That right there is the unassuming beginning of one of the most transcendent videogame experiences I have ever had. It's been mentioned in the freeware thread before, but this deserves one all its own.
You can Download! But read this first.
Cave Story was released around four years ago now, developed by solely one man, Daisuke Amaya (or Studio Pixel) over a five year period, whilst juggling work and family commitments. Amaya is responsible for everything you see or hear in this game, from coding, design, art, music and anything else. And everything you see and hear in this game is fine tuned to the absolute perfect pitch.
Cave story is Amaya's love letter to games of a bygone era, playing like an amalgamation of Mega Man, Metroid, Gunstar Heroes and more, plucked from a level somewhere between the NES and SNES generations. The lo-res pixel graphics exude charm, the faux-chip music transmits action, emotion and mystery whilst the gameplay lovingly grips you by the hand and draws you inexorably forward into something magical.
It takes all the best bits from its inspirations and, quite literally, throws away all the chaff. It is a focused, six-hour experience, that with every element of its design, starts small and then builds... and builds.... and builds..... topping itself every four minutes with the new and the awesome. The best part?
It's absolutely free.
I love this game so much not because it's the best game I've ever played, but for what it stands for. Total art. Created in complete humility by one individual for no other reason than to share something beautiful with the world and make people happy. It works as a complete object, conspiring between its constituent elements of music, art, design etc. to deliver at times an experience which is more emotional than any one part could acheive, or, for that matter, it has any right to be, as a free downloadable shooty game.
This is a thing of perfect dimensions. I think of it that highly.
And even though Amaya asked for no money and no recognition, people responded, ported the game across platforms and language and spread the word. Now, five years down the line, Amaya has been approached by developer Nicalis, and it is being ported to WiiWare, where he can see some money for it, and hopefully gain the ability to make a living doing this (if that's what he wants). I find that heartening in the extreme.
I'm not going to talk much else about what the game entails. It drops the player in with no frame of reference, starting your story in the middle of somebody else's. Come the finish (the true finish) you know everything about this world, and wish you could stay there longer.
I really recommend that you go into it with as little knowledge as possible, even the main fansite has what I would class as a seriously experience-dampening spoiler on the main page.
Stay on this page instead: Download! And play!
As it is said, better than I could, on another site...
If you haven't played this game, you'd better hurry up. Your time on this planet is short and if you do not play Cave Story it will go unfulfilled.
Author's description:
Cave Story is a jumping-and-shooting action game.
Explore the caves until you reach the ending.
You can also save your game and continue from where you left off.
This description is so humble that it borders on parody. Play now, laugh later. |
