'Cave Story' Takes Away Our Fear of Dark, Scary Places

For the more prosaic at heart, though, there's always the fact that Cave Story is simply a perfect fit for Wii. Both the Classic Controller and the stand-alone Wii remote are a much better match for the game than arrow keys, and the game looks great on a big screen. It's "retro," but it's artfully crafted, with a clean visual style that keeps things clear and manageable even when there are dozens of enemies and projectiles and power-ups bounding across the screen. As intense as the action can be, Cave Story is really an ideal fit for the console; its long-awaited arrival on Wii feels almost like a homecoming. In that light, $12 is a pretty good deal -- the best possible way to play a truly great game.

Click the image above to check out all Cave Story screens.

What makes Cave Story worthy of such adulation? It's all well and good to talk about its greatness or its heart or whatever, but beneath all the hyperbole it's simply a beautifully crafted action game. It's not quite as non-linear as your average Metroid, but there's an element of adventure to the way the story unfolds and you're forced to seek out items and conversations to advance to new areas. This free-roaming element hides a number of very different endings, a multitude of secrets, and what may be the single most challenging bonus stage ever seen in a videogame. You have to make tradeoffs -- for example, do you take this amazing weapon, or do you instead pursue that alternate outcome? -- and overcome a number of nail-bitingly tough battles in order to see the quest through to its conclusion. It's a game that tests your reflexes and engages your mind, all while laying out a simple but intriguing story.

The real appeal of Cave Story, though, is simply in the way it plays. The hero's physics are a little unusual (what with his floaty jumps), but the controls become second nature in short order -- and before long, you realize they're integral to the fast-paced dynamism of the action. By game's end, you'll be pulling off all kinds of crazy stunts, making death-defying leaps, dodging screens full of raging foes, and maybe even using the recoil of a heavy machine gun as a makeshift jet pack. The pacing is spot-on, perfectly interlacing white-knuckle shootouts with low-key villages and melancholy plot revelations. There's an arsenal full of different weapons to collect, each with multiple power-up levels, distinct advantages and drawbacks, and a wholly unique feel. The new Wii-exclusive components simply build on this rock-solid foundation to add extra value and replay incentive to an already excellent platform shooter.