Misplaced Pages

#406593

82-426: Cave Story is a 2004 Metroidvania platform-adventure video game for Microsoft Windows . It was developed over five years by Japanese independent developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in his free time. Cave Story features 2D platform mechanics and is reminiscent of the games Amaya played in his youth, such as Metroid and Castlevania . After its initial self-published release, the game slowly gained popularity on

164-463: A Kickstarter campaign for Castlevania -influenced Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (2019), which was the highest-funded video game on Kickstarter at the time. While the word "Metroidvania" is commonly used presently to describe games in this genre, or games that have elements of this genre, the origins of the term are unclear; Igarashi notes that he did not coin the phrase, though is grateful for

246-431: A Metroidvania featuring "soft locks" – obstacles in the form of boss characters that are difficult but not impossible to defeat when the player-character is starting out, and become much easier to defeat with increased experience and abilities. The third-person action/brawler Batman: Arkham series also uses similar concepts as a Metroidvania, with Batman collecting new gadgets to access new areas. The 2017 title Prey

328-667: A Sky Dragon, leading to an alternate ending in which the Doctor conquers the surface world while Kazuma and the player hide in the mountains. The player may instead choose to confront the Doctor and destroy the island's Core, which would return the Mimiga to normal. The player scales the outer wall of the island to reach the Plantation where the Doctor is using the Mimigas as slave laborers to grow red flowers. The Doctor's servants capture

410-515: 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 as playable characters in the crossover fighting game Blade Strangers . Quote, Curly Brace and Ballos are featured as playable characters in Nicalis' puzzle game Crystal Crisis . Quote's hat is also featured in

492-492: A girl who had been transformed into a Mimiga. Not finding her, they mistakenly abduct another Mimiga named Toroko instead. The player finds Sue in the Egg Corridor, where she discovers the egg of a Sky Dragon, which could allow her to escape the floating island if hatched. Sue attempts to rescue her brother Kazuma, but King, the leader of Mimiga Village, captures her and holds her responsible for Toroko's kidnapping. Sue tasks

574-446: A little something for the hard work he invested in this masterpiece strikes me as satisfyingly poetic" and "absolutely worth your money". John Teti of Eurogamer had similar sentiments, but also noted the technical issues with the remixed music, recommending the original soundtrack. Edge compared the remake to The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition , satisfying both modern tastes with its graphical overhaul and old school fans with

656-577: A port of Cave Story+ on the Nintendo Switch , which released on 20 June 2017. This physical version is packaged with a full-color manual for the game and a Mini CD containing arrangements of the game's soundtrack made in FamiTracker, a chiptune music tracker based on the Famicom 's synthesizers. It also added two-player cooperative gameplay and remixed version of the original soundtrack by

738-448: A robot who wakes up suffering from amnesia and explores in diverse cavernous areas in order to uncover his backstory and escape from the cave. The character gains access to new areas as he powers up his weapons by collecting triangular experience crystals and solves various platforming puzzles. Quote speaks to non-player characters scattered around the game world in order to learn more about the world and its inhabitants. The player controls

820-564: A single developer can still craft a deep, compelling action game". Jonathan Holmes of Destructoid compared the game design to that of Shigeru Miyamoto in its ability to teach without tutorials, like at the beginning of Super Mario Bros. In July 2006, Cave Story earned 1st place in Super PLAY ' s list of the 50 best freeware games of all time. In July 2015, the game placed 14th on USgamer's The 15 Best Games Since 2000 list. The WiiWare version has received mostly positive reviews, with

902-428: A single large, interconnected map, generally with discrete rooms or sections. Not all areas of this map are available at the start, often requiring the player to obtain an item (such as a weapon or key) or a new character ability to remove some obstacle blocking the path forward. Often, this item is protected by a boss character , providing story-driven challenges throughout the game. Maps are non-linear, and often require

SECTION 10

#1732772861407

984-630: A software developer to become director of Cave Story 3D . He remarked that the transition to 3D was difficult because it required the consideration of so many more details. The original Cave Story earned widespread critical acclaim. 1UP.com described it as "so massive that it rivals modern [Game Boy Advance] Castlevania and Metroid games in terms of scope and play time". Matt Miller of Game Informer observed that it combines elements of Metroid , Ninja Gaiden , Mega Man , The Legend of Zelda , and Castlevania into an "engrossing, challenging, and quite lengthy" whole. Inside Mac Games ascribed

1066-481: A vein similar to "open world". CBR has also proposed "platform-adventure". An equivalent Japanese term is 探索型アクション or "search-action", which is used alongside the romanised メトロイドヴァニア (Metroidvania). Alternate ending An alternate ending (or alternative ending ) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on

1148-444: Is Misery's mother and guardian of the red flowers. Jenka calls the player character a "soldier from the surface", one of many who were sent to the island to slaughter the Mimiga. Balrog manages to steal the key to the warehouse containing the red flowers from Jenka, who urges the player to stop them. Before the player can reach the warehouse, however, the Doctor force-feeds the captured Toroko a red flower and fatally injures King, leaving

1230-480: Is generally considered the most influential game for the Metroidvania genre. Nintendo 's goal for the title was to create a non-linear adventure game to set it apart from other games at the time, requiring the player to retrace their steps while providing permanent power-ups in contrast to how other adventure games only offered power-ups with temporary effects. The series was popular, and future titles refined

1312-526: Is killed, necessitating that Quote and Curly kill him. With the help of Curly Brace, Quote defeats Ballos and stops the source of the negative energy that was causing the island to fall, saving its inhabitants. Balrog saves the two before they are crushed by Ballos' collapsing prison; Balrog had been sent by Misery as thanks for breaking her curse. Quote, Curly Brace, and Balrog leave the island to live out their days in peace. Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya developed Cave Story in his free time over five years. He began

1394-547: The canonical narrative. Alternative endings are often filmed before being scrapped as a deleted scene , and may be included as a special feature in the film's home media releases. Some movies also present the alternative ending on international releases as well as their international home media release. In other cases, ideas that were presented but discarded early on are alluded to by the production team in commentary or interviews. The following are examples of alternative endings to movies: In TV shows, producers may want to keep

1476-485: The "best version of the game, [but] not necessarily the definitive version". Jane Douglas of GameSpot felt that the 3DS Circle Pad was a comfortable fit for the game's control scheme. Audrey Drake of IGN noted that the 3D effect made it difficult to distinguish certain platforms between background and foreground, a complaint shared by Douglas. Simon Parkin of the UK Official Nintendo Magazine

1558-621: The DSiWare version's Jukebox mode, as well as all the additional modes included in Cave Story+ . An enhanced PC version titled Cave Story+ was released by Nicalis on the Steam service on 22 November 2011. This version contains all the additional modes from the WiiWare version, a remastered soundtrack, as well as the option to toggle the style of graphics between the classic style and that of

1640-562: The Demon Crown and Jenka's younger brother — is imprisoned. A powerful wizard who went insane and destroyed his homeland after being tortured by a jealous king, Ballos was sealed deep within the island by his sister. At some point, his niece Misery forced him to create the Demon Crown, but she and Balrog became cursed to serve whoever possessed it. Additionally, it is stated via narration that the Demon Crown will repair itself upon being destroyed, and it will only truly lose its power if Ballos

1722-423: The Demon Crown, which has vast magical powers. An army of robot soldiers was sent to the floating island on a military expedition , seeking to harness the Demon Crown as a weapon for wars on the surface. These robots slaughtered the Mimiga indiscriminately in their search for the crown, but were defeated when the Mimiga decided to eat the red flowers as a last resort. Shortly before the game begins, Professor Booster,

SECTION 20

#1732772861407

1804-530: The Doctor. The Doctor has purified the essence of the red flowers into a crystal, which allows him to survive even after Quote kills him. The Doctor's spirit possesses the Core of the island, but Quote succeeds in destroying that as well, causing the island to begin falling to Earth. Unless Quote has saved Curly, restored her memories, and acquired the Booster v2.0 from Professor Booster, Sue will lead Quote to jump off

1886-474: The Egg Corridor, and "arid and oppressive" for the Sand Zone. Instead of a tutorial level, a concept Amaya dislikes, the first level of the game gives the player two paths, one of which is blocked off until retrieving an item from the other path. This setup, inspired by the opening of Metroid , "lets players feel like they've solved problems on their own" and persists throughout the game. In beta versions of

1968-542: The Metroidvania.com site that has attempted to catalog all known Metroidvania games, acknowledges he helped to popularize the term but had learned it from his former co-worker at 1UP.com , Scott Sharkey, who had used the term to describe the games in the Castlevania series that had adopted some elements from the Metroid series. The term 'Metroidvania' is most often used to refer to a platforming game that features

2050-437: The Night distinguished itself from prior non-linear platformers via the incorporation of console role-playing game elements with the means for the player to improve their character's attributes through an experience system . The changes for Symphony of the Night proved popular with players, and most subsequent games in the series would follow this formula. With the releases of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of

2132-496: The Night , the formula these games presented would form the foundations of what are considered Metroidvanias today. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had also become a critical and financial success over time, establishing that there was a desire by players for Metroidvania-style games. As this neologism started to be adopted, Igarashi reacted Symphony of the Night was more inspired by Zelda , not Metroid , although he stated that Metroidvania "fits very well". Other figures in

2214-573: The Sakamoto family, and various assistants formed a scientific party to research the island, but they became stranded when their medical doctor, Fuyuhiko Date, managed to acquire the Crown; he then forced the expedition to search for the red flowers. The player awakens in a cave with no memory of how he came to be there. He finds a village of Mimiga, who are being persecuted by the Doctor. The Doctor's servants Misery and Balrog are looking for Sue Sakamoto,

2296-667: The WiiWare version and the music of the original game, the WiiWare port, or the 3DS update. It also features an exclusive 'Wind Fortress' level. The game got an update that added an exclusive Machine Gun Challenge. The game was included as a bonus game in the Humble Indie Bundle 4 sale in December 2011, Humble Bundle 7 in December 2012, and was released on the Desura service in April 2012. On 19 January 2017, Nicalis announced

2378-435: The WiiWare version. Many reviewers cautioned that the graphical update does not justify the $ 40 initial price point, especially with cheaper or free versions of the game available through download services. Parish defended the release, deriving satisfaction from the game's availability as a physical cartridge. Holmes praised the dynamic camera system and new graphics, comparing them to Disney films. He considers this release to be

2460-522: The Wizard (1987), and Adventure Island IV (1994). They argued that such games, while having 2D platforming gameplay and power-up based progression systems, lacked good level design, which at their time had not been well-refined in the industry, and provided little or no information relayed to the player to help them to know where to go next, exemplified by the cryptic clues from Simon's Quest . The three also agreed that as games transitioned from 2D to 3D,

2542-518: The aforementioned Shadow Complex , or with Metroid Dread . The exploration and character development concepts of Metroidvanias can be used in other genres, though these games typically are not categorized as Metroidvanias. For example, the Metroid Prime trilogy is a first-person action adventure game that builds on the same style of exploration play as Metroid . Dark Souls is a third-person action role-playing game loosely considered

Cave Story - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-609: The best-selling downloadable titles on the Xbox 360 service. Due to games like these, the Metroidvania genre began to take off in both publisher-driven and independent games development. Drinkbox Studios ' Guacamelee! (2013), Moon Studios ' Ori and the Blind Forest (2015), and Team Cherry's Hollow Knight (2017) are examples of modern indie Metroidvanias that have reached critical acclaim. The genre's indie renaissance did not go unnoticed by Igarashi. In May 2015, he released

2706-542: The central criticism being the 1200 Wii Point price tag ( US$ 12, £ 10), after years of free play. Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com commended the graphical update, which "sacrifices none of [the game's] classic-influenced charm". He also remarked that the Classic Controller and Wii Remote are superior to the keyboard input of the PC original. On the issue of price, he explained that "the prospect of Amaya finally earning

2788-730: The composers of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth . Additionally, GameStop purchases of the Nintendo Switch version include one of three keychains modeled after Quote, Curly, and Balrog. Cave Story 3D is a 3D version of the game developed by Nicalis and published by NIS America as a retail title for the Nintendo 3DS . It was released on 8 November 2011 in North America, 11 November 2011 in Europe and 26 July 2012 in Japan. The game

2870-421: The continued relevance of 2D game design (cf. Capcom 's Mega Man 9 ). Despite the freeware nature of the game's initial release, official rereleases by Nicalis (since taking over its publishing for major platforms), have caused ambiguity regarding the usage of Cave Story 's copyright and assets. Further confusion has been caused by cease and desist letters as well as DMCA actions against fan projects using

2952-413: The ending of an episode a secret, even if it means keeping it from the stars themselves. In such a case, they will usually film more than one ending and not tell the cast which one will be used. Many video games also have alternative endings. Since video games are an interactive medium, these endings are generally posed as a result of player action, such as completing the game in a harder difficulty, taking

3034-414: The events of Cave Story . Cave Story is considered to be one of the most influential video games to be released between the mid-2000s and the mid-2010s. The game had an impact on the indie game industry, with its acclaim and success demonstrating that a one-person team could rival major studios. It is also one of the most internationally successful Japanese indie ( dōjin soft ) games, and contributed to

3116-442: The exploration approach while adding more story elements to the title such as with Super Metroid (1994, Super Nintendo Entertainment System ). Super Metroid refined several aspects from the previous Metroid games, including a diverse array of locations and adding many secrets for players to find; these secrets also enabled players to find ways to break the expected sequence that the designers had envisioned players would approach

3198-475: The game Terraria . On 8 December 2021, Tyrone Rodriguez of Nicalis teased a new Cave Story spin-off title, which was revealed to be Cave Story's Secret Santa on 9 December. This was a free game created in cooperation with Studio Pixel, and was made available on 9 December 2021. This game is based around the character Santa, a mimiga met in Cave Story , and is a stealth and puzzle-solving game set before

3280-400: The game as having an "old-fashioned feel", reminiscent of the games he played as a child, like Metroid . More importantly, this "retro" design choice allowed him to create a large amount of art on his own, which would have been impossible for a 3D game . At a Game Developers Conference project post-mortem , he emphasized the role of pragmatic design in shaping the game. While designing

3362-472: The game industry have since used Zeldavania interchangeably, with the Zelda series recognized as following the same formula. The concept of Metroidvanias started to gain more attraction when other parties began to develop games in the same style. Cave Story (2004, Microsoft Windows) was developed by Daisuke Amaya as an homage to Metroid and other classic games; the game was critically praised showing

Cave Story - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-622: The game to DSiWare on 29 November 2010 in North America and 22 November 2011 in Japan. Although it does not feature the enhanced graphics and sound or some of the extra modes from the Wii version, it does include the Sanctuary Attack mode. The game was released for the Nintendo 3DS 's Nintendo eShop service (separate from the retail 3DS game ) in the United States on 4 October 2012 and in Europe on 1 May 2014. This version includes

3526-455: The game world. The player also interacts with many non-player characters and objects while playing the game. Cave Story takes place within the cavernous interior of a floating island . The island is populated by Mimiga, a race of sentient, rabbit-like creatures. A particular species of red flower that grows in the island causes the normally peaceful Mimiga to fall into a violent frenzy when ingested. The island also conceals an artifact called

3608-543: The game's assets as well as its decompiled codebase. Most notably, CSE2 , a rewrite of Cave Story 's engine using freeware assets was taken down at request of Nicalis in late 2020; despite the company having no seeming relation to or possession of the original freeware release. The actions taken against projects using the decompiled code from the free release, including a game engine built atop this code, had been met with criticism from game developers since this action seems to apply retrospective rights that Nicalis did not have on

3690-410: The game's popularity to its "polished feel, engaging storyline, and compelling artwork". John Szczepaniak of Retro Gamer magazine named it his favorite game of all time. Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that "the burgeoning Western indie game scene owes a tremendous debt to Japanese pioneers like Studio Pixel, whose freeware hit Cave Story proved that with sufficient vision, skill, and passion,

3772-510: The game, all the enemies were shaped like bars of soap, a concept that evolved into the "Balrog" character. There was also a "frog prince" character who could travel through water more easily. Elements of this beta were incorporated into the Nintendo 3DS version of the game. An enhanced port, featuring updated character designs, remixed music and extra game modes, was developed by Nicalis and released on WiiWare on 22 March 2010 in North America and 10 December 2010 in Europe. Nicalis also ported

3854-558: The game, making it a popular title among speedrunners . However, in retrospect, Super Metroid was still considered an example of a highly polished non-linear platformer. During this time, the gothic horror-themed platformer series Castlevania was gaining popularity. The original Castlevania (1986, NES) featured discrete levels that the player completed in a sequential manner. It was followed by Vampire Killer (1986, MSX ) and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987, NES) which experimented with non-linear adventure gameplay, before

3936-583: The genre focuses on exploration of a large world map, and advancement of the player-character abilities over time. Metroidvanias are sometimes referred to as "platform adventure games" due to this scope. Metroidvania is generally associated with game levels/maps that are laid out as two-dimensional side scrollers, with the player character moving left, right, up and down through the level. These games typically are rendered using two-dimensional graphics, but can include 2.5D -rendered games using 3D graphics engines but limiting player movement to two dimensions, such as

4018-426: The genre that draws in players, working off the natural human instincts to explore, and giving the players the sense of discovery and self-control during the game. Donald Mustard of Chair Entertainment, the creators of Shadow Complex , said that a good Metroidvania helps the player come to epiphanies that enables them to progress in the game, describing an example of a ledge that is initially too high to reach, and as

4100-656: The genre. Symphony of the Night 's assistant director, Koji Igarashi , is credited with establishing key principles of Metroidvanias through his work on other Castlevania games. In the 2010s, a resurgence in Metroidvanias came about due to several critically praised, independently developed games . While not the first game of its kind (for example, Below the Root was released in 1984, or Brain Breaker in 1985), Metroid (1986, Nintendo Entertainment System )

4182-402: The genre. These include designing maps that encourage exploration but which still guide the player on a main path through the game and providing means where the player can be aware of where they are in the game world at any time. This can be accomplished by graphical themes through the game's world, visually unique milestones at key game point, overall map and player status information screens, and

SECTION 50

#1732772861407

4264-469: The internet. It received widespread critical acclaim for many polished aspects of its design, such as its compelling characters, setting, story, and gameplay. Cave Story is considered by many as the quintessential indie game because of its one-person development team and influence on the video gaming world. Independent video game developer Nicalis worked with Amaya to port the game to WiiWare and DSiWare in 2010. An enhanced version, Cave Story+ ,

4346-414: The invention of the term. Igarashi noted that with Symphony of the Night the goal was to have exploration closer to the top-down Zelda approach, but with the side-scrolling nature, it was compared more to Metroid , and believes this is how the portmanteau came about. A similar portmanteau "Castleroid" is sometimes used as well for describing this genre. Video game journalist Jeremy Parish, who manages

4428-408: The island afloat, but the Doctor steps in to save it before the island collapses. Depending on certain conditions, the player may rescue Curly Brace, who had sacrificed her air tank to save the player character. When the player returns to Mimiga Village, they find that the Doctor has captured the Mimiga. In the now-ruined Egg Corridor, Kazuma offers the player a choice to escape the island with him using

4510-478: The island. The two are rescued by Kazuma and his Sky Dragon, while Momorin, her assistant Itoh, and the captured Mimiga escape on a helicopter, leaving the rest of the island's inhabitants to their fates. Should Quote complete the aforementioned tasks, they may proceed into the Blood-Stained Sanctuary, a bonus stage where Curly can be found and rescued; it is also here where Ballos — creator of

4592-404: The later parts of the game. Access to new abilities can also open up shortcuts that reduce travel time, as well as discover secrets that help to improve the character's abilities. For example, gaining access to double jump or wall jump abilities can give players more mobility, while obtaining the ability to transform into a smaller object can let the player slip through narrow corridors. As such,

4674-403: The main character, "Quote", Amaya drew inspiration from Mario 's appearance, giving him a large, expressive face and a high contrast between his white skin and red pants that made him stand out from the dark cave backgrounds. Most other characters feature either light skin or white clothes for the same reason. To make levels memorable, Amaya designed them around a single theme, such as "warmth" for

4756-513: The map. Through this, Metroidvania games include tighter integration of story and level design, careful design of levels and character controls to encourage exploration and experimentation, and a means for the player to become more invested in their player character through role-playing game elements. While early examples were usually two-dimensional side-scrolling platform games, the term has since been applied to top-down and 3D games. The first Metroid game in 1986 established principles of

4838-579: The means of moving around the map quickly. Russ Frushtick from Polygon observed that many modern Metroidvanias not only have these qualities, but also find a means to tell a narrative through the world's environments without necessarily relying on cutscenes or dialog. In a 1UP.com video discussion between Parish, Sharkey, and Chris Kohler of Wired in 2007, the three discussed some older games that had elements associated with Metroidvanias but would not be considered true Metroidvanias, including games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987), Legacy of

4920-471: The non-linear platformer that were refined through multiple iterations, with Super Metroid in 1994 considered to have polished the style of gameplay core to Metroidvanias. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 1997 is considered the defining Metroidvania game, incorporating role-playing game elements from The Legend of Zelda series with non-linear traversal within the Castlevania series; most subsequent Castlevania games followed its approach and refined

5002-618: The on-screen character directly using a keyboard or gamepad . They progress by navigating platforming challenges and shooting enemies with the equipped weapon. When the player collects multiple weapons, they may be toggled at any time with the press of a button. Defeating enemies may yield yellow triangular crystals, which give experience points to weapons when collected, hearts that partially restore their health, or missile ammunition. Weapons may be improved up to level three, but taking damage causes weapons to lose experience and levels. Health and missile capacity upgrades are scattered throughout

SECTION 60

#1732772861407

5084-455: The option to switch to the original graphics. Daemon Hatfield of IGN felt that Cave Story "belongs on a Nintendo system" and noted gameplay similarities to Blaster Master , in which damage reduces the power of weapons as well. Cave Story was nominated for Game of the Year at the 2010 Nintendo Power Awards, as well as WiiWare Game of the Year. Criticism of Cave Story 3D echoed that of

5166-475: The original release by Amaya. Metroidvania These games usually feature a large interconnected world map the player can explore, although parts of the world will be inaccessible to the player until they acquire special items, tools, weapons, abilities, or knowledge within the game. Acquiring such improvements can also aid the player in defeating more difficult enemies and locating shortcuts and secret areas, and often includes retracing one's steps across

5248-412: The player acquires abilities, will discover how they can reach that ledge on their own. From a developer's standpoint, the Metroidvania genre also provides benefits. The genre encourages tight connection between level design and game story, and can give developers opportunities to create an immersive world for the player. Level design of such games can also be challenging as to make sure the challenge to

5330-469: The player and place him in a jail cell with Sue. She is taken away before the player wakes up, but her letter reveals that the Doctor was a member of the research expedition that included Sue's family and Professor Booster, but he betrayed them once he found the Demon Crown. Sue directs the player to find her mother who may have a plan to stop the Doctor. If the player saved Curly Brace earlier, they may find an item to restore her memories. Curly remembers that

5412-424: The player character's name is Quote, and that they were not the killer robots who slaughtered Mimigas in the past. Instead, they were sent to destroy the Demon Crown to prevent its power from falling into the wrong hands. Quote finds Sue's mother, Momorin, who is building a rocket that will allow access to the top of the island where the Doctor resides. After helping her complete the rocket, Quote confronts Misery and

5494-480: The player to fight the rabid Toroko, who ultimately dies. Misery banishes the player to the Labyrinth deep inside the island as punishment for interfering with the Doctor's plans. Curly Brace has also been thrown into the Labyrinth and the two cooperate to escape. Balrog helps them to move the boulder blocking the exit, revealing his kind nature. The pair find and defeat the Core, a magical creature whose power keeps

5576-443: The player to traverse the map multiple times during the course of the game. Weaker monsters will inhabit other parts of the level, re-spawning when the player revisits those rooms, and often can be defeated to gain health, ammunition, or experience points . Larger games generally feature save points as well as the ability to transport the player quickly between certain rooms on far sides of the map, eliminating tedious backtracking in

5658-441: The player with retrieving Kazuma from Grasstown. After freeing him, they meet Professor Booster, who reveals that the Doctor plans to use the red flowers on Mimigas to create an army to take over the surface world. Booster sends the player to the Sand Zone to destroy the red flowers before the Doctor can find them. While there, the player meets Curly Brace, a female robot who also has no memories of her past, and Jenka, an old witch who

5740-513: The player's abilities to be tested more rigorously throughout all of the levels. Ori and the Will of the Wisps executive producer Daniel Smith said: "I don't think people generally consider how difficult it is to make a Metroidvania game. Everything is so interconnected that if you change one aspect of the game, it's just inevitable that it's going to influence the rest". There is some opposition to

5822-423: The players of the game is fair and enjoyable, and achieving this goal can be seen as a sign of a success for a developer. Thomas Mahler of Moon Studios, who developed Ori and the Blind Forest , said that it was important to design a cohesive world with memorable settings for a Metroidvania, since "players remembering the levels is part of the core design". Large-scale development in this genre requires one change in

5904-456: The project when he was in college and continued working on it after getting a job as a software developer. He started by writing the title screen music and programming rudimentary character movements. The idea for the cave setting evolved spontaneously when he created a number of enclosed spaces. Amaya admitted this lack of planning caused "problems down the line" because he did not have dedicated map editing and data management tools. Amaya describes

5986-618: The resurgence of the Metroidvania genre. The game's critical acclaim demonstrated the scope of what one person could do, and highlighted another take on the Metroidvania genre. It also vitalized the 2D platform game genre as a viable indie game format. The success of Cave Story paved the way for a large number of retro-themed 2D platformers that have appeared since the mid-2000s. Jonathan Holmes of Destructoid called Cave Story an "important game", observing its influence on artistic indie games like Braid or Meat Boy , as well as

6068-407: The scope of what one person could do, and highlighted another take on the Castlevania and Metroid games, as well as vitalizing the 2D platformer genre as a viable indie game format. Shadow Complex (2009, Xbox 360 ) by Chair Entertainment was developed based on the premise that Super Metroid was "the pinnacle of 2D game design". The game received highly positive reviews, and remains one of

6150-410: The series returned to the more linear style of the original Castlevania . Series lead Koji Igarashi found that as they continued to produce sequels to cater to fans of the series, experienced players would race through the levels, while new players to the series would struggle with some stages. To try to make a title that would be more widely appreciated across play levels and extend the gameplay time of

6232-488: The title, Igarashi and others on his team looked toward the ideas used by The Legend of Zelda series into the development of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997, PlayStation ). With Symphony of the Night , Igarashi introduced new concepts into the Castlevania series from Zelda such as a large open world to explore and the need to acquire key items to enter certain areas, elements already present in non-linear platformers like Super Metroid . However, Symphony of

6314-406: The true meaning of "Metroidvania" had become diluted, as 3D-based games can hide facets of Metroidvanias. The popularity of the Metroidvania genre is stated to be tied to the ease with which platformer games can be learned, while giving the player a character that they can grow over the course of the game. Many developers of independent Metroidvania titles cited the exploration as a core element of

6396-465: The use of the term Metroidvania, as it is derived from specific games rather than being a more direct description of gameplay. Comic Book Resources compared the use of Metroidvania to "Doom clone" in the 1990s, a term which was eventually replaced by "first person shooter" as the medium developed. Game Developer has also suggested that the term is too broad, as it encompasses a wide range of 2D and 3D games, and instead proposed "unlocking world", in

6478-401: Was built from scratch using 3D character models, featuring a dynamic camera system and another additional level, as well as a remixed soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky . The Japanese version features crossover content from various NIS and other companies' franchises such as Crazy Climber , Ikki , and Dragon Slayer . In order to devote more time to perfecting the title, Amaya quit his job as

6560-484: Was developed as a first-person-perspective immersive sim but using Metroidvania level design concepts to require the player to traverse the setting multiple times as they gain additional tools and abilities. An even earlier attempt at bringing metroidvania gameplay to a first-person shooter was the console versions of the game PowerSlave in 1996 and 1997, as opposed to the more traditionally linear PC version. Igarashi described what he believed were key elements in

6642-451: Was more critical, citing lack of detail in the 3D models and a too-dark color palette. Japanese magazine Famitsu Weekly ' s four reviewers scored it 7, 7, 8, and 8 points out of 10 to a total of 30 out of 40 points, indicating average reviews. This version was nominated for Best Adventure Game at the 2011 Nintendo Power Awards. As of July 2018, Cave Story+ has sold an estimated 590,104 digital units on Steam. Quote appears as

6724-619: Was released for Steam in November 2011, and the original game was released for the Nintendo 3DS in October 2012 with added content. A 3D remake of the game, titled Cave Story 3D , was developed by Nicalis and published by NIS America for the Nintendo 3DS in November 2011. A port of Cave Story+ for the Nintendo Switch was released in June 2017. Cave Story revolves around Quote,

#406593