This is where I'll post my game-related rambles. Sometimes it'll be a review, other times maybe not.
I'd like to start with
Cave Story for Switch, since I've just beaten it to another, three-ending, bloody pulp.
I just want to start by saying that I am already a big fan of Cave Story and Daisuke Amaya's things, as you can quote from anywhere on this forum. Adding to this fact, I generally prefer my playthroughs to be more original-oriented than new/"updated," in terms of how Nicalis likes to spit-shine these already great games with more detailed graphics and altered music. The new sprites they've made look nice, and the remixed music isn't bad (I'll touch more on these topics below), but if given the choice I'd opt for the classics.
Rather than waste your time with another review of a game we all already know, I just wanted to talk about the differences/changes they made for this version. I'll also post about what all this iteration includes in case you're wondering. Below is everything that I noticed was different with the game when compared to previous playthroughs. This might not be definitive so feel free to leave a comment if I missed something.
Visual Differences-The biggest blow is that there is no classic sprite option. Seriously, I've checked everywhere and gotten every ending; it's just not there. The missing option to have it isn't game-breaking in the slightest, it would have just been nice to include. Even cave story 3D let you use the 2D sprites in the new 3D rendered levels (a la paper mario), which was badass. Similar treatment here would have been nice to have, especially for those of us who prefer the original, simplistic designs.
-Water and lava throughout the game now looks and acts more like a liquid rather than it's previous slight color filter. The it moves and wakes when you touch it and they've added visual distortion which actually looks pretty cool. I'm not too big of a fan of the way the lava looks (see the last cave). It's just transparent, red-tinted water, and it loses the immediacy that it once had in previous renditions.
-Sprite animations have been added for the dialogue, which I think looks fantastic. Fits right in.
-They've also added this lighting effect that basically darkens everything and adds a bit of radiance to you, so you tend to light up the area you occupy. If I remember correctly, your weapon's bullets do the same. I'm indifferent, it's hardly noticeable.
Audio Differences -With each new iteration of Cave Story comes some new fiddling around with the music. This time they've added what they call the "Famitracks." This version is the original music using the Famicom sound chip, and I've got to say, I think it's pretty rad. Below is a comparison:
Original
Famitracks Ver.
-Right out of the box all four versions of the soundtrack (original, +(wiiware), remastered(3D/+), and Famitracks) are available for you to choose, as well as to swap out whenever desired. The Jukebox (sound test) is also available from the start, and like in previous versions adds tracks as you encounter them in the game. (After completing hell I think it just gives you Toroko's theme and White (King's Theme). Prior you had to beat hell with certain record speeds to unlock these tracks, but they were added to my jukebox simply upon completion of the final ending).
About the jukebox: -The Wind Fortress music is the same for the +(WiiWare) and Remastered versions, but the music is native to the remastered ost (Wind Fortress wasn't included in the wiiware version).
-The track White doesn't loop correctly for the + version, and unlike everything else from that soundtrack it isn't completely rearranged (sounds more like the percussive stuff was just tweaked). If I remember correctly, it also wasn't included in the wiiware version, so Yann van der Cruyssen probably didn't even create a new version.
Gameplay/Story Differences-Control-wise, they've added a strafe mechanic that locks your target direction, allowing you to focus on the target while moving. It's absolutely necessary for Ballos's first form. You activate it by pressing LZ or RZ, so if you're not a fan of it you can ignore it just fine.
-You can now stack Jellyfish Juice in order to reduce the amount of backtracking in the Bushlands. To be honest, I didn't even realize this until leaving the Bushlands, because the way this was originally designed allowed you to always be passing by the big jelly when you needed it. I should have seen how many you could carry at once, but I didn't.
EDIT: Just a little update: you can only stack two jellyfish juices. Chako's text is altered to confirm this.
-The Sandzone Jenka dog hunt part has been altered substantially. Now, like the jellyfish juice, you can stack Jenka's dogs. Also, the dog that previously hung out near the door to the warehouse now hangs out above that area, on the way to Omega. The pros: if you would prefer to round them all up first, you can do so without having to stop by Jenka each time or making the long trek to and back from the warehouse. The con is that now upon returning all of the five dogs (either all at once or individually (yes I tried both)), Jenka will akwardly tell you to leave her house and reenter, which will cause the Balrog scene to occur. Previously, this scene would just happen upon returning the last dog. Between the two, I'd prefer the way it originally was because it just works better. Also, while traveling to the dog near the warehouse might have been considered a chore before, it was necessary to familiarize yourself with sandzone. To players starting with this version, one won't even know where Balrog escapes to once he steals the key, unlike before when you can get their ASAP since you've been there already.
madness
(https://www.ninsheetmusic.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi68.tinypic.com%2F2z4e59t.jpg&hash=f76230fe60b4fc8991e43ac22d00643b189853ba)
-As for the button layout, you have the option to swap the jump and fire buttons, in case you didn't grow up playing video games and don't know which is supposed to be which. In my opinion, I think the WiiWare version was the most satisfying to play because the buttons on the controller were horizontal, like an NES controller (which is what I prefer for these types of games).
Challenges:Listed below are the included extra challenges that you unlock one at a time by playing the main game. Beat hell and you'll unlock them all. Your best completion times are recorded and there's an online leaderboard (both friend-wide and worldwide). A minor complaint about this menu is that if you press back after selecting an option, it returns you to the top of the list rather than the option you were on. Often times I pressed back and input the direction for the option I wanted to select only accidentally select the wrong one because of this. It's weird.
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Machine Gun Challenge lets you play as Curly with the machine gun and booster 2.0. Race to the finish through an easy handful of levels. I was able to run through it on my first try, so unlike the following challenges this one isn't that difficult.
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Sandpit lets you play as Quote with only the fireball through a sandzone/labyrinth-esque series of levels. I haven't beaten this yet and am not sure if I care enough to do so. It's okay so far.
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Sanctuary Time Attack lets you replay through the Hell level of the main game. You can choose your setup and order of weapons beforehand though. Interesting enough, you can choose both the sword and the nemesis (which, in game would be an either-or decision). You cannot choose both the polar star and the spur though (not that you would want to). My only two complaints about this mode are that 1) they don't give you the option to choose the snake or the machine gun, two guns that you usually don't use in this level which would make perfect sense to have them isolated from the game so that you
could try them here, and 2) just like previous rereleases, once you die you go all the way back to the screen where you have to select your weapons. This is shit because, like anyone who has played and beaten hell can tell you, when you die you want to get right back into it ASAP. Nothing is worse than curbing your in-the-zone-ness with the monotonous re-selection of your previous setup. This screen where you select your items from should only appear once at the very beginning when you select this mode. There's no need for it to return after every death in a mode that is made to be extremely death-inducing. It's bullshit, and I'd rather just play this on my main save.
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Boss Attack is exactly as I remember it from previous versions.
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Wind Fortress is exactly how I remember it. Weirdly enough, in this mode you star with both the 290 counter and the booster 2.0, but neither appear in your inventory. An oversight, perhaps? When I pick up the map system in the first room, it appears in my inventory...
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Nemesis Challenge I think was in the steam version, which I passed up. Oddly, here both the 290 counter and the booster appear in your inventory upon startup. Huh.
Curly Story is it's own thing outside of the challenge menu and appears to be the same as in the wiiware version. I like that you get multiple saves for both the standard and curly modes.
Lastly, there's talk of a future co-op mode being implemented in a coming update. I have no idea how far they're going to go with it, but that sounds rad, especially since with the switch I'll always have two controllers on me.
In my final thoughts, I think I would still prefer the 3DS eShop version of Cave Story, because it is compact, simple, more faithful to the original with additions that only add to the experience and can be disabled upon request, and the price is right. The Switch version is still pretty legit though, and being only $30 with all the free stuff you get (http://imgur.com/gallery/2e05b) makes it worth it to me, I think.
Ohhh, you can stack the jellyfish juice and dogs? That's mighty convenient...
On the surface it looks that way. These changes aren't really that helpful though, tbh.
Personally, I'd say the PC version is a bit better than the 3DS version from system preference. It's got the classic and HD (but still 2D) sprites, the original and remastered OST (not the wiiware version), and just about all the challenges you mentioned. Those new famitrack version are neat, though.
Quote from: Maelstrom on June 27, 2017, 06:45:24 PMPersonally, I'd say the PC version is a bit better than the 3DS version from system preference. It's got the classic and HD (but still 2D) sprites, the original and remastered OST (not the wiiware version), and just about all the challenges you mentioned. Those new famitrack version are neat, though.
The 3DS version of Cave Story+ still has the updated music, just not the sprites. It also has better resolution and is portable, so I can play it in bed, on the bus, etc.
lol plus it can be played in 3D for like, the three or so minutes one does it for before losing interest in that.
All these editions of cave story... Wish they'd just make a definitive version with everything in it.
Just a little update: you can only stack two jellyfish juices. Chako's text is altered to confirm this.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/07/cave_storyplus_will_be_receiving_classic_graphics_in_a_free_august_update
Does this change your review?
Yessssssssssss ty nicais (although why it had to wait for an update is still unknown...).
I wonder if the rumored coop mode will come with that update too.
Oh also I beat the wind fortress and it's the same as before. Still cool.
madness
(https://www.ninsheetmusic.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi68.tinypic.com%2F2z4e59t.jpg&hash=f76230fe60b4fc8991e43ac22d00643b189853ba)
Oh, I got CS+ earlier this month. Got a cute lil Quote keychain!
Prelude to Hey! Pikmin
Just got off from work and I picked the game and amiibo up on my way home. I have two simultaneous yet different opinions of this game based on what little I know about it before playing the game.
Opinion 1:
The story given thus far feels lazy as fuck. Olimar just HAPPENS to crash on a completely different planet ALSO inhabited by Pikmin containing earth-like features. That just sounds like no effort was put into it at all. For the sake of the rest of the series, I hope it isn't canon. The gameplay looks average, and reminds me of the chibi robo 3ds game that did not do well. This stuff makes me feel uneasy.
Opinion 2:
It's a new Pikmin game, rejoice! Sure it is a spin-off title, but since when is that necessarily a bad thing? If anything, it is the perfect time for a smaller entry into the series, and on a portable console, nonetheless! The looks and sounds feel right and very "Pikmin." I'll gladly accept this new installment into my collection whilst waiting for the next major series entry (better than waiting silently for nine years!).
Edit: oh, and the S.S. Dolphin II is dope af. If the game ends up having a Super Mario Bros. 2 ending, I will miss this ship super hard.
I'll post more after I finish the game!
I got the demo and didn't like that very much
...thanks for sharing?
Cave Story News:
-retro graphics were added to the switch version
-TWO PLAYER MODE IS COMPLETE AND IS IN TESTING HOT DAMN
https://twitter.com/nicalis/status/893287734630125568
https://twitter.com/nicalis/status/893322419175251968
SUE IS PLAYABLE??? (So far it looks like different colored quotes, curly brace, and now sue are options for two player mode)
-also Nicais replied to that second tweet saying that there are going to be more content updates coming after two player mode is released. Schwifty.
Hey! Pikmin
Alright, it's time: I completed Hey! Pikmin last night and have so many thoughts that I would like to share about how this game makes me feel.
There will be spoilers about this and other Pikmin games below, so proceed with caution (or just skip to the spoiler-free conclusion section at the bottom).
First of all, lets talk about how the game works. The game is divided into 8 "sectors" each of which include five or so actual levels of gameplay in addition to a boss and several mini game stages. There is a 9th sector, but it only houses the final boss and nothing else. The game is essentially a 2D sidescroller/platformer in which your objectives are to collect lots of "sparklium" (this game's "coins") and make it to the end. You control Olimar who in turn "controls" the Pikmin he encounters, with familiar controls like throwing, switching between colors, and whistling to round them up. You encounter Pikmin (usually in groups of four) on each stage, starting with none and adding to your army as you progress, with a stage cap of 20 Pikmin max. At the end of each stage, any surviving Pikmin are sent to the "Pikmin Park," in which the Pikmin can look for sparklium on their own (at your command), but may never return to the core gameplay. Each stage also houses 2-4 treasures (real world items, reminiscent of Pikmin 2) that count for large amounts of sparklium (also a la Pikmin 2). The object of the game is to collect lots of sparklium and complete all of the levels (more on this in a bit). Also, in case you were wondering, no part of the game is playable in 3D.
About the gameplay: I believe the way it was made is probably the best way you could fit Pikmin concepts into a 2D sidescroller/platformer. The problem is that the concept of controlling an army of individuals does NOT mix with the precision needed for a platformer. Olimar can walk left and right, but the jump is awkwardly combined with a hover mechanic. Pressing this button both jumps and stays airborne, so to execute a simple jump you have to press the jump button twice. Believe it or not, the Pikmin have it much worse. While under your control, the Pikmin can execute three different actions: they can be thrown, work/attack, and follow you endlessly. Lets discuss all three:
-Throwing Pikmin is a series-staple action that for the most part works well in Hey! Pikmin. One thing that doesn't work that well is knowing where the Pikmin will land. Unlike other installments, there isn't an always-visible target showing you where they will land. The is one, but it only shows up when you touch the screen, which is the input for throwing a Pikmin. Well okay, that isn't too bad, but often the combat requires precision hitting of targets/enemies that move (it's hard to explain) and you'll find yourself thinking that you're throwing Pikmin onto an enemy to fight it when you're really throwing them right into the enemy's mouth. One level you'll think you're a pro and then five minutes later you'll be questioning all that you thought you knew. You really have to experience this one to understand fully. Also, the Yellow Pikmin's larger throwing ark seems screwed up.
-Working/attacking is pretty normal for the most part. Like previous entries, Pikmin will sometimes try to do what they want when you're near something, so you have to watch them carefully because they will get themselves killed. Combat will be discussed separately below.
-Pikmin endlessly follow you in this game, and it's the fucking worst. Anyone whose played a fair amount of Pikmin prior expects to be able to throw a Pikmin and have them sit there until you call them back. Not this time. If you throw a Pikmin and there is no target object/enemy to encounter, they walk right back to you. To loosely quote a song, "they'll follow you to their death" (and quite literally). For example: in sector 8 some of the stages have platforms that raise and lower into a poisonous liquid that insta-kills everything. I once found myself atop one of these sinking pillars and was trying to throw my Pikmin to safety (knowing that I could hover out of the situation) but the little bastards kept running back, even after the pillar was completely submerged. There were no survivors. (also note how that was one of the last levels and I was still trying to execute series-staple actions. That really never lets up...) Now the developers actually did combat this by including a special plant that, when a Pikmin thrown to, will distract the Pikmin. The problem is that this feature is only really used prominently in one water level and then seemingly disappears. It did not appear in the level from my example. In addition to Pikmin endlessly following you, if you blow your whistle while out of range of a pikmin that's trying to wander towards you, they go apeshit, which usually always leads to their death. They literally run at full speed in one direction until they hit something, in which case they proceed to quickly turn around and repeat. If I was searching for a lost Pikmin this might help me run into them faster, but it would also help them run into anything else faster (death-inducing hazards come to mind). That ultimately doesn't matter though, because stray Pikmin die on their own if left alone for too long (like 10 seconds iirc). That's just great; so not only do normal environmental hazards kill Pikmin (when either encountered intentionally or when Pikmin wander into them like geniuses), now absolutely nothing kills Pikmin just the same. I would like to say I am left speechless but I have so much more to say.
Returning to the gameplay itself, often you have timed events that are grueling to do while managing all of your Pikmin, and to make it worse the game deceivingly rewards you for completing stages with no Pikmin deaths. So when you're in the first sector and beat an easy stage with no deaths and see that golden Pikmin statue reward for doing so, you start wondering if completing the entire game like this gets you a better ending. Spoiler alert: DOING SO GETS YOU JACK SHIT. You receive the same ending sequence regardless of how perfectly you played the game. Well that's just fucking great. Pikmin games are known to have multiple endings based on completion rates (all three have them), so when I see something that could affect my outcome in any way, you can bet I'd spend the extra time, blood, sweat, and tears to see that reward.
One last thing about gameplay that I have to address is the entirety of sector 8. This area of the game introduces a "new" environmental hazard: poisonous gas. This not-so-original idea seems to be calling back to Pikmin 2 at first glance. The only difference is that these poison gas hazards are Pikmin 2's electricity hazards, i.e. they're insta-death upon contact, unlike for example fire hazards which you can save Pikmin from dying by. Can you believe that there is a whole sector of this stuff and the white Pikmin still never show up? I swear, it's like they're mocking us at this point. It's like, you reintroduce a hazard that was built strategically for a specific type of Pikmin, you "pump the gas" (no pun intended) a little and make it much deadlier, and then you don't include the one Pikmin type that can endure it. Also, Olimar takes damage to it, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense from within a space suit.
Now let's talk combat. Combat is executed the same way as all other Pikmin games: you throw a pikmin at something and they beat the shit out of it (also you yourself cannot punch in this game, so it's all up to the Pikmin (we're truly doomed)). Like I touched on a bit above, many enemies require you to hit a specific spot to do damage, and some enemies will flat out kill your Pikmin if you don't hit them in this spot. Basically, this game tries to implement the Mario-esque style that simply touching an enemy is a bad thing, which is not how Pikmin has ever worked (this goes back to the fusion of gameplay styles not working out well). I've lost more Pikmin to the Crumbug (this game's Goomba) than any other enemy. This enemy must be hit from above to kill it (dies in one hit). However, you'll often encounter this enemy from below it (as you ascend a level) which makes it basically a Pikmin black hole of death. Try all you want, unless you smash it from the top it will eat every one of your Pikmin. Often I found myself overshooting it in the throw, which would cause the Pikmin to walk back to me (trying to pass right by the bug) and get themselves eaten without putting up a fight at all. Then when you undershoot it they basically die upon impact (it looks like they're going straight into its mouth). It gives you the feeling that you're essentially feeding the enemy. Another thing that bugged me about this game's combat is that when a Pikmin gets eaten, you expect to be able to save it by killing the enemy quickly (like in all other games), but nothing you do will save it. I never did get used to that.
Time to address the game's huge fan let-down: the story. As told leading up to the game's launch, Captain Olimar is returning from a delivery and crash-lands on an entirely new planet that is also inhabited by the Pikmin. Olimar must collect "sparklium" (fuel for his new ship, the S.S. Dolphin II) in order to return home. Right off the bat, the only time this game can occur in the current Pikmin chronology is after the events of Pikmin 3, since the S.S. Dolphin (I) needs to have been sold (intro events to Pikmin 2) and Pikmin 2 and 3 happen simultaneously (for the most part). The major glaring issue comes with the setting: a second Earth-like planet. So lets just say that it's entirely possible that Pikmin and all other life on PNF404 can exist on other oxygen-rich planets. The issue that exists lies with the items you collect; the real world items. These "treasures" date the game by giving us items that we recognize as ordinary household items nowadays. So if these items that you're collecting in ample supply (combined with the man-made structures of the levels) are from a somewhat near to our present time earth, how in the fuck are there two or more planet Earth's existing simultaneously? If this is supposed to be super futuristic in that humans populated other worlds, why are their remains primitive items like wooden toy trains, C batteries, and Gameboy/NES cartridges? Or better yet, bottle caps. Would we still be using glass bottles in a future where we populated other planets? Seems unlikely to me. However, contrary to the glaringly lazy story setup, it is still pretty fun to collect the treasures and feels reminiscent of Pikmin 2 in that regard. That's how great Pikmin 2 was; you could use its treasure hunting concept in a game with zero effort put into the story and it still feels fun.
Moving on to the sparklium bit. After you awake from a crash landing, your ship informs you that your fuel is completely empty and you cannot return home without refueling. Luck is on your side tough, because the matter "sparklium" which fuels your ship is found everywhere on this planet (it's like being out of gas but while simultaneously being at a gas station). Basically you need to collect these little golden pellets of sparklium to refuel your ship, and the goal is 30,000 of them (move over, Pikmin 2). Like I mentioned at the beginning, the treasures you find are also composed of this sparklium material, so they hold value in their ability to fuel your ship this time around.
Upon collecting large quantities of sparklium, your ship will upgrade small things such as your health meter and jetpack duration along the way. Upon collecting enough fuel to leave the planet, your ship drops you with the bombshell that you're missing that one super specific ship part that is 100% necessary to leave and that it had been missing the whole time (to be fair though, you can clearly see it getting launched from the ship during the crash scene). That's right, the game literally pulls a Pikmin 3 once you (rather easily) collect the 30,000 sparklium (just for reference, I finished the game with around 55,000 sparklium. getting the 30,000 is very easy to do). So at that point the mission becomes just play all of the levels, because the last one will have the ship part.
The game's music was pretty disappointing to me. Every time I played the game I made an attempt to play in a quiet environment with the volume on full blast to get the full experience. I heard the series' theme a couple times here and there mixed in as motifs to other tracks, but to me it really wasn't all that great like previous installments. My favorite tracks are:
-Sector Selection
-Sector 1
-Sector 5
My suspicions for why I felt this way were confirmed during the credit roll: None of the previous composers returned for this installment. Not one from any previous game. What a disappointment.
The Amiibo functionality is basically split into two functions: you collect some amiibo as treasures in the mini game stages and you can use the Hey! Pikmin amiibo to call in more Pikmin while playing an actual level. The former can be monotonous for the collector to 100% (there's a section in the treasure hoard just for amiibo collecting). Like getting no Pikmin deaths, collecting all the amiibo is just what you do to satisfy your OCD (similar to real life amiibo collecting). The game is compatible with the two pikmin amiibo (the new one and the smash Olimar), all currently released amiibo in the Super Mario and Animal Crossing lines, and all but the newly released trio of the Splatoon line. That's a lot of amiibo to have to buy to complete the amiibo collecting in this game, huh? Well, fret not: buying simply the Pikmin amiibo can solve all of your problems and save you tons of money. When scanning an amiibo to prep the mini games, the pikmin amiibo will randomly select an amiibo you haven't scanned before and place it into the game for you to collect as if you own it. Each of the 8 sectors has a random 4-5 amiibo to obtain if you need to do so. So there's that. As for the second feature, using the amiibo to call for backup Pikmin can also save you when you're in a bind. I can't say I ever used it that much (maybe twice overall) but when you remember that it's a thing it can save you from having to restart a level.
The Piklopedia/Treasure Hoard returns in this game, which is one of the games strongest selling points. There's so much charm in reading Olimar's notes and it helps makes the game feel right at home in the Pikmin universe. The way it displays enemies and treasures is different than it was in Pikmin 2, though. Instead of observing the creatures in their "natural habitat," you get to see the character models in an isolated 3D space where you can view them and their animations from all angles. It's pretty cool and I have to give it props for being different. Personally I think I'd still prefer the way it was in Pikmin 2, but I do like them both. It also has a section for the Pikmin, pellet, and onion models, too (although Olimar's notes on the blue pikmin conflict with other entries...). One thing that irks me is that the onion model both in the Piklopedia and in the Pikmin Park both clearly and distinctly show the colors purple and white (indicating that these Pikmin types are within the onion) while the purple and white Pikmin get left out of the game entirely.
In conclusion, it's an okay little not-very-canon spinoff title just for fun. Serious fans will be left wanting much more and casual newcomers might find it enjoyable as a game to pick up on sale. Obviously I've picked it apart from the perspective of the rest of the series, but despite it's weaknesses in that regard the game is capable of standing on its own. I would rather have had this little spin-off title than had nothing at all until Pikmin 4.
This was actually a very informative review since you're a series fan. I was considering this game, because to be totally honest, I've never clicked with a Pikmin game and this seems like the type of casual collecting game I'd be into, like Professor Layton or Yoshi's Woolly World where I can just casually keep playing until I 100% it. I like Pikmin games in aesthetics and I want to love them. I think they're just about the most interesting and unique IP Nintendo has. I just don't find the main series games fun. They stress me out and I find them a little confusing and tedious. I still don't think I'm going to get this at the price it's currently at, but if it goes on sale or (better yet) becomes a Nintendo Select, I'll be tempted to buy it.
Yeah, the way you put it you would probably enjoy this game. It has a very casual style of gameplay in that you can freely pick it up and put if down (with or without long periods of rest in between). The levels themselves aren't that long, and you could easily play a few levels in each sitting. This sort of gameplay isn't how the rest of the series goes, typically. When it goes on sale I would pick it up if I were you.
Also thanks for the kind words! I hope to do more game-related rambles in the future.
Also--is the Pikmin amiibo worth it if I end up getting the game?
If you've got the smash bros Olimar figure you can use that for the amiibo missions (if you just want to complete each level). It'll also work to call more Pikmin to the field if needed. The only thing I think it doesn't do is it doesn't bring random amiibo in for the minigames, it only brings the amiibo of itself. So if you already have the Olimar amiibo and don't plan to collect amiibo in the game, I'd pass on it. If you don't have the Olimar amiibo and want these functions, I'd get the Pikmin amiibo.
Cave story local 2-player co-op mode will be available 9/15! A new gif that nicalis posted on twitter shows quote and sue playing the wind fortress level! The curiosity grows!
Sadly, I have not had the time to coordinate a playthrough of Cave Story 2-Player mode with another person. I did, however, test the feature out, so I'll split this into two parts.
CS 2.0 (2-P) Part 1
Two-Player Mode
-This mode works for all aspects of the game (story mode, curly story, and all challenges).
-Player 2 can be added or dropped at any time seamlessly. Invite a friend over and continue if they have to run.
-Player 2 sprites for story mode include the various quote reskins for Halloween and Christmas, as well as the easy mode and hard mode skins (or the original one swapped out for whichever sprite player one is). For curly story you can choose from the two quote recolors (no original option), the Christmas curly, or the Halloween curly (aka her dressed as Samus Aran). The challenges offer the same options depending on who player one is in the specific mode (ex. Curly in Machine Gun Challenge, Quote in Sand Pit, etc.).
-More player 2 sprites are unlockable as the game progresses, the first of which being King.
-Options have added the ability to customize both players' controls scheme separately.
-"Unlock Notifications" on/off toggle (for unlocking new sprites) has been added to the options menu.
-Each player has individual health and air tanks.
-A game over occurs when any one player dies. No curly-style rescues for your player two.
-Opening a door moves both players to the new screen. Either player can do this.
-The screen always keeps player one in the frame somehow (but not always centered). This means that player two has to keep up and also cannot run too far ahead or they leave the screen. If plays two stays off the screen for about three seconds, they poof back to player 1's position. Their "P2" reticule blinks several times before this happens though. Talking to someone while player two is out of frame instantly teleports them to player one. Collecting an item or activating a cut scene will teleport either player to the one that activated the event.
-Weapon crystal count is collective, meaning that if one player picks it up or loses some, it happens to both players.
New Soundtrack
A newly remixed ost by Ridiculon was also added to this update, making it the first version of Cave Story to come with two new soundtracks instead of just one. Anyway, this remix has a heavy rock influence and in my opinion it can get old after a while. However, it's still nice to have a version that greatly contrasts from the four previous versions. While it isn't quite my cup of tea, I can still appreciate it.
I listened to the whole soundtrack and these are some of the notably cool remixes:
-Wind Fortress
-Living Waterway
-Running Hell (lol is there a version of this that isn't great? (Answer: no))
-Labyrinth Fight
-Cemetery
-Gestation
More coming in part 2