[Review] Cave Story 3D (3DS)

While relatively unknown to the masses, Cave Story was the lovechild of Daisuke Amaya, or Pixel, who hadcreated the game on his own as a tribute to the 2D platformers of yore. Sinceits indie and free release, the game has caught enough attention to not only bereleased through WiiWare, but remade as a 3D game on the Nintendo 3DS. With amassive retail release for the game, gamers can not only enjoy the referencesthroughout the game to old school favorites but Cave Story 3D in its own right as well.

Players set out as an unnamed, silent robot as it exploresan underground society inhabited by Mimigas, who are part of a plot to be usedby an evil doctor as killing devices. The game presents the story in voiceless linesof dialogue in the middle of in-game scenes, which are enough to convey thewriting and is an apparent homage to the 8-bit days of gaming. While the storyisn’t breathtaking in any way and unlikely to be a contender for any writing awards,its simplicity is also the marking of the simpler days of gaming, whenpolitical intrigue and conspiracies were absent and the biggestshocker was Samus’s sex.

Gameplay-wise, although the game’s pacing is slow, allowingplayers to practically stand still and carefully analyze patterns beforejumping in guns-ablazing, it is a blast to speed throughlevels. Upon demise, enemies release either health or golden triangular piecesthat power up weapons up to a maximum of three levels. Cunningly, Cave Story 3D takes away both power-upsand health when players receive damage, which are enough to balance thedevastating firepower that some weapons can possibly receive. Careful asplayers may try to be, they are bound to lose a level or two during intenseboss fights or unfamiliar areas, leading to a scramble for gold triangles everytime. Though the combat is exciting, the navigation does bog down at times,forcing players to constantly backtrack in order to find the correct item orNPC. This is only exacerbated by the fact that there’s no real mechanic toremind players of their objectives. Ideally, if any backtracking is necessary,players will definitely have to do it as soon as possible lest they want to jotdown external notes.

The pattern for weapon upgrades are pretty obvious,with each level bigger and more damaging than the one before it. Many of theweapons, upon reaching the third level, do receive an additional effect notfound in the first, such as the blade’s new splash damage that comes with thetrails it leaves behind or the machine gun’s ingenious flying ability by simplyshooting down and letting the comically strong recoil do all the work. Differentenemy formations and stage layouts will require players to use weaponscreatively, rather than simply use the most convenient option at the moment.

Like many other 3DS games, the visuals are purelysuperfluous. With or without the stereoscopic graphics, Cave Story 3D’s experience remains the same. That said, the game isstill a treat to behold, giving long time fans of Cave Story a new perspective and newcomers a presentation thatwon’t be an immediate turnoff. With the Classic Mode, all of the game’scharacters are converted to their sprite counterparts, giving players a hint ofhow far along the game has come. Likewise, the audio has been remixed, givingplayers a plethora of familiar, yet different music and sound effects. Thoughit may odd to say that the tracks are reminiscent of a game that is not even adecade old yet, it certainly is the case and only emphasized further by the jumpfrom an 8-bit soundtrack.

Not only is it a faithful remake of the indie favorite Cave Story, but Cave Story 3D is the perfect way for those gamers who have neverbeen exposed to the series to try it. Priced at full like other 3DS games, itmay be a hard bargain for a leap of faith into a previously free indie game.However, fans of 2D action platformers will find little to gripe about oncethey get their hands on this one. 

Available on: 3DS; Publisher: NIS America; Developer: Nicalis; Players: 1; Released: November 8, 2011; ESRB: Everyone; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.