Freeware Game of The Day – Cave Story

If you’re part of the indie community you’ll probably say that I’m living under a rock for making an article about this game after all these years since it was released. Well, sure, I am sometimes, but so are other people that still don’t know about Cave Story, and this is geared toward them. So just nod your head in agreement and just walk away.

Cave Story (known as 洞窟物語, Dōkutsu Monogatari in Japan) is an action-adventure game starring the silent Quote who has awaken in a cavern with no memory of his past. He must then journey on to defeat the evil Doctor and save the mimigas (rabbit like creatures) from being given red flowers that will turn them into horrid monsters. Created by Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya, it started to fall into obscurity until a group called Aeon Genesis released a patch that translated the game into English. Cave Story then went on to receive the fame it deserved, to the point where if you haven’t heard of Cave Story then you aren’t part of a indie scene.

It’s easy to see why this is arguably the most popular indie scene of all time. It’s a nod to retro games like Metroid and Castlevania, with simple gameplay, blocky but stylish graphics, catchy chiptunes and a compelling storyline.

The independent gaming scene probably wouldn’t be what it is today without Cave Story, which shows how much passion and dedication one person put into a game. Cave Story shows that as long as you have a love for game making, you don’t need a team to make an amazing game.

Cave Story is also set for a WiiWare release in 2009.

Download Cave Story here.