In today’s high-dynamic, bump-mapped, motion-blurred gaming industry, the side-scrolling adventure genre is considered long dead. Franchises like Castlevania, Metroid, and Mega Man have all moved on to the realm of 3D, leaving the genre empty save for the rare portable entry. Well for those with a computer newer than 1996, get ready to scroll as your required download is Cave Story (www.gameflaws.com/cavestory/) for the PC.

Originally released in Japanese as Doukutsu Monogatari, Cave Story is the work of a sole programmer in Japan known only as Pixel. Thanks to the determined translation team at Aeon Genesis, English speakers are now able appreciate this title for the masterpiece that it truly is. Though it may initially appear amateur and crude to modern gamers, old school gamers won’t discount the game simply due to its graphics. The gameplay is also a throwback to  The single most impressive aspect of Cave Story is that there really isn’t one. Every facet of the game reflects the five years of work that went in to it by a single man. With a phenomenal soundtrack, diverse dialogue, and a plot you’ll actually be interested in, Cave Story manages to do what many commercial titles can’t. Did I mention that the game has three different endings and a myriad of items to collect? Don’t let me forget the spectacular boss battles or the online ranking system either. All of these features get packed in to a tiny download that can run on practically any computer you can get your hands on.

If you haven’t been convinced yet to play Cave Story, I don’t think there’s much more I can say. Though the game itself won’t take more then a few hours to beat the first time, you’ll be driven to keep playing it by the multiple endings and other little secrets. For those wishing to toss Cave Story in your pocket, there’s a homebrew GBA version in development, as well as a commercial PSP port by Variant Interactive. It’s possible that the PSP version may not happen though as Pixel has apparently not given them his permission to release Cave Story through retail channels. He has given the GBA port his support. However it turns out, I personally hope that Variant is able to release Cave Story and compensate Pixel for his tremendous effort on his original title. Games like Cave Story remind us that there are many independent developers out there with a desire to create great games that equals our love of playing them.