History YMMV / CaveStory

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The "life capsule" jingle is quite similar to the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' "got item" jingle.

** [[spoiler:Frenzied Toroko]] makes for one hell of a WakeUpCallBoss. While her [=AI=] pattern is pretty simple and easy to deal with once you get the hang of it, her attacks deal 10 points of damage, which is at roughly 28% of the maximum ''possible'' health you can have at that point.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The game is known for its accessible and engaging gameplay and cutesy visuals. [[spoiler: It also features themes of slavery, [[GreatOffscreenWar war]], and biological experimentation on unwilling test subjects, four nightmarish final bosses (The Doctor, who loses control and mutates, then him possessing the Core, Sue, and Misery, then the Heavy Press which attacks out of nowhere and is a Kaizo Trap if you don't realize what it is quickly enough, then finally Ballos, who has a horrific backstory and red, dripping, tortured faces in his head), and [[AnyoneCanDie most of the cast]] dying before your eyes [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies at regular intervals.]] '''''And still goes with a rating of E10+.''''']]

* PolishedPort: The number of ports of this game have are comparable to the ports of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', and many of them capitalizes on the last. The 2010 UsefulNotes/WiiWare port has remastered graphics, runs at 60 FPS oppose to 50 FPS in the freeware version, features the ability to play as Curly Brace, a (hidden) Jukebox music player, and the European version gets an additional soundtrack.[[note]]Later the North American version would have its debatable soundtrack replaced with the European soundtrack.[[/note]] The game would be later ported back to PC, [=MacOS=], and Linux in 2011 as ''Cave Story+'', featuring all of the content from the [=WiiWare=] release with addition of a new set of challenge modes and the Wind Fortress area. The 3DS has two versions of ''Cave Story'': ''Cave Story 3D'' in 2011, which revamps the game's graphics with a TwoAndAHalfD presentation but is missing most of the challenge modes from the PC version of ''Cave Story+'' (although it has a unique area that is exclusive to this version), and an [=eShop=]-exclusive version of ''Cave Story'' the following year, which uses the original graphics with the ability to play the game in either the original 4:3 or 5:3 aspect-ratio with support for stereoscopic 3D and features most of the extra challenges save for the Machine Gun Challenge. The 2017 Switch remaster then adds onto all of this with the Wii's remastered graphics, animated dialogue portraits, widescreen presentation, some gorgeous yet subtle lighting effects, a smoother frame-rate than previous versions, new Famitracks remixes, a new Sand Pit challenge, and, in a later update, added a new "Ridiculon" soundtrack by the same composer behind ''[[VideoGame/MeatBoy Super Meat Boy]]'' and ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'' and local two-player co-op with alternate Player 2 skins as unlockables.

* PolishedPort: The number of ports of this game are comparable to the ports of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', and each capitalizes on the last. The 2010 UsefulNotes/WiiWare port has remastered graphics, runs at 60 FPS oppose to 50 FPS in the freeware version, features the ability to play as Curly Brace, and the European version gets an additional soundtrack.[[note]]Later the North American version would have its debatable soundtrack replaced with the European soundtrack.[[/note]] The game would be later ported back to PC, [=MacOS=], and Linux in 2011 as ''Cave Story+'', featuring all of the content from the [=WiiWare=] release with addition of the Wind Fortress area. The 3DS has two versions of ''Cave Story'': ''Cave Story 3D'' in 2011, which revamps the game's graphics with a TwoAndAHalfD presentation, and an [=eShop=]-exclusive version of ''Cave Story'' the following year, which uses the original graphics with the ability to play the game in either the original 4:3 or 5:3 aspect-ratio with support for stereoscopic 3D. The 2017 Switch remaster then adds onto all of this with the Wii's remastered graphics, animated dialogue portraits, widescreen presentation, some gorgeous yet subtle lighting effects, a smoother frame-rate than previous versions, new Famitracks and Ridiculon soundtrack options, more challenges, and local co-op in a later update.

** Balrog is beloved for being a LargeHam who provides some of the game's most memorable {{Catchphrase}}s.

** "HUZZAH!", Balrog's CatchPhrase in the FanTranslation of the original game, became a sort of rallying cry for fans of the game.

* PolishedPort: The number of ports of the game is comparable to the number of ports of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', and each capitalizes on the last. The UsefulNotes/WiiWare port has remastered graphics, runs at 60 FPS oppose to 50 FPS in the freeware version, the ability to play as Curly, and the European version gets an additional soundtrack.[[note]]Later the North American version would have its debatable soundtrack replaced with the European soundtrack.[[/note]] ''Cave Story +'' has all this and the Wind Fortress, somehow harder than the Sacred Grounds. ''3D'' has polygonal models, and ''Cave Story +'''s eShop release boasts everything ''+'' does but the graphics, and to compensate it's in stunning 3D. The Switch version then adds onto all of this with the Wii's remastered graphics, animated dialogue portraits, widescreen presentation, some gorgeous subtle lighting effects, new Famitracks and Ridiculon soundtrack options, more challenges, and co-op in a later update.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Balrog's quirky CatchPhrase ("Huzzah!") became "Oh Yeaahhh!" for the UsefulNotes/WiiWare release. Fans were not pleased. Also, some of the music sounded worse, although in this case the consensus was nearly unanimous, with the real debate being how big a problem it was. Nicalis heard the complaints, and eventually released an update that fixed the sound, music, and a few grammar/spelling quirks... but ''not'' Balrog's line.

* BrokenBase: Does ''Cave Story'' count as a {{Metroidvania}}? Despite being one of the most iconic indie examples, for some fans the game is considered too linear and story-oriented to qualify as such.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: It cannot be stressed enough how important this game is. Just about everything about it has permanently influenced Indie game development since its release. Numerous successful {{Retraux}} titles such as ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', and even ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' owe their very existence to ''Cave Story''. The game has been copied to death ever since it was released back in '''2004''', meaning that all the factors that once made it legendary (the spritework, the music, the story, even the fact that it was made by ''one guy'') are now old hat.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Mr. Traveler/[[spoiler:Quote]] can be easily mistaken for a girl at first glance, due to having BoyishShortHair and rather androgynous clothing. The fact that his name was actually going to be "Curly Brace" would've only made thing worse.

** The Core has five mini-cores that together create an impressive volume of fire, and severely hampers the player's mobility by frequently flooding the room. It TurnsRed by adding a current to the water and starting to use an attack which takes off 20 HP (of a maximum attainable 41 at that point). If you're playing on Hard Mode, the difficulty of the fight is amped up considerably since, unless you're playing the physical 3DS release, you only have your starting 3 HP and no Missiles, and thus don't have good damage output and every single attack it throws at you is a OneHitKill. While with Monster X you could attack a little and then flee when it gets dangerous, the Core's movement patterns and room layout ensures that this isn't possible, making the Core possibly the biggest roadblock on Hard Mode.

** Getting the GoldenEnding is such a massive spike in difficulty, that many players flat out don’t consider it worth getting. Not only does reaching it feature GuideDangIt that occasionally dips into ViolationOfCommonSense [[spoiler:(Most notably ignoring the Professor falling down a shaft so you can get Booster 2.0 when he turns up alive and well later despite him dying if you check up on him)]], but getting to the TrueFinalBoss requires going through the [[BrutalBonusLevel brutally difficult]] Blood Stained Sanctuary. Said TrueFinalBoss starts with a boss that ends with a KaizoTrap, has 4 phases, and is much more difficult than every other boss. And there are [[CheckpointStarvation no checkpoints]] so dying sends you back to the start of the Blood Stained Sanctuary.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The "life capsule" jingle is quite similar to the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' "got item" jingle.

* FandomRivalry: Shares a minor one with ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''. ''Cave Story'' fans get annoyed when ''Undertale'' fanart appears in ''Cave Story'' Tumblr tags. It also doesn't help that trolls are accusing ''Cave Story'' for ripping off ''Undertale'' even though ''Cave Story'' was released a decade before.

* MoralEventHorizon: If [[BigBad the Doctor]]'s manipulative plot to join the research team [[GoodPowersBadPeople and serve as their medical doctor]] as a ploy to get his hands on the magical [[ArtifactOfDoom Demon Crown]] and use its powers to try to [[TakeOverTheWorld conquer the world]] wasn't already crossing the MEH, he ''definitely'' crosses it when he orders [[TheDragon Misery]] and Balrog to force-feed [[PsychoSerum Red Flowers]] to Toroko, an innocent [[WouldHurtAChild child]] Mimiga, turning her into a mindlessly enraged creature that you, the player is forced to MercyKill to put her out of her misery.