"what kind of story is this, a cave story?" -quote

cave story really is one hell of a story in one hell of a cave. This game really blew me away when i first played it. I'd never actually played games with actual plot that made me feel things... and now I'm a big fan. And now I'm a big fan of Kirby, Celeste, Hollow Knight... I now have a true love of video games and their plots, and all of that I owe to this little game about a cave story.

Even though I kind of left the community due to unfortunate circumstances, Cave Story has left an impact on me in many ways and is my primary inspiration for my indie game that I want to make exist at some point.

Still cannot believe I first experienced this amazing game 13 years ago, I cannot go a year without playing through it again and again. A two hour video essay like this this an incredible feat, really goes to show how much this game means to us.

It was a pleasure working with you for the thumbnail you deserve way more love than you currently have thank you for the opportunity to help bring this project together!!

Holy shit, two hours of Cave Story content! This definitely looks worth the wait and then some!

I've genuinely lost count the amount of times I've played through cave story. from the original, to CS+, to Encore, and even multiplayer. It really has that timeless quality. It's a story about a cave. It's something to be treasured and celebrated.

HOUR LONG NERDIEO?? I’m Blessed today appearently

pixel's gameography as a whole is a huge source of inspiration to me. from cave story to even little stuff like azarashi, it all just feels so... honest, in a way? like the games have been made with the awareness that they don't need to explain or justify themselves, they can just confidently present their world, their gameplay, and exist genuine and caringly hand-crafted experiences they are. it's something i feel is becoming increasingly rare, even among indie games.

1:26:55 I’ve been saying this to myself for years now. Such a great and subtle way of showing just how far you’ve come.

I will never forgot talking to all my friends at lunch in highschool after downloading cave story one weekend way back in the mid 00s. I told them how sad a certain character's story was, and that beating the game without her was the only downside of the whole adventure. They immediately informed me that there is a way end the game with her and i just missed it in my playthrough. I went home that day and immediately started a new game. I also remember having my mind BLOWN by the idea that the cave system is inside a flying island in the sky. The entire concept was way beyond my younger self's ability to imagine.

you hitting me heartstrings throughout this video. plenty of times did i feel teary eyed. such great memories. easily the most impactful game i have ever played. hearing your enthusiasm for the game really makes me smile.

Finally a video that would be perfect to get more people into the game. There aren't a lot of games so good that it's fanbase stays this alive for decades after. Hell next year's december will be cave story's 20th anniversary right?

i truly appreciate that people still make Cave Story content, good video man!

This has to be my favorite video of Cave Story out there. This was my first indie game and I still remember getting home from 3rd grade and downloading the CS+ demo and falling in love. I can't begin to describe how large the role this game had during my childhood, and even to this day I fondly think about the game. I really agree with the sentiment that the game does have a few flaws like you pointed out but those flaws beautifully suit this game. Even if its popularity doesn't ever skyrocket to where it deserves to be, those that have played it will forever hold onto those memories dearly. 💟

What a wonderful synopsis. Thank you so much. This game has shaped me so much as a child, who played it on the wii when it came out.

Cave Story was the first indie game to show the gaming world that yes, even just a single person in their room can create a masterpiece if they are dedicated and passionate enough about their idea.

My father saw me playing this game and he recognized it

It’s been a very long time since I’ve fully gotten back into Cave Story, but watching this Video is like taking a trip down memory lane, I loved this game and still do deep down. And I also absolutely adore that gorgeous Thumbnail!

I remember getting the Cave Story demo on my wii as a kid, I was obsessed with how it looked, played, how it sound, and what story it was trying to tell. I eventually got the DSi version on my 3ds and since then I've cherished (and worshipped) this game. Owning most versions everywhere and only beating Hell on two of them. Thank you for this video, it has given me the drive to try and beat Hell again

These caves really do got stories

This video was great! As someone who has play this game for many years, it makes me happy that people are still making content about it.

it truly was, a cave story

Wasn't expecting the bentafloss reference but by God am I glad you brought it up, I was obsessed with this game as a kid and your quote (haha GET IT?!?!) At the end of the video just delved into my mind and unlocked a core memory. Glad to see somebody loves this game as much as I do. Keep up ya work!

I remember playing this game as a child on a Nintendo Ds, seeing it brings back good old memories

I would have this game on my Top 10 game list, this game always makes me happy and just the history around this game and Daisuke's dedication makes this game even better. Can only dream about a sequel but who knows. Great video!!

great, great video, cave story is very close to my heart making me love indies as a whole and this was an awesome retrospective to showcase why the game is so good, thanks for the video

Such a great video 😊 I've had a great time with Cave Story and as much as I see how much this game has changed indie games as a whole, I feel like I've changed as a person from the experiences it has given to me. I've got quite a bit to say so hopefully it's not too much of a chore to read haha I loved the reference to Brentalfloss at the end that really made me smile (I assume he's who's quote-d at the end) as it's his song that made me aware of Cave Story years ago, and I just thought it was a cool song. Once I got the chance to get my own games and stumbling back upon that song I went and got the 3DS port, and I'm glad I did! Somehow despite listening to the With Lyrics song I hadn't been spoiled so it was a fresh experience and I loved all of it! I initially started on hard mode but quickly cowered over to easy, just to get a feel for the game and it was a super fun playthrough where I could relax and immerse myself in the world with its atmosphere, the people's struggles, and the quest that lay before me. As it was my first time I didn't know about the multiple endings, or different weapon choices, so naively I took the Machine gun and the booster 0.8. Nothing feels worse than the switch in tone of Geothermal when you don't save Curly, especially when you don't know any different. From a calm before the storm into woe and grief, the music in the game is incredible but I feel that Geothermal is the most impactful as the player tries to see if there was anything they can do or could've done to save Curly. After finishing the game I looked into the fandom and quickly found not only that there were secret items, but also a better ending. And of course clearly being the Master I immersed myself into hard mode straight off of finishing easy mode, and it lived up to its name. Like typical "hard mode" playthroughs I assumed enemies would do more damage or there would be different enemies, but mainly it was just no health. While definitely challenging, the main points were Monster X and the Core, as when on track to get the Spur (and not including hell) these 2 I would say are the hardest by far: Monster X for the defeatist attitude it instills in a player when trying to get through part of the Labyrinth just to reach it, and the core for what feels like Touhou levels of bullet hell. And despite getting to the sanctuary on that Hard mode playthrough and giving it a few goes, it was a long time before even getting completed. I actually ended up getting the Switch Physical copy for pretty cheap last year and playing through hard mode again, except thanks to your video it was 1.5x faster. Quote go brrrrrr 😄 For this playthrough I chose the Remastered music, and it was a whole new experiences despite knowing the world well. The new tones and feel for the tracks, the hyper movement of Quote, and being able to play on a bigger screen really made everything stand out. Once you're used to the fast speed, going back to normal speed (or reloading the save after closing as it doesn't save it) the game feels so slow as you've essentially sped up the brain, and I think it's cool that player skill can be limited by the speed: In a sense by trying a faster speed can make you way better at a game on regular speed. Partway through the Cave Story + Switch playthrough I picked up Cave story 3D and played it on my 2Ds XL, and didn't really experience the issues people have brought up with it (maybe the 2DS XL can handle it?) It was nice to see the new environments and additional areas in the game too. But mainly it was in this version that I managed to beat Ballos first 😊 then on the 3ds port on normal (another playthrough to get to hell, truly walking the 9 circles, but of fun!) I haven't yet beaten hell on hard mode or at 1.5x speed, but I am at the Sanctuary on both. I hope one day I'll be able to face the core on hard mode at 1.5x speed without needing the snake, but it'll either require another strategy, or to get a robotic arm to control button mashing and weapon switching 😅 Overall, I've really enjoyed my journey with Cave Story so far and look forward to see where it goes from here. My next plan is to try out the bonus levels (probably on April 29th so I can experience the secret and bonus music 😊 it feels better that way rather than just looking it up haha). Not sure if it would be possible, or the want would be there, but to have some mods of the game on Switch, maybe under a "Pixel Approved label" and an update or DLC for Cave Story +, just to be able to support the game further

I remember I got this game as a demo on the wii shop when I was a kid and then officially on my dsi a few years later. But man, this game was monumental for me personally, the gameplay was fun and the story just absolutely floored me. It inspired me creatively, and it's got all my thanks, good job pixel ya made one heck of a game. Also, good video!

Good video Nerdieo!

Great to see ya back in action 🎉

Cave story definitely had one of the caves of all tim!

You’re one of those KZfaqrs I watch occasionally, and always enjoy. I’ve never not enjoyed a video

i remember spending like easily 15-20 hours just on blood stain sanctuary( i love running hell ost), i remember it took me all the week to beat it + boss, and when i beat it, it was the most satisfying i have felt in all games i have played till this day, i also remember after a day coming back just to check on some items descriptions....there i noticed that all this time i had the health pot i never used lmao

Probably my favorite video game ever tbh, been playing since I was 7 or so, and after much rage and practice got the best ending on the plus versions hard mode (basically don't get hit mode)

I first discovered cave story in early 2016 from a KZfaq channel called screw attack which was known for its death battle series, cave story however was mentioned in a top ten final bosses of all time video where the normal ending final boss made it to number 8 I believe. Later in the same year I would find the game in the Nintendo Eshop for the 3ds and bought it because I didn’t know what game to buy with the money I had. So on a whim I bought the game hoping I wouldn’t regret my purchase and since then I have been obsessed with this game ever since because of how happy it made me during a time when things weren’t the best for me, and in general I believe cave story is without a doubt the best game ever made

A TWO HOUR VIDEO ABOUT CAVE STORY IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2023???? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS I HAVE ENJOYED EVERY SECOND OF THIS VIDEO Also I love the fake ending with the neutral ending and the way your voice cuts off, it genuinely caught me off guard even though i was eagerly waiting for you to reveal it wasnt over yet lmao. God I love this game so much

I recently got Cave Story+ on Epic Games and had a nice time (even casually playing and getting the bad ending because I got stuck in the plantation) and while I don't plan on re-doing the entire game and doing other endings, it was still a great experience to play and to see the other endings talked about!

Great video! I first played Cave Story in 2005 or 2006 and even beat Hell back then. Later I replayed it in 2013 and 2015 when I got Cave Story+. Now I picked it back up again and am currently struggling trying to beat Hell with only 3HP... I'm sure I will play it in many years still.

I still maintain that the doctor is one of the best characters in cave story and heavily underrated as a villain. Sure he’s a one dimensional bad guy who just wants power because he wants power but god does he play his role so well that you feel just how dangerous and powerful of an opponent he really is and I’m not talking about his boss fight. When I first played cave story I got the bad ending and it was purely because the doctor made me feel like the situation was hopeless with how he kept one up-ing you constantly so that made the doctor the first video game villain who beat me not because he was some difficult fight I wasn’t good enough to beat but because he was able to push me into giving up out of despair

I havent seen any of these comments mention the Brentalfloss lyrics at the end. That was a nice treat, his Cave Story with lyrics video is one of my favorites!

I definitely get ya with saving the life pot but you are safe to use it for any fight BEFORE the last cave since theres a dog that will give you one on the elevator ride up to last cave (he should be on the left right before the press section of the elevator)

You already KNOW I’m about to do a speedrun to this

i was never good enough at the game to actually beat it, so the bad ending was the best i could get, but damn if i didnt try. that said though, i have nothing but love and respect for the game and the story it tells. thank you for the whole 2 hours on a game that much deserves it!

There is a game on roblox called "average plate gaem" (yes its intentionally spelled incorrectly) i love the games music especially now that i know where its from i also love the soundtrack from undertale yellow for that one snowman boss call "BEST FRIENDS FOREVER" (the game plays cave story music)

Game tonight me about love and loss back in the 3rd grade 2010. Will forever have a place in my heart

Just played and beat cave story for the first time recently and wow what a game…

It pains me that theres not a sequel to this absolute masterpiece

1:49:20 I had never considered that these voices were the souls of the humans that he burned, I always thought that voice was Ballos that got hurt badly and tried a last ditch effort to kill them. This somehow makes a little more sense...but also makes it a lot creepier. Perhaps the most scariest moment in the game, just by how unexplained it is. That said, that was a great analysis and retelling of the story, I've loved it and I've been picking up CS again for a 3HP run! :D

this content is what keeps me going

First time I played this I was testing the games that the Icaros got installed... I couldn't stop playing it, every single day I would play it and I told my mother to use the translator for the text (It was in english and I didn't know any english at that time) That version of the game had cheats, and as I used them more, I got stuck cause of bugs. I remember that my father installed Ubuntu in my computer and I told him some months later that I wanted Icaros again just to play the game XD (Icaros installation is damn long, at least for an Asus netbook Eee PC) I also played doom, but it was the shareware version so I stuck to Cave Story and to this day, I still love it so much.

31:04 lol love how you tried breaking that block. Still wish the fourth ending was a real thing.

Idk why my memory decided to brung this back to my head i play this game back like 10 now im 17 i didnt know this would shine like gold in my memory and i didnt know it had more secrets to it i quit bc i couldn't beat the core and i didnt know u could get more weapons and do other options ❤

I love Cave Story I also love Nerdieo Videos Today is good

I got cave story on my switch the year it came out, for my birthday. I never played because I saw a guy with a gun on the cover. I was scared that my mom would get mad at me if I played a gun game. During the lock-down I played for the first time. Truly a masterpiece.

I cant help but be a little sad that no reference to the gunsmith's speech was made. The extra bit of dialogue after speaking to him a second time paralleling Pixel's experience as a game developer. It would have made a wonderful epilogue piece.

i am *almost* convinced that cave story took multiple endings (down to conditions that feel like a secret) alongside the floating island, odd weapons, general aesthetics and emphasis on good music straight outta gimmick! , which is coincidentally a good name for a mashup album.

An interesting choice of placement for act twos Ending i usually considerer act 2 to end upon entering the egg corridor?(because after loosing your only ally at least on the path this video took we are given one final incentive to keep fighting pushing through the challenge) to when your given the option to just leave but i also fully understand the placement

I'll still remember being stuck in one area for days, weeks and months because KZfaq tutorials was not common that time.

dark place legit be the starting place no.2

About the inspiration and influence of the music of this game - Have I told you how I got to playing it? If not, I will here. I love Homestuck as well. But more to the point, I love the music of it. It's one of the greatest things about it. The late Usagi Buzinkai, with the original Spelunky soundtrack under her belt, wrote a few early songs for it. One of them has Cave Story DNA written all over it. Buzinkai cited Mischevious Robot and Moonsong as the two main pieces that influenced the writing. The song ended up becoming the single most remixed song in the entire webcomic, and branched out further into some things you even hear in Undertale and Deltarune (I've heard bits of it in the new Pokemon games). There are parts of the comic where the dialogue points to the title of the song - also taken directly from Cave Story. That song is called Doctor. It was written directly in PXtone, and it marks a moment in the webcomic that cements the protagonist's role in the overall story. It's such a magical and memorable moment to hear the soundwaves of PXtone with the imagery the reader's presented with, almost mirroring Moonsong itself! It's really no wonder why it keeps getting used in one way or another. When I saw Buzinkai's breakdown of it, I checked out both Moonsong and Mischevious Robot (loved both of them), and knew I had to experience this. Now every time Doctor gets iterated on, I'm reminded of the outer wall. :)

Not having the tow rope on your first playthrough Pain... *Pain...*

This video was very fun! I love cave story

Man i love cave story

Just two days ago I beat the game for the first time completely blind (aside from some stuff that I bumped into on the wiki while looking around a little bit) on the 3ds port of the original (thanks hshop, might buy the switch version in the future to show support though). Haven't done the good ending yet but the game is great so far! I played Kero Blaster a few years ago so I was making quite a few comparisons to that game while playing, such as the similarity between the game's bubble gun and the fireball in Cave Story, the music, and the art and character designs. I don't think I would call Cave Story my favorite indie game ever but I can see why it got so popular, especially at a time where indies were pretty rare to see

Best video of KZfaq in my opinion

Great vid here mate, wonderful job!

I remember playing this game for the first time with my brother and I was SOOOOOO agitated with MIMIGA VILLAGE that I quit the game. For like 3 years cause I tried it again and oh. my. goodness it was amazing. I was so shocked by all this new stuff, and the Ballos boss fight was impossible to do for like 2 months

I will always love this game! ❤

Ah yes, finally The Nerdieo Cave Story Video

Babe wake up, Nerdio posted a 2 hour long cave story vid

i just got Cave Story+ on switch since i havent played it before, and got hyperfixated on it lol so i love seeing all your videos talking about it :>

>Have to go left to go right This guy played Metroid, I see. >Hear the health upgrade jungle Yep, this guy *definitely* played Metroid.

My favorite game all time

this my favourite game of all time and it still be till my death

Ive been waiting for this since nerdieo direkt lol

Hey Nerdio, I hope you’re doing well. Its been a long time since I last talked to you and you seem to have a nice KZfaq presence. Happy for you, man.

Amazing video! Well done 👍

I love cave story it has funny rock mage thats very angry so cool

I am playing Cave Story for the 2nd time and I am stuck at the Ballos Fight (I can manage to get to the second stage). I don't know if I will ever manage to beat Ballos. I think what makes it so challenging is that you get to the beginning of Hell every time you fail, making it difficult to learn each pattern of the stages of the fight against Ballos. I played trough "I wanna be the guy" and while IWBTG is more difficult in general, the last fight in Cave Story is harder than any boss fight in IWBTG.

WildNerdioAppeared! Some people just don’t forget

Surprised you never mentioned Axiom Verge, another indie metroidvania that came out of nowhere and was also made by a single person, Thomas Happ. While not as cleancut storywise and it's significantly lacking in character interaction, it makes for it with puzzling gameplay esoteric artwork and impactful music, letting you draw your own conclusions to what's really going on depending on your playstyle. Also worth the blind playthrough if you've never seen it before.

Criminally underrated game imo, im just now getting around to playing the hard mode and im getting DESTROYED. An interesting side point is that the speedrunning community has just cracked the 1hr mark for this game.

You didn't mention the funny ending, where you just go to the last cave without getting back the booster and keep the mimiga mask on.

The most confusing part of the lore is that the island is only flying because of the core... but also would only not fly because Ballos is a jerk. So how does it fly in the first place?

31:02 I see you shooting at the block to get the fourth ending ;)

I had so much fun playing this game long ago. Makes me appreciate indie games more and see how much potential they have vs greedy corps who recycle content/ideas.

Thanks for paying respect to the grandfather of indie games!

Nice video I wanted to know I little bit more of the true ending. I’m planning to buy the Switch copy of the game so I can finally achieve the true ending. I quit on the 3ds a few years ago.

i have a hunch about what game this guy likes

Awesome video for an amazing game

I felt a little called out during the "second act lowpoint" discussion, haha

Imagine a movie based on Cave Story

My track, Desperation, is used at 1:54:54

2:00 wait a minute, pause, zoom into that tiny window... is that idraw3?

I love this game

i actually got the waterway jump by accident when I first played lol

I've been playing Cave Story by the time I've made my first Google account and I've put this profile picture and I'm never changing it. But truth must be told I've reached Ballos but I've never managed to defeated it's so hard like battletoads another game I've been playing since old times but I've also never managed to clear

a story bout a robot, story bout a whole lot of mystery?

Its genuinely the best game in terms of game design in my opinion.