The time has finally come, Cave Story
for the Nintendo 3DS is upon us and we have gotten a review copy to satisfy our
thirst for an original game on the portable platform. There are still many that
are unaware of the Cave Story phenomena, including me up until recently, but
the title started out on the PC as an indie 2D side scroller/action adventure,
then later was released as a WiiWare downloadable, but now the title will hit
the public in its richest form, 3D! The original, developed in 2004 features
the graphics, gameplay, and sound straight out of the 80’s. New to the 3DS
version is obviously the graphics along with content and gameplay, but also
include the classic gameplay that made the original so much fun to play. The
premise of the title is that you wake up in a cave with no idea about your
identity in a land filled with rabbit like creatures that need your help being
freed from the clutches of the doctor. You will later learn more about world
and it inhabitants, so on with the review.
Cave Story 3D has all of the charm
that the original had in terms of gameplay, controls, and story, but the new
upgraded graphics make you immediately forget that this was originally an indie
title and feels like a big budget production. The reason I fell in love with
Cave Story is because it has that Metroidvania feel that makes backtracking and
replaying so enjoyable. There are also decisions made throughout the story that
effect what is to happen later on whether it is with rewards, weapons, or
relationships with characters. It looked like there were some new weapons and
locations, but like I said depending on how you interact with characters it
could change with each playthrough. The revamped graphics to give that modern
feel are a great fit as it looks great whether playing in 2.5D or 3D, and
luckily NIS America picked this up as their art style really shows and I do not
think it could have been made to play and feel as much like the original if it
had been done by anyone else.
One thing that didn’t seem like it
worked so well all the time was the 3D. Depending on the area and if there are
numerous obstructions throughout the level, I would have to turn the 3D off to
help with visibility and problems focusing, but all in all, it is a great
enhancement to the levels providing quite a lot of depth to the environment.
This did feel quite a bit more difficult in the beginning than the original, as
you still start out with limited health, but I don’t recall dying and having to
restart so much in the beginning. After you start accumulating health it does
get a bit easier, with the exception of bosses, that is until you figure out
which weapon is most effective.
I had a blast with Cave Story 3D,
while it is hard to tell which I prefer, the original 8-bit indie game or the
graphically enhanced 3D remake with subtle additions. That is why I have both,
yes both, and I will most likely continue to play both as this is an extremely
well made game, regardless to which version you play, with a ton of replay and
entertainment value that will keep you coming back for more. My hat goes off to
NIS America for picking this up and giving the fans a much needed addition to
the library and to hopefully bring in new fans to help justify more games like
this.
