Landmark indie classic
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews
“you really have to remember that cave story came out in 2004 it just oozes that much style”
Steam review · 11.6 h played ↗
Cave Story+
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 92%Very Positive · 92%Nicalis, Inc., Studio Pixel2011Metroidvania · Platformer · Shooter
$14.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 2 h ago
The verdict
A landmark indie metroidvania with a great soundtrack, charming story and multiple endings. Skip it if floaty controls, weapon downgrades on hit or a no-save final boss gauntlet put you off.
Great for
Fans of retro platformers and metroidvanias who like challenge, secrets, multiple endings and great chiptune music
Main risk
Floaty controls and a no-save final boss gauntlet can turn the experience frustrating
What players love
Excellent soundtrack with multiple versions
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“The fact that you can switch between og ost and others is the best thing ever.”
Steam review · 0.5 h played ↗
Charming story and memorable characters
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“Tons of fun with charming characters, and an absolutely amazing story.”
Steam review · 21.9 h played ↗
Replayable with multiple endings and secrets
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“The best part is that there are multiple endings and lots of achievements to be gained through collecting hidden items.”
Steam review · 32.3 h played ↗
Switch content and modding update
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“wide screen support added, coop, extra mission, costumes, and everything in the switch version”
Steam review · 43 h played ↗
Fun weapons, tight and challenging action
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“The weapons in the game all feel unique, and I enjoyed experimenting with them to figure out which are best for different scenarios.”
Steam review · 15.2 h played ↗
What players complain about
Don't support Nicalis; free original exists
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews
“this game is free and will always be free at https://www.cavestory.org/”
Steam review · 56.5 h played ↗
Brutal no-save final boss gauntlet
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 negative reviews
“at some point a boss rush started, who came up with this?!!!! No saves, no health, no mana.”
Steam review · translated · 11 h played ↗
Floaty, slippery controls
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“Your character's movement is very unprecise and it requires some effort to change direction”
Steam review · 7.3 h played ↗
Weapons downgrade when you take damage
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 negative reviews
“but when you take damage they take these upgrades away, and that's not fun at all.”
Steam review · translated · 3.5 h played ↗
Punishing runbacks and unskippable cutscenes
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 negative reviews
“If you die during a boss fight you will then have to spend the next 5-10mins to even reach the location of the boss fight again”
Steam review · 4.6 h played ↗
Slowdown and lag after the update
Mentioned in ~1 in 21 negative reviews
“Before the new 2026 update the game used to run smoothly on my laptop but now it runs abysmally slow now.”
Steam review · 0.7 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: PlayableController support200 MB
Minimum
OSWindows XP
ProcessorIntel Core Solo
Memory128 MB RAM
Graphics64MB RAM
Storage200 MB HD space
Recommended
OSWindows 7
ProcessorIntel Core Duo 2.0 Ghz and above
Memory512 MB RAM
Graphics256MB RAM, non-integrated
Storage200 MB HD space
OSWindows XP
ProcessorIntel Core Solo
Memory128 MB RAM
Graphics64MB RAM
Storage200 MB HD space
More games to check
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+ Gorgeous art style and great soundtrack
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Pseudoregalia
Overwhelmingly Positive
+ Fluid, satisfying movement
− Easy to get lost, no guidance
analyzed 2 d ago
−10%
Moadra
Very Positive · 83%
+ Faithful Metroid feel and exploration
− Bosses are too long and punishing
analyzed 2 d ago
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