya for Microsoft Windows. It follows Quote, a robot with amnesia, as he explores cavernous areas, powers up weapons, and solves platforming puzzles. The game is widely regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time, demonstrating the potential of a single developer to rival major studios.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Studio Pixel
- Nicalis (Wii, DSi, Cave Story+)
- NIS America (Cave Story 3D)
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Wii
- Nintendo DSi
- Nintendo 3DS
- macOS
- Linux
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Metroidvania
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Designer
- Daisuke Amaya
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Cave Story is set within the cavernous interior of a floating island inhabited by the Mimiga, a race of sentient, rabbit-like creatures. A species of red flower on the island causes the normally peaceful Mimiga to fall into a violent frenzy when ingested. The island also conceals the Demon Crown, an artifact of vast magical powers. An army of robot soldiers was sent to the island on a military expedition to harness the Crown as a weapon, slaughtering Mimiga indiscriminately. The Mimiga defeated them by eating the red flowers as a last resort. Before the game begins, Professor Booster, the Sakamoto family, and assistants formed a scientific party to research the island, but became stranded when their doctor, Fuyuhiko Date, acquired the Crown and forced the expedition to search for the red flowers. The player awakens in a cave with no memory and finds a village of Mimiga being persecuted by the Doctor. The Doctor's servants Misery and Balrog seek Sue Sakamoto, a girl transformed into a Mimiga, but mistakenly abduct another Mimiga named Toroko. The player finds Sue in the Egg Corridor, where she discovers a Sky Dragon egg that could allow escape. Sue attempts to rescue her brother Kazuma, but King, the Mimiga leader, captures her. Sue tasks the player with retrieving Kazuma from Grasstown. After freeing him, they meet Professor Booster, who reveals the Doctor plans to use the red flowers to create an army. Booster sends the player to the Sand Zone to destroy the flowers. There, the player meets Curly Brace, a female robot with no memories, and Jenka, an old witch and mother of Misery. Jenka calls the player a "soldier from the surface" sent to slaughter Mimiga. Balrog steals the key to the warehouse containing the red flowers, and Jenka urges the player to stop them.
Versions and ports
An enhanced port by Nicalis was released on WiiWare on 22 March 2010 in North America and 10 December 2010 in Europe, featuring updated character designs, remixed music, and extra game modes. Nicalis also ported the game to DSiWare on 29 November 2010 in North America and 22 November 2011 in Japan, which includes the Sanctuary Attack mode but not the enhanced graphics or sound of the Wii version. The game was released for the Nintendo 3DS eShop in the United States on 4 October 2012 and in Europe on 1 May 2014, including the DSiWare's Jukebox mode and all additional modes from Cave Story+. An enhanced PC version titled Cave Story+ was released on Steam on 22 November 2011, containing all WiiWare modes, a remastered soundtrack, and the option to toggle graphics and music styles, plus an exclusive 'Wind Fortress' level. It later received an update adding a Machine Gun Challenge. Cave Story+ was included in Humble Indie Bundle 4 and Humble Bundle 7, and released on Desura in April 2012. A Nintendo Switch port of Cave Story+ was announced on 19 January 2017 and released on 20 June 2017, packaged with a full-color manual and a Mini CD of FamiTracker arrangements. It added two-player cooperative gameplay and a remixed soundtrack by composers of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. GameStop purchases included one of three keychains. These additions were incorporated into the PC version via a 2026 update.
Reception
The original Cave Story was widely praised by critics. Matt Miller from Game Informer pointed out that it blends aspects of Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, and Castlevania into a single, lengthy, and demanding experience. Inside Mac Games attributed the game's appeal to its refined quality, captivating story, and attractive visuals. John Szczepaniak of Retro Gamer called it his all-time favorite game. Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the Western indie game scene owes a lot to Studio Pixel, since Cave Story showed that one person could create a deep and engaging action game with enough vision and skill. Jonathan Holmes of Destructoid likened its design to Shigeru Miyamoto's approach, where the game teaches players without explicit instructions, similar to the start of Super Mario Bros. In July 2006, Super PLAY ranked it first on its list of the 50 best freeware games. In July 2015, USgamer placed it 14th on its list of the 15 best games since 2000. The WiiWare version got mostly positive reviews, though many criticized its 1200 Wii Point price tag after the game had been free for years. Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com praised the updated graphics, saying they kept the original's classic charm, and noted that the Classic Controller and Wii Remote worked better than a keyboard. John Teti of Eurogamer had similar thoughts but pointed out problems with the remixed music, recommending the original soundtrack. Edge compared the remake to The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, as it updated the visuals for modern players while letting old fans switch back to the original look. Daemon Hatfield of IGN said Cave Story felt right at home on a Nintendo system and compared its weapon system to Blaster Master, where taking damage reduces weapon power. The game was nominated for Game of the Year and WiiWare Game of the Year at the 2010 Nintendo Power Awards.
Legacy
Quote appears as a downloadable character in Bit.Trip Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Curly Brace appears as a bonus playable character in 1001 Spikes. Both Curly Brace and Quote appear in the crossover fighting game Blade Strangers. Quote, Curly Brace, and Ballos are featured in Nicalis' puzzle game Crystal Crisis. Quote's hat appears in Terraria. On 8 December 2021, Tyrone Rodriguez of Nicalis teased a new Cave Story spin-off, revealed as Cave Story's Secret Santa on 9 December, a free stealth and puzzle-solving game set before the events of Cave Story. Cave Story is considered one of the most influential video games between the mid-2000s and mid-2010s, having a massive impact on the indie game industry by demonstrating that a one-person development team could rival major studios. It is one of the most internationally successful Japanese dōjin soft games and contributed to the resurgence of the Metroidvania genre. Its success paved the way for many retro-themed 2D platformers. Jonathan Holmes of Destructoid called it an important game, observing its influence on artistic indie games like Braid and the continued relevance of 2D game design. The game has inspired fan projects, including unofficial ports to systems like Sega Genesis, and a 2026 album by rapper Lee=EmCee² titled Cave Story: A Lyrical Walkthrough.
More in Platformers of the 2000s
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced