Cave Story
Review

Cave Story (2004) is a running and jumping game styled after classic Metroid and Castlevania games of the 1980's. Unusually, it was initially overlooked until it gained popularity on the internet and then received widespread critical acclaim. The simplicity, poignant story and fast action combine to make this one of the classic indie games of its era.

Play is fast paced traversal as a robot character. You explore and shoot your way through a system of caves. As well as jumping and shooting you use momentum and simulated physics to reach platforms. This requires considerable skill to get used to and pull off.

As you progress you learn about your amnesia, backstory and escape from the cave. New abilities grant access to new areas which in turn enable you to find more powerful and useful weapons by collecting triangular experience crystals. Along the way you meet characters who tell you more about the world and its inhabitants.

The game is available on different systems and in different versions:

• Cave Story (2010) Wii, DS, Nintendo 3DS
• Cave Story+ (2011) PC, Switch
• Cave Story 3D (2011) 3DS

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Cave Story 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 17 months ago.