I would not give this a 10/10 but when put on the scale of the other games on this site i would give a 15/10. I have tried many games on this site and this would be the game i have played the most (next would be ocular ink).
The gameplay is great, many weapons to acquire (clue: Remember the fireplaces you see!) and each is quite original. For example you can throw fireballs or release bubbles which surround you and protect you from enemies; as well as the traditional weapons such as rockets and a machine gun (which by shooting downwards you can fly through the air - very useful). Another bonus to this game is that you can level up your weapons by picking up the experience or 'energy' that the enemies drop when they die. Each level up greatly increases the strength of the weapon and even changes it slightly (bigger bullets, further reach, bigger area of effect etc).
This is not an easy game, be prepared to repeat areas when you die - but is very rewarding when you finally beat that god dam boss (i am talking about towards the end of the game, early on it is not too hard).
Graphics are not stunning but are clear and often entertaining (the dogs : ) )
This also goes for the music, which is original and i found that each area had suitable music to accompany the theme.
Now for the story: i found that the story not only was very entertaining and original but also brought a nice break to the gameplay every now and again.
I will not reveal anything of the story for if you have read this then i hope you will play the game and find out why i have bothered to write such a long review.
Enjoy this game!
Avrae
In all honesty, Cave Story is by far the greatest freeware game that I have ever personally played. It beautifully combines all of the best features of an RPG, a shoot 'em up, adventure, and arcade together in a swirl of perfection.
The basic plot is a bit hard to understand at first, as it is in all truly good adventure/RPG games, but bit-by-bit, the storyline is pieced together. All in all, the plot is so charmingly addictive that once you start playing, you can't get yourself to stop.
The graphics may not be up to the level of some freeware games, but with the consideration that it is a mere 0.99 megabytes to download, they are stunningly good. The keys never mess up, and the game runs smoothly for the entire time that you are playing, adding onto the perfection of the game.
What you do in Cave Story is basically gather weapons as you move along in the game, sometimes by just finding them laying around, sometimes having to work for them. You can raise the power of your weapons by killing enemies, and raising their levels. Each weapon has a level of its own, so the more monsters you kill, the higher your level goes, and the higher your level goes, the more powerful your weapons are.
I'll end by saying simply that this game is more than worth your time, and it would be a crime against humanity not to download it. If you don't believe me, then download it and find out. I guarantee that you'll find it truly irresistible.
I first heard of this game a while back and it sounded very promising, so I went and downloaded it right away. The first thing you notice is how small the file size is - it takes up less then 1mb on your hard drive.
The learning curve is very well done as you start out killing mushrooms and then move on to what can only be described as "Cute critters". The game shares a few similarities with the Metroid series, the main being that the missle / rocket launcher is the only weapon that you need to collect ammunition for and another being that to upgrade your health you have to seek out small heart tubes.
Game play is top notch here and will not be a walk in the park. For a change, this is a fun, hard game, not an annoying, hard game that just frustrates you. There are 6 weapons and each can be upgraded in levels, up to 3, by collecting yellow triangles that enemies drop. As for the music, it's top quality stuff - very reminiscent of early '90s games. The same can be said for the graphics. It's good to see that a developer has decided to focus on game play rather then the look, but even with that the graphics are not hampered. There can be much on screen at once and I had no problems with slow down.
With the small size, multiple endings, many weapons and lovable characters, this game is a must.
This game absolutely deserves the 10 out of 10 is has at the time of writing this. I didn't think Acid-Play had a better game than Soldat on it, but here it is.
Many of the other reviews have said this, but I'll enforce it: not downloading this would be a mistake. I guarantee you will like this game, unless you are some sort of horrible person who hates everything. Or someone who never got to play anything made in the 90's. You poor, poor soul. The nostalgia factor in this game made me fall in love with it right away, and it just kept getting better. I was always looking forward to what my next gun upgrade would look like, or what I'd learn about the Cave Story universe next. Don't just skip through the conversation, it's more much rewarding if you know what's happening.
If this game had been released in the early 90's, when the technology for something this epic had just came into being, I'm pretty sure there would have been a Cave Story character in Brawl. It's just that awesome.
And now I will list every bad thing about the game, just to balance my review:
It's Japanese.
OH BUT WAIT there's an English patch. So the only reason not to download this game is if you only have a megabyte of space left on your hard drive.
This is a 2D japanese platformer and although from the version I downloaded the majority of the menu's and text was in Japanese, making it almost impossible to follow the story on any level, I still had fun with it.
Anyway, from what I could pick up there is a man held up in a Cave who uses Social networking sites far too much and carries an incredibly innefectual gun. The real brilliance of the game actually comes from a little mod I found hidden deep within the code of the game named something like "Menaga Disega".
Basically, in this mod you swim around as a little blue puffer fish avoiding death and collecting pearls.
The graphics are a little simplistic, however the warmly-nostalgic feel of the gameplay, sound design and graphics combined could forgive them for feeling a little outdated.
Now, walk into your kitchen again, and get yourself a big cake.
That was for downloading Cave Story.
- Some anonymous tosser
I'll admit, it's not the best freeware game out there (That honor belongs to "The Suffering"). However, Cavestory is a rare game in that it captures everything I love about 2D action games. The storyline is interesting, the endings diverse, and the difficulty is just right.
However, I have two complaints. The first is the fact that it's incredibly difficult to apply the English translation (although that might be my own personal stupidity), and the second is the text. You can't skip it, no matter how many times you play the game. Still, the problems are very minor when you realize how much game you get. This is easily a 4-6 hour experience on your first go, and considering the extra endings and replayability, it won't be the last time you boot it up.
All in all, amazing for a freeware game, but it's not perfect, or even that amazing to a jaded misanthropic prick like myself. I recommend it.
Now, I am going to go ahead and say I am a Retro Gamer! And I take pride in being a retro gamer. When I first heard of Cave Story supposedly the best freeware game ever?! I got it straight away! I was only 10 and I couldn't get past the egg sector level. And I stopped playing it. But I downloaded it again this year when I was 13 turning 14 and I completed the game (I think I got the bad ending!). And I loved it!
Cave Story is an awesome game! The Story is great! The gameplay is awesome and addictive! The music and sound is great! And the interesting graphics style will appeal to any Retro Gamer!
My only complaint is some of the game is a bit difficult and I would want to know more about the main character!
I give it a 10!
Download it now!
NooBS!
If you looking for high quality game that doesn't make your computer slow,then this is the right game for you.
The graphis maybe old school look, but don't mess up with the gamelay. It worth your time and very interesting to be played. You will run through multiple decision and ending, so that you can choose your own path.
And, the best news is,this game have been ported to some console such as PSP so you can play it everywhere!If you're having some problem,there are many fan forum that provide help.
I have played it till the end, but I still want to play it because it is very fun, and never make you bored with its awesome gameplay. Don't just try it,play it!
This is the best game I have ever played. One of the things the make the game is the graphics, They have just enough pixels to make it look awesome. Not high def. But just awesome. The game has three ways to end, a cowards way out, normal ending, or a finale dungeon that to get to it you have to find every secret in the game, that some people have nicknamed "Hell", and for good reason. Overall the game play? awesome, the story? epic, the diffuculty? great, they keep it hard without making it frustrating. You would be a fool to not play this game today.
The graphics are average for a freeware game, but the gameplay if fantastic! I LOVED every megamanX game and this is just like it! You go through many levels and improve your weapons that you recieve throughout the game. Each of the 3 levels can improve OR EVEN DE-PROVE when you are attacked! The originality of this game is so amazing and the small download size makes it downloadable even for dial-up users like me.
If you don't get this game (considering it is so small), you are missing one of the best games on the web!