Cave Story (
洞窟物語,
Dōkutsu Monogatari?) is a
freeware platform-adventure video game released in 2004 for the
PC. It was
developed,
designed, and
programmed over five years by Daisuke Amaya,
art-name Pixel, in his free time. The game features
2D platform mechanics and is intended as an homage to the
classic games that Pixel played in his youth, such as
Metroid and
Castlevania.
The game focuses on an amnesiac silent protagonist who awakens in a cave. Through his explorations, he discovers a plot by the Doctor, a
megalomaniac who intends to force the inhabitants of the cave to fight for him in his bid to conquer the world. The protagonist is thrust into the position of savior as he endeavours to defeat the Doctor.
After its initial release on the Internet,
Cave Story slowly gained popularity as an
indie game. It received near universal acclaim for its compelling story and gameplay. As a result, Nicalis, an independent video game company, worked with Pixel to bring the game to
Nintendo's
WiiWare service in 2010. The WiiWare version features more detailed artwork and additional gameplay modes, and was nominated for 2010
Nintendo Power Awards' WiiWare Game of the Year.
Ports and remakes of the game are available on a
variety of platforms, including a
Nintendo 3DS version published by
Nippon Ichi Software.