History YMMV / CaveStory

** The Doctor is a [[GenericDoomsdayVillain generally flat]], [[CompleteEvil purely evil]] antagonist. He wants to conquer the world using brainwashed Mimigas, with no further reason as to why he wants to do so.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Dr. Fuyuhiko Date]], [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep known almost exclusively]] as [[MadDoctor the Doctor]], is a sociopathic researcher who came onto the floating island to take control of the powers of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Demon Crown]]. The Doctor is responsible for kidnapping several of the harmless native Mimigas and force-feeding them the corrupting red flowers, mutating them into savage beasts. The Doctor has reduced the Mimiga's village to a select few survivors in doing this, and plots to use the rabid Mimiga to attack the surface world. [[spoiler:The Doctor has his servants force-feed the young Toroko these red flowers, ultimately leading to her death, and murders King when he tries to intervene, commenting on how "fragile" their bodies are. The Doctor is also responsible for mutating several of the island's infant dragons into undead zombies. At the end of the game, the Doctor mutates his own servant Misery for her dissent, intending to make her his puppet until the day she dies. The Doctor was an [[ItsAllAboutMe unfettered egomaniac]] who puts his pride above everything else, all the while behaving in a calm, perpetually condescending manner.]]

** Both [[spoiler:King and Toroko]] have interesting and likeable personalities and prove to be quite capable fighters, it would've been interesting to see them accompany the player much like Curly does. [[spoiler:They are both killed quite early into the game and are impossible to save in the main game]].
** The Doctor is generally a [[GenericDoomsdayVillain pretty flat antagonist]]. He wants to conquer the world using enslaved Mimigas, but the game never goes into on ''why'' [[ForTheEvulz he wants to do so]]. While sometimes, a [[CompleteMonster completely unsympathetic antagonist]] works better, since the player won't feel bad about killing him, at least the game should state a reasoning.

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: The story is widely regarded to be one the weakest points of the game, with many criticizing the unnecessary darkness, the inability to save [[spoiler:King and Toroko]], and the {{Anvilicious}} message. However, many players agree that the game is worth it for the gameplay alone, which is surpisingly solid for being made by one person.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Since there's no way to save certain characters (and those who you ''can'' save are a heavy case of GuideDangIt), it can be hard to care what happens to them, since the player is more likely to curse the game instead of themselves when it comes to saving them. [[spoiler:At the end, the one thing the player might care about is [[KickTheSonOfABitch killing the Doctor]], but even then, there are endings [[TheBadGuyWins where he gets what he wants]] [[KarmaHoudini without reprecussions]]]].

* {{Anvilicious}}: HumansAreBastards and the game wastes no time telling that to the player. It goes without saying that this attitude is ''extremely'' nihilistic, especially since [[spoiler: [[CompleteMonster the Doctor is so far removed from humanity]] that it becomes impossible to see themselves in him in any way. Nevermind that there are good humans in the game (Professor Booster, Momorin and arguably Sue Sakamoto) or humans that are merely cowards and didn't plan to harm anyone (Kazuma, Itoh)]] that it also becomes a BrokenAesop.

** Toroko. She lost her older brother not too long before the events of the game and saved and cared for Sue when she showed up in Mimiga Village. [[spoiler:She gets mistaken for Sue by Balrog and is kidnapped in her place, with the Doctor using her as a guinea pig for the [[PsychoSerum red flowers]]. Turned rabid, Quote has to fight her and ends up killing her.]]
** [[StoicWoobie King]]. He clearly cares about his people and tries his best to stand in for Arthur, but [[spoiler:when it comes to a confrontation between him and [[BigBad the Doctor]], the latter unceremoniously throws him against a wall. He accepts his death, but gives Quote his blade, at least he can assist him in spirit]].
** At the end, we have to feel sorry for [[JerkassWoobie Sue]] as well. While she may be rude and stand-offish, she also suffers a ''lot'' through the game. [[BalefulPolymorph Getting turned into a Mimiga]] doesn't even ''begin'' to cover it.

** [[WoobieSpecies The Mimiga as a whole]] qualify. They are friendly creatures living happily in their village, which just happens to contain toxic red plants which turns them strong and aggressive. [[spoiler:And they're planned to be used as weapons by a sociopathic doctor. Even worse, [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality since the player can choose to just let him]]]].

* UglyCute: King is not ''ugly'', but he's certainly less conventionally cute than the other Mimigas. Nevertheless, several fans think he's adorable.

* ScrappyWeapon: Subverted by the Bubbline/Bubbler. So many [=FAQs=] condemn this weapon as being "meh" at best, or even outright terrible, but leveling the Bubbline up makes it apparent pretty quickly that this isn't entirely accurate. At level 1, it is the epitome of useless. At level 2, it's a decent enough rapid-fire weapon, but still nothing special. [[MagikarpPower At level 3]], however, the Bubbline becomes a powerful and versatile weapon with both offensive and defensive applications. Holding down the fire button continually conjures bubbles that hover around you, shielding you from destructible projectiles. These bubbles will fire off on their own a few seconds after being conjured, but you can also fire all bubbles at once like some sort of [[MakingASplash water-elemental]] MacrossMissileMassacre simply by releasing the fire button. However, the Bubbline ''does'' run out of bubbles eventually, and requires a cooldown period before it's back up to full charge. As well, it has one of the smallest [=EXP=] cushions in the game for securing its level at 3, meaning it's easy to be sent back down to level 2 by taking damage. Despite this, it's still very much a powerful weapon in its own right if you know how and when to use it.

* ItWasHisSled: A lot of online walkthroughs and such, even ones that otherwise avoid spoiling things without warning, give away the player character's name ([[spoiler:Quote]]) without a second thought. Presumably, this is because no name is given for him until partway through the GoldenEnding path, making it hard to talk about him otherwise. Later releases attempted to address this referring to him by the InSeriesNickname "Mr. Traveler", but crossover appearances, such as ''VideoGame/BladeStrangers'' and ''VideoGame/CrystalCrisis'', [[http://archive.is/NkZAD spoil his name]] [[LateArrivalSpoiler right off the bat]].

* MemeticBadass:
** Kanpachi, at least on the fan forum.
** Also, King. Not only is he technically everyone's favorite Mimiga, he also [[CurbStompBattle defeats and nearly destroys Balrog in one hit]] and has without a doubt [[RedEyesTakeWarning one of the manliest faces in video game history]]...all while [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything being a good guardian and making a valiant effort to protect his friend's little sister.]] [[spoiler: Then after he dies, his ''[[PrecisionFStrike motherfucking]]'' ''[[SpiritAdvisor spirit]]'' is still able to leap out of his sword at will, [[TestosteronePoisoning slashing away wildly at enemies]] while looking like one of the Stands from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure.'']] ''[[RuleOfCool Hell yes!]]''

* HilariousInHindsight: Chako's lipstick "has no use". Five years later, VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} [[spoiler:finishes off Father Balder by shooting him with lipstick]].
* HoYay: The BadEnding has [[spoiler:Quote and Kazuma (both male) escaping the Doctor's clutches and living HappilyEverAfter]].

** Kazuma as well, since his choice to [[spoiler:leave the continent to avoid the Doctor's plan completely]] either makes him [[JerkassWoobie tragically sympathetic]] or a [[DirtyCoward cowardly]], [[ItsAllAboutMe borderline sociopathic]] asshole.
* BetterThanCanon: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRBz1ihz6EU The fan-made fourth ending]] for many, particularly because [[spoiler:you can actually save King and Toroko and the credits suggest Misery finally makes amends with her mother, Jenka]].

** Balrog, for [[LargeHam multiple]] [[{{Catchphrase}} reasons]].

* GoddamnedBats:
** The Crows in the Sand Zone, and Butes in [[BrutalBonusLevel Sacred Grounds]].
** And the actual bats in the game, which can swarm around you if you don't kill them while sleeping, and are particularly obnoxious when summon spammed by bosses.
* GoddamnedBoss: The Core, with periods of invulnerability and ability to flood the area, which slows you down and may drown you. Also, the boss area is quite far from the previous restoration point even if you aren't going for the GoldenEnding.
** In his first form, the Doctor's attacks are fairly easy to dodge. However, all of his projectiles block your projectiles, and that's not accounting for the Red Crystal he's got buzzing around him which does the same. [[spoiler:And his final form is a reprise of the Core.]]

** [[spoiler:Both Toroko and King]] qualify, since the game never makes their fate quite clear outside of [[spoiler:King giving you his blade at his last breath, which clearly shows his spirit when one upgrades it to Level 3]]. In fact, if one checks for them, [[NoBodyLeftBehind no body is left behind]], so the player might assume they eventually regained conciousness and left.

* AlasPoorScrappy: Sue might qualify for some of her detractors after being pummeled into submission by a gigantic frenzied Mimiga. But since she declares [[UnwantedAssistance she didn't want your help]] if you tell her you saved her, and then [[{{Hypocrite}} tells you "You're no help"]] [[BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible if you tell her you didn't]], some might not feel much sympathy for her.

** [[spoiler:The Double Sky Dragon boss in Revisited!Egg Corridor]] deserves a mention. The initial pattern isn't particularly complicated, but that barely matters when heavy-hitting an hard to dodged streams of flame are being fired directly at you from two different positions at once. In addition, the boss spends most of its time invincible, and the narrow window you have to hit it before it hits you makes it quite difficult to do damage without getting hit yourself, and it will hit much, much harder than you do.

** [[The Double Sky Dragon boss in Revisited!Egg Corridor]] deserves a mention. The initial pattern isn't particularly complicated, but that barely matters when heavy-hitting an hard to dodged streams of flame are being fired directly at you from two different positions at once. In addition, the boss spends most of its time invincible, and the narrow window you have to hit it before it hits you makes it quite difficult to do damage without getting hit yourself, and it will hit much, much harder than you do.

* ItWasHisSled: A lot of online walkthroughs and such, even ones that otherwise avoid spoiling things without warning, give away the player character's name ([[spoiler:Quote]]) without a second thought. Presumably, this is because no name is given for him until partway through the GoldenEnding path, making it hard to talk about him otherwise. Later releases attempted to address this referring to him by the InSeriesNickname "Mr. Traveler", but crossover appearances, such as ''VideoGame/BladeStrangers'' and ''VideoGame/CrystalCrisis'', [[LateArrivalSpoiler spoil his name right off the bat]].

* 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.

* 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]] [[KillEmAll dying before your eyes]] [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies at regular intervals.]] ''[[AC:And still goes with a rating of E10+.'']] ]]

* 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]] [[KillEmAll dying before your eyes]] [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies at regular intervals.]] ''[[AC:And still goes with a rating of E10+''.]] ]]

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Dr. Fuyuhiko Date]], [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep known almost exclusively]] as [[MadDoctor the Doctor]], is a sociopathic researcher who came onto the floating island to take control of the powers of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Demon Crown]]. The Doctor is responsible for kidnapping several of the harmless native Mimigas and force-feeding them the corrupting red flowers, mutating them into savage beasts. The Doctor has reduced the Mimiga's village to a select few survivors in doing this, and plots to use the rabid Mimiga to attack the surface world. The Doctor has his servants force-feed the young Toroko these red flowers, ultimately leading to her death, and murders King when he tries to intervene, commenting on how "fragile" their bodies are. The Doctor is also responsible for mutating several of the island's infant dragons into undead zombies. At the end of the game, the Doctor mutates his own servant Misery for her dissent, intending to make her his puppet until the day she dies. The Doctor was an [[ItsAllAboutMe unfettered egomaniac]] who puts his pride above everything else, all the while behaving in a calm, perpetually condescending manner.]]

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Sue Sakamoto is without a doubt the game's most polarizing character. There are those who find her feisty {{Tsundere}} personality extremely infuriating and criticize her lack of impact on the overall story, while others ''love'' her for her feistiness and enjoy her role in the story just fine.

* {{Anvilicious}}: HumansAreBastards and the game wastes no time telling that to the player. It goes without saying that this attitude is ''extremely'' nihilistic, especially since [[spoiler: [[CompleteMonster the Doctor is so far removed from humanity]] that it becomes impossible to see themselves in him in any way. Nevermind that there are good humans in the game (Jenka, Professor Booster, Momorin and arguably Sue Sakamoto) or humans that are merely cowards and didn't plan to harm anyone (Kazuma, Itoh)]] that it also becomes a BrokenAesop.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Both [[spoiler:King and Toroko]] have interesting and likeable personalities and prove to be quite capable fighters, it would've been interesting to see them accompany the player much like Curly does. [[spoiler:They are both killed quite early into the game and are impossible to save in the main game]].

** King, especially [[spoiler:after he gives the player the Sword, one of the best weapons on a normal run, before dying from his injuries. It even has his soul! It also helps that he [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped Balrog]] just a bit beforehand]] and that he's a signified badass even before that happens.

* DracoInLeatherPants: It's very easy to excuse Misery and Balrog's actions on the grounds that they were ForcedIntoEvil, and very easy to forget they were doing evil with genuine, happy ''smiles'' on their faces.

* VagueAge: There's some room for discrepancy on how physically old Quote and Curly are exactly meant to be, given the game's original more chibi artsyle. Recent depictions by Nicalis have settled on more of a "young adult" portrayal, which makes sense for Curly in having been an adoptive mother to a group of Mimiga, and ''probably for the best'' for Quote.[[note]]Otherwise, the OptionalSexualEncounter with Chaco and the obtaining of Curly's panties create some very unfortunate implications.[[/note]]