History YMMV / CaveStory

* BrokenBase: The developer's forums for the [=WiiWare=] version were ''ablaze'' with people complaining about the music, the graphics, the gameplay ... it's descended to the point where [[FanDumb "devoted fans" are ''refusing to buy the game when it comes out because it was delayed'']]. The newly released update should fix all of those complaints.
* CompleteMonster: The Doctor. This is a guy who kidnaps and performs PsychoSerum experiments on the local tribe of [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Ridiculously Cute Critters]] in the hopes of transforming them into [[UnstoppableRage mindless monsters]] for his army [[spoiler:and as Quote finds out in the endgame, is working on a project to do the same thing to humans.]] He's killed more than a few of the Mimigas as well [[spoiler:and forces [[PlayerPunch you to personally kill]] Toroko.]] He threw [[spoiler:Sue's mother]], Momorin, off the edge of the floating island (she got better) and even [[spoiler:slaughters an entire corridor of baby dragons, some of which hadn't even hatched yet, and turns a good number of the baby dragons into his undead servants.]] And to dash any last chance of redeemability? [[spoiler:The ArtifactOfDoom sealed on the island is ''the only reason he came to the island in the first place''! Sue's letter states that he knew about it all along - and wormed his way into the group just to get his hands on it!]]

** The Grasstown music, which starts off like ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' and builds into something like classic Music/{{Genesis}}. Pure, distilled awesome.

** [[spoiler:Ballos' fourth form, too... which, through a [[GoodBadBugs random glitch]], allows you to jump ''[[EyeScream into his eye]]'' and fire off enough super missiles to blow up the whole freakin' island.]]

** The Core has five [[CoresAndTurretsBoss 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).

** The Grasstown music, which starts off like ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' and builds into something like classic {{Genesis}}. Pure, distilled awesome.

* LethalJokeWeapon: The bubbler. Starts off only able to produce four shots at 1 or 2 damage each. Level two: machinegun, a bit slower than the one you get later in game. Level Three: [[BFG Star Cannon]]. No, Really, Star Cannon.

*** The 3DS ("Remastered" for Steam version) version of it isn't [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6hd8NOqVpI too bad]][[hottip:*:For Steam users, check the game's data/base/ogg11 folder all the remastered music.]].

** To drive the point home? Most bosses are doable without getting hit. When fighting Monster X and the Core, it is barely possible to get a hit. In the Wii/Mac/Steam version's Hard Mode, you MUST beat them that way, because their weakest attacks do 3 points of damage, which is pretty much all the HP you're allowed to have in Hard Mode. [[OhCrap Oh, and no missiles, either!]]

** To drive the point home? Most bosses are doable without getting hit. When fighting Monster X and the Core, it is barely possible to get a hit. In Hard Mode, you MUST beat them that way, because their weakest attacks do 3 points of damage, which is pretty much all the HP you're allowed to have in Hard Mode. [[OhCrap Oh, and no missiles, either!]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Plenty. The fight against the Core is one, not to mention the music.
** Raiding [[spoiler: the Sacred Grounds with Curly strapped on your back who giving you some GREAT cover while a great music plays and the story of Ballos unfold.]]

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: The broken robot you see right before the fight with [[spoiler:The Core]] stands out, as does the [[spoiler:Undead Core with his bloody faces (the big energy ball spitting form especially)]] and [[spoiler:Ballos' last form, with the corpses.]]
** The red flowers. [[spoiler:[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Which may as well be a euphemism for mind-altering drugs.]]]]

* TearJerker: The death of [[spoiler:King, and then Toroko.]] The first you arrive only moments too late to save, and the second you're forced to kill after [[spoiler:the [[PsychoSerum red flowers]] Balrog force-fed to her kick in.]] This is only made worse when you see the max level of The Sword. [[spoiler:King ''himself'' appears as a ghost, attacking your enemies.]]
** [[spoiler:What happens to Curly if you don't know the precise sequence of events needed to save her and restore her memory, or if you left her behind after defeating the Core. You abandon her in the Core chamber, which is now filled with water. "There is no response" is the only thing you get on examining her. When you leave, the shutter closes behind you, leaving her to drown.]] Add in the spooky dark music, and the result is just... ugh. Even worse is when [[spoiler:the entire island is breaking down, and it goes through screenshots of the island falling to pieces. And the second to last one you are forced to see is the exact same place where you left Curly to die. All set to gut-wrenchingly sad music.]] The dog you meet in the Plantation tells you to, [[spoiler:"Say hi to Curly for me!"]] If you didn't save her, it's a real sock in the gut.
** And if you do figure out [[spoiler:that you have to get the Tow Rope by skipping the Booster v0.8 to save Curly, but not that [[GuideDangIt you have to time a jump precisely to get to an cabin that will barely catch a player's attention unless they've checked a guide]], then you will carry Curly with you till the next boss fight, except then in addition to Curly being separated from you after you win, a text box appears saying: [[PlayerPunch "Curly's life functions have ceased."]]]]
** The story you hear in the BonusLevelOfHell.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Balrog's quirky CatchPhrase ("Huzzah!") became an "Oh Yeaahhh!" for the 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.

* NightmareFuel: The broken robot you see right before the fight with [[spoiler:The Core]] stands out, as does the [[spoiler:Undead Core with his bloody faces (the big energy ball spitting form especially)]] and [[spoiler:Ballos' last form, with the corpses.]]

** The Grasstown music, which starts off like ''JazzJackrabbit'' and builds into something like classic {{Genesis}}. Pure, distilled awesome.

* GoodBadBugs: Playing in ChristmasMode in the {{Wii}} version somehow turns Curly's sprite into [[spoiler:Quote's]]. Not only is the now-male "Curly" referred to as "she" and "her", you still meet [[spoiler:Quote]] in the Sand Zone. For the rest of the game two copies of the main character [[http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll143/darxzero/QuoteAndQuote.jpg are running around the island.]] And Curly's panties are still referred to as "Your Panties". [[WholesomeCrossdresser Yeah.]]

** '''Scorching Back.'''

** Easy: the Grasstown music, which starts off like ''JazzJackrabbit'' and builds into something like classic {{Genesis}}. Pure, distilled awesome.

** Raiding [[the Sacred Grounds with Curly strapped on your back who giving you some GREAT cover while a great music plays and the story of Ballos unfold.]]

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: Cave Story is getting a remake on the Nintendo3DS? And it's being released by NipponIchi as a retail game? And Pixel's finally making a new game?!

** [[spoiler:This is, however, avoidable if you go through the BonusLevelOfHell.]]