Until then, the closest I and many others are likely to get to Japan is by playing the games that come from there. If you've been gaming for any length of time then you'll know that the industry owes so much to that small archipelago. From highly successful series like Persona, Mario, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Kingdom Hearts and The Legend of Zelda, to standalone offerings like Okami, Catherine, Demon's Souls, or Ico.
I'm a fan of Japanese culture to begin with, and that's largely thanks to their games. The vast majority of them place enormous emphasis on story, and self-development. The Japanese never really seem to have got into the FPS, instead preferring the more level-based confines of the RPG. Extra Credits does a great job of discussing this - check it out here for a bit of intellectual elevation!
Moving on however, today's blog post is about another independent game, but this time from Japan! Meet Cave Story, constructed by one guy, and considered something of an unknown classic.
(Download Cave Story here - it's free!)
Now, Cave Story is a platformer, another genre which originated in Japan. Beginning as a small, pixelated robot, you use a variety of weapons and very frantic jumping, in order to negotiate terrain that quite frankly wants you dead. And, as is the habit with these games, it becomes a lot more capable at killing you as you progress. The difficulty curve is just right, and, with a wealth of available weapons, the gameplay is fun, frantic, and tactical.
Graphically, it's uninspiring. But when your resources consist of one man, and the year 2004, then they were never going to be the best thing since toilet roll. It ages well all in all though, and the music is timeless. I actually discovered this game in 2011, and it's surprising just how much graphics don't matter after playing. The gameplay is fast and challenging enough, without ever feeling impossible (except perhaps for the end - more on that later). And the story, while simple enough, contains characters you can actually grow to care about, and who will die if you make the wrong decision.
Sadly, such decisions aren't obvious at the time. If you go the wrong way midway through the game for example, you will find yourself unable to save a character later on. This is similar to other games of a certain age - the second Prince of Persia for example, and it isn't particularly good design. After all, surely you want the player to feel guilty, that their failings led to the death of their friend rather than life being especially shitty.
Asides from that small gripe though, Cave Story is a gem, and a free one. Like many Japanese games of its ilk, it contains multiple endings. Whereas western game studios are often content in building just the one, Japanese developers often add in endings, and then an extra bit of story at the end, which most players might never reach. They cater both to people who just want to beat the Elite Four, and those who must desperately fill every inch of that bloody Pokédex.
So if you want the best ending to Cave Story, prepare to fight for it in a very hardcore fashion. If, on the other hand, you want an easier, yet still satisfying ending, you can finish earlier, with the challenge still at a manageable level. It's a feature that I wish was used in more games - you have the option of ending the story at a certain point, with the difficulty ramping up should you decide to continue to the next ending.
Cave Story is, in short, well worth the few hours or so that it takes to get through. So if you're a platformer fan, and can't quite justify spending money yet another Mario, this is certainly worth a look. It'll make a place in your heart in no time.
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