This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Editor’s Note: Cosmo takes on the unenviable task of corralling a ragtag group of Bitmobbers to play Cave Story for the inaugural edition of Bitmob Game Club. Check out their entertaining impressions (or, in Andrew Hiscock’s case, emails about impressions) of the first part of the game below.
And if you haven’t yet played Cave Story, download it now and follow along — it’s a great little riff on the Metroidvania games. -Brett
Welcome to Bitmob Game Club!
Bitmob Game Club is a community collaboration where a (typically free) game is chosen and then played by individual Bitmobbers. After playing a specific section of the game, the contributors write about it, Bitmob style (read: any way they want). All the stories are collected and posted in one place, allowing the whole community to participate!
Want to join the game club? Shoot an email to: jcosmocohen[at]gmail[dot]com. Subject: Bitmob Game Club.
When it’s time for a new edition, four people will be randomly chosen to participate. Be sure you can commit the time and effort it takes before sending the email; otherwise you get the Darnell Boot-O-Doom!
Remember: Each contributor worked hard playing and writing about the game — give them feedback!
In this edition of Bitmob Game Club, the contributors tackle Cave Story, an indie game developed by Daisuke Amaya — or Pixel, as he’s more commonly known. Cave Story is quite a unique game, mixing platforming and role-playing game elements together in a way that actually works very well. Cave Story is free to download on the PC and is also currently in development for WiiWare.
Want to follow along? Click here to download the game for PC or Mac.
On with the stories!
Cave Story Edition Contributor: Jay Henningsen
Jay is a Viking IT support guy. When your computer gets fried in a lightning storm, it’s because he prayed to Thor the night before to help drum up some business. While not clearing paper jams with his langseax, he enjoys taking care of his four-month-old son and playing World of Warcraft with his wife. He’s currently playing Dead Space and the DS rerelease of Chrono Trigger.
Day 1
Cave Story? Somehow I’ve managed to never hear of this game. Ok, well, Google to the rescue!
Damn. I was hoping that something would come up that was vaguely porn related so I’d have something funny to say here. Alas, the entire first three pages are devoted to the game in some way, shape, or form. On to the official site, I suppose.
Cave Story Deluxe Package sounds like a winner. It only takes a few seconds to download and install. Manual? I don’t need no stinking manual. I fire up the game, and I’m greeted with some pixelated mad-scientist-looking dude who sort of reminds me of a reject villain from Maniac Mansion. That scene goes away fast and leaves me none the wiser about the game or the plot.
Ok. New or Load? The ultimate question. Actually, the real question is, “How do I select one of these options?” Maybe I should have read that manual. Apparently the mouse is useless here. Up-arrow and down-arrow allow me to move the cursor. Time to start pressing every button on the keyboard. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! This evening’s entertainment is brought to you by the letter “Z.”
Ok, after a brief, nonsensical cut scene, I find myself in a room with a door and a few colorful objects. I see what looks like a spinning 3 1/2″ floppy disk and a computer screen with a heart on it. I’m so old school, I know that the disk means “save.” Guess this is as good a time as any to figure out how to activate items. Time to start mashing keys again. Ok, “Z” is also “jump.” Nothing else nearby seems to do anything. Arrow keys move me. Up-arrow appears to move my eyeballs skyward. Down-arrow to activate objects? Seriously? Seems kind of backwards to me.
So I save and restore my health before actually taking any damage. Time to see what’s behind door number 1…
A cave. I would never have guessed. Going to the right doesn’t get me very far; time to try the left. Oops, I didn’t time that jump very well. Apparently, those spiky things kill you. Let’s try again.
I navigate to the right, avoiding a few things that look like bats. There is a glowing item with a heart inside of it in the wall. I’ve played enough games to know what that does. I pick it up and am greeted with what sounds suspiciously like the tune that plays in the original Metroid when you pick up a power-up. Shit. This game designer was smarter than I thought. Now I’m hooked.
I drop down and then head to the right. Jumping is a little more tricky now. You can’t seem to jump as high when standing in water. Ok, there is something that looks like an animal head. I head in, and find myself in… a gun shop??? Ok… The shopkeeper is asleep, so naturally, I rob him. He doesn’t seem to mind.
I head back around and shoot everything in sight. Mass slaughter is fun. Finally, another door! Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot! That door hurt me. Is that supposed to be an eyeball on the front of it? Time to pop a cap in your ass, Mr. Evil Door. Heading through the now-defeated door nets me another cut scene. I get it, computer guy. You’re trying to find Sue. Who the hell is Sue?
Next I see some cute, rabbit-like creatures talking about Sue. I ponder the possibility of a plot clue, and find myself landing on the furries. Before any one of them can touch me in my special place, I run towards the nearby save room and record my progress. This is enough for one night. Don’t worry Sue. I’ll be back soon.
Cave Story Edition Contributor: Alex R. Cronk-Young
When not playing video games, Alex works and spends time with his family. Wait… he pretty much does that instead of playing video games. He happens to think that Ruby Red Squirt and Arnold Palmer are the nectars of the Gods. He is currently playing Life. He is also kind of playing Final Fantasy 7 right now, though he hasn’t turned it on in probably two weeks.
Unsure
I’m not really sure what I was expecting with Cave Story, but it wasn’t this. I think I recall hearing a lot about how unique it was, and how it turned video game conventions on their head. Maybe that it was really pioneering the video games-as-art movement? I’m not sure if I made all of that up, but I was under the impression that it was some sort of “Allegory of the Cave” type of deal. Not exactly a game, but more of an art thing.
Anyway, that impression was very wrong. It’s essentially a 2D platformer, with maybe some RPG types of town exploration elements? I haven’t gotten far enough to really find out. What I may have been right about in my previous impressions, was the turning video game conventions on their heads part.
I remembered Scott Sharkey of 1UP talking about this game after I instinctively ran to the the right and died a horrible death, unable to find a way through. I’m not sure if the game is going to do more of this kind of thing, but I found it interesting that it didn’t just start you with your weapon. Like I did, I’m sure countless gamers just assumed they would have some way to kill the monsters to the right and took off to try.
I’m looking forward to the game if it does more of this kind of thing. It reminds me of a Genesis game in its style, but an NES game in its gameplay. With both of these elements, plus a clever ability to fuck with our gamer minds, it could be a favorite of mine when I finish.
Cave Story Edition Contributor: James DeRosa
After dealing with the nearly insurmountable task of reading 120 pages on the “idea of home” for school, James has reached the point of a Michael Douglas-style breakdown. Right now he’s thinking about about the “idea of crowbar up, crowbar down.” Too much Batman.
He’s currently playing ‘Splosion Man and Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Auspicious Beginnings
The most obvious thing about Cave Story is its strong sense of design. Because it is a game that was created by one person, there is a strong kind of cohesion to the product as a whole; it is a very single-minded game whose Japanese anime aesthetic and platforming mechanics positively shine with polish.
With graphics that would look right at home in any major, quality 16-bit title, the opening screen says it all. After starting, the player is thrown almost directly into the game, occupying the role of silent amnesiac Quote. Once Quote obtains the first weapon, which hints at the Metroidvania-style game to come, he stumbles upon the Mimiga Village.
In the village something is amiss. A mysterious man, known only as the Doctor, has been abducting the Mimigas one by one, and now only six remain. The first cave concludes with the abduction of a young female Mimiga, Toroko, and the first of many boss battles to come against the block-headed clown, Balrog.
To be honest, since we’re just starting out, this slice of the game was a bit shorter than I would have liked. That said, what little we’ve played so far demonstrates that Cave Story is a truly unique title. Daisuke Amaya, or Pixel, as he’s known in the design world, proves in these first few scenes that despite the oddity that is a Japanese-made, Metroidvania-style PC platformer, Cave Story isn’t just a simple, strange curio.
It’s a full-featured, story-driven romp through the singular vision of a talented designer. And, better yet, it’s free.
Cave Story Edition Contributor: Evan Killham
Evan came back from PAX with some serious sniffles, and suspects it wasn’t such a good idea to shake Jeff Green’s hand after all. He enjoys naps and unobstructed breathing, but hasn’t had much luck with either lately. Currently playing: Catch Up At Work, Silent Hill: Homecoming.
Pleasantly Surprised
Cave Story has come as a complete surprise to me, possibly because I had never heard of it before Game Club. The first big surprise came when I started the game, jumped down the first hill, and killed myself on the sharp red rocks below.
“Hm,” I thought. “Red rocks are bad. Noted.”
So I started over, carefully avoided the red rocks, and saw a bat.
“Okay,” I thought. “Gonna jump on the bat.”
So I died again.
This went on for a while; pretty much every new thing I saw killed me at least once. And what surprises me most about Cave Story (and makes me like it a lot more) is the complete vulnerability of the protagonist. He is completely defenseless at the beginning of the game — the age-old tenet of “jump on its head” will do you no good. Rocks can kill you, bats can kill you, water can kill you, Totoro can kill you…hell, the first boss is a fucking door. Doors can kill you.
Obviously our hero is not going to survive on his wits alone, so his first pickup (after a Life Booster — I guess they thought he could use it after all those bats and rocks) is a gun. And it’s not even a very effective gun, but I’d learned by now that we could use all the help we could get, even if it did require committing a felony.
I’ve avoided talking about the plot on purpose. I haven’t figured it out yet. But that’s just one more reason to keep playing.
Cave Story Edition Contributor: Andrew Hiscock
Andrew is currently writing his blurb for Bitmob Game Club. He is debating impressing readers with the fact that he hunts for shipwrecks for a living or quoting 30 Rock, which he has burning through at a ridiculous pace. Some way or another, he plans to quote Werewolf Barmitzah, particularly the line, “Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves.” Instead he has decided to include in his bio the process of writing the bio, and now he thinks he’s all Charlie Kaufman up in here.
[Note: Andrew never turned in his contribution. Instead all I have are his emails on what he intends to write. Enjoy? -J. Cosmo]
From: J. Cosmo Cohen
To: Andrew J. Hiscock
Andrew,
The deadline was Sunday at midnight. It’s now Monday and I still don’t have anything from you! Everyone else has turned in their contribution. Game Club is waiting on you. Hurry it up!
From: Andrew J. Hiscock
To: J. Cosmo Cohen
Yikes. I’m sorry… uhhh. J.? Cosmo? Whatever your name is. Anyway, I’m planning a wedding for next week, so it’s been hectic. That said, I have found myself getting back to this game again and again. At first I thought it was a poor man’s Metroid, and I thought that was a great angle. You know, with the cave, the searching for powers, the oppressive sense of loneliness, the no-explanation-why-you’re-here-time-to-figure-out-ness. But as I played even through the first section, I discovered that I was taken to the game, as much as a Super Metroid. Perhaps its more charming than… I don’t know, is it wrong to call the Metroid universe Kafkian? But it does hit all those same points so well that I can’t be bothered to assert any claims that this would be less than the sum of its parts. It really has so much potential.
What’s everyone else writing? Think I could just get a sniff, maybe get a great angle on how to approach the opening.
From: J. Cosmo Cohen
To: Andrew J. Hiscock
Andrew,
I fully understand being busy, planning a wedding is no fun, definitely. But you made a commitment to be part of this Game Club. As it stands, you’re holding everyone else up. Look, the first cave (that’s all I want you to write about) is literally ten minutes…tops! And like you’ve said, you’re already done with the first cave.
This really isn’t a hard assignment. If you find you’re too busy, maybe I need to find a replacement, or just get on with the Game Club and you can jump in later.
I’m not trying to sound jerk-ish, but like I said in my previous email to you, the deadline was LAST Sunday night. It’s Tuesday!
And it’s Cosmo, for the record. Learn it. Love it.
From: Andrew J. Hiscock
To: J. Cosmo Cohen
Ah shucks. I feel really bad. What if I took this angle: I assumed the game was a fruity cult classic, reserved for japanophiles and over miscellaneous deviants, but was suckered into its charm and character. Kind of like a post-Victorian E.M. Forster novel. You assume it’s about those uppity Brits and their high class societal maneuverings only to find out that it is a pleasant story revealing truths about everyday personal relations that we find so hard to express. Not to say that this game will deliver on it, but it’s off to the right foot so far.
I think I’ll write that up.
So how far do we play to for the next entry?
And that’s a wrap for part one of Bitmob Game Club: Cave Story Edition!
At least Andrew threw out a good question! If you’re want to follow along for next time, we’re playing until the end of Sand Zone.