Cave Story+ review for Nintendo Switch

Cave Story+ is the newest indie title to launch on the Nintendo Switch, a platform that?s actually represented indie developers pretty well so far, thanks in part to publisher Nicalis. If you?re not familiar with Cave Story, it?s a Metroidvania style game that was first released in 2004 for PC, developed by one guy, Daisuke Amaya, who clearly poured a lot of love into those original diminutive sprites. The game has been ported a number of times since then, mostly to Nintendo platforms, so needless to say it feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch.

As far as ports go, Cave Story+ appears to be pretty flawless. It?s a great looking game on the Switch, perfect to pick-up and play in portable mode, and it remains one of the best Metroidvania style games around, despite being 13 years old at this point. It controls well, the exploration aspect is top notch, and the music is great. Seriously, if you haven?t played Cave Story before, this is a fantastic version of the game.

The onset of the game drops you into the role of a small, pixelated protagonist with no name. You?ll quickly encounter a bit of danger before discovering your first weapon, which will in turn let you break through a small barrier, at which point you?ll expose yourself to a much larger world to explore. From there you?ll meet the somewhat angry, oppressed race of rabbit creatures that inhabit the game, start chasing after a missing girl, and come across some solid boss fights while checking out a variety of areas. There are new weapons to acquire, heart containers to expand, and a whole lot of jumping around. It?s one of the earliest indie Metroidvania titles out there, but it?s also one of the best. If you?ve never experienced Cave Story, you?ll definitely be in for a treat.

For everyone else it might be a tougher sell. I think it?s priced fairly at $29.99, but if you?ve played through the game on WiiWare, PC, and so on, there?s not a lot of meaningful additions being made to this version of the game. It uses the upgraded visuals of previous ports, and does feature multiple soundtrack options, but outside of that it?s essentially Cave Story as you remember it. Of course that is still a positive thing, but as someone who has played through the game a few times, I?d only suggest it to fans if you?re either dying to play some more Cave Story, or looking to scratch a Metroidvania itch on the Nintendo Switch.