Cave Story

Cave Story is a PC game created solely by developer Daisuke Amaya, known online as Pixel. He is credited as Studio Pixel in-game. It released in 2004, predating the widespread recognition of the "indie" video game genre.

洞窟物語 (doukutsu monogatari; "cave story") follows the events of a defeated warrior from a recent war. They were left unconscious in a cave by themselves for nearly ten years. He comes to his senses, but not without the loss of all of his weapons and retrograde amnesia, not even remembering his own name. Fending for himself until he encounters a legion of native inhabitants, he quickly is dropped into an ongoing crisis within a race of talking animals named Mimiga. The traveller is soon laid witness to a murderous research doctorate, a person who arrived alongside colleagues to study the aftermath of the war, and also to research the force keeping this cavernous island afloat above the Earth. Along the narrative, the player is placed into positions of uncertainty as they balance self-preservation over the looming threat on life upon the island. While the game outwardly boasts an inviting, childish atmosphere within its graphics and soundtrack, it is a volatile story that often delves into heartbreaking situations that can leave a lasting impact on the player, testing their own morals and priorities in multiple scenarios. This form of atmospheric juxtaposition is by far my most favored, appearing also in games such as OMORI. And with its multiple endings, the narrative is truly impactful to the player with every choice they make.

I think about all of the factors that aligned during the time I found this game...

Misrendered text in the freeware release of 洞窟物語 (Cave Story)

I was introduced to the game via the free WiiWare demo, as I was a child and had no access to funds to buy games with. Doing some research online about it, I found out that it has its origins on PC. And even better, it was free! Based on what I played in the demo, and the archetypes I interacted with, sure as hell I would do all I could to get my hands on the freeware release and work my way through the story.

I came across the fan tribute website and downloaded the original game executable, which was around 2011 on a decrepit family laptop. I was hooked while playing a broken fan translation that on a version of the game that had no readable dialogue text; the morose atmosphere and upbeat soundtrack was enough to keep my attention.

I figured out how to fix the text shortly after, and on this version of the game, it was translated by an independent development group known as Aeon Genesis. Aeon Genesis had some contact with Pixel, so it is an official translation to some extent. Compared to the translation from Nicalis, which is a company that now has rights to the IP, the Aeon Genesis translation features more raw, unmitigated emotion from characters, contributing to a more realistic and heartstring-pulling conversations.

Ballos, the ultimate antagonist of Cave Story.

Around this time, I just moved house and was forced into a new school, and going through the whole deal of finding my own place, new friends, typical childhood struggles. In what originally was a game I intended to find solace in to cope with these feelings, I found myself more concerned about the problems of the characters in this game. It's truly an experience I can't forget; a eleven-year-old who thought simply being alone was sad, is now exposed to complex interpersonal interactions (such as being forced to murder and avenge some of the innocent neighbors you've sworn to protect, putting them out of their misery following their poisoning by the antagonists). During one of the possible endings, you traverse Hell itself in order to kill a physical embodiment of resentment and anger, who is the game's ultimate antagonist. Here is an excerpt from the game:

Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king...

The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown in prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed...

Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos's magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. The life he loved so dearly was turned into ruins in a single night... ...Shrouded only by fiery hot ashes.

Driven insane by his punishment, Ballos was confined to the floating island in the sky by his sister, Jenka. That was all she could do. Even as he was, she could not bring herself to kill her own brother...

Jenka's witch daughter, Misery, is to blame for the Demon Crown... She forced Ballos to create it. Because of this offense, she was cursed by the Crown, compelled to obey whoever possessed it. The curse can be lifted if the Demon Crown is destroyed. However...

The Demon Crown will be restored anew an infinite number of times so long as Ballos' heart still beats... That is the supreme magical power of his eternally enraged soul. It is intrinsically imbued into his evil creation, the Demon Crown.

Outer Wall

Just staring at the outer wall forces so many thoughts through my head...

A running theme in Cave Story is isolation, what with being left in a cave by yourself and having to relearn the world around you.

In one of the endings that the players can end up with following their choices during the game, the player might seek refuge to a remote mountain outside of the Doctor's control, alongside one individual, travelling on one of the last surviving baby dragons, the only vehicle available to escape a floating landmass in the sky. The individual is named Kazuma, who is the brother to one of the first people we met during the game's opening.

By accepting defeat, you allow the abuse from the Doctor to take proceed, leaving the rest of Kazuma's family to be murdered. By giving up, you knowingly abandon contact with the rest of Kazuma's family, all of the Mimiga, and all of the other races you meet... This journey for refuge is portrayed as an silent, endless excursion to our own safety, leaving you to reflect on all of the people and places you've knowingly left in harm's direct path due to your unwillingness or inability to overcome a tyrannical colleague. Indeed, the outer wall is an area that signifies one of the devastating and thought-evoking resolutions of Cave Story's story.

At the expense of every person you've started your new life with, whose team were you really on for the entirely of the scenario up to this point? The connections and bonds made thus far -- if your final choice was to give up and leave them to die for your own safety, were they ever of any value to you? Whatever the case might be, you're once again heading into isolation. Together.

Lasting Impact

This game taught me the value of independence, not only from the events of the game, but also by virtue of being entirely conceived by one person. The synopsis of the Outer Wall above summarises only one of the complex narratives that the game has to offer. The story is one that I wish every person can experience, even if they don't play games themselves. This is why I started a webcomic conversion at Blood-Stained Sanctuary. I plan to eventually finish this alongside a prequel going over the events leading to the Imprisoning War, which occurred shortly before Cave Story takes place. The OST is also phenomenal, allowing me to appreciate how music can make or break the atmosphere during an exposition.