A couple years ago, I made my own list of "top 10 best games released between 2010 and 2019." Cave Story+ was #6. Here was what I wrote to explain why: Cave Story is another game I'd heard about for a long time before I played it, but I didn't know very much about it...other than one important thing. With the boom in indie gaming in the 10s - and this isn't close to the last indie game on the list, so I certainly got in on that boom - people called Cave Story "the grandfather of indie gaming," a simple but great game made by one person. I also heard its gameplay described as "sort of a mix of Metroid and Contra," and that sounded good to me, so at some point earlier in the decade I finally picked up Cave Story+ and went to find out why everyone was still talking about Cave Story, let alone why they were talking about how great it was. It started out fun: Good platforming and shooting, catchy music, colorful and pretty graphics, and a lot of cute critters (plus one cute gynoid). Then, early on, I got stumped in one area and I was too stubborn (or stupid) to look up what I was supposed to do. I abandoned it for years. Then, feeling emboldened by overcoming another personal gaming challenge, I picked it up again and swallowed enough of my pride to look up a guide. I'm glad I did because once I got past that part, everything good about the game kept getting better, and even when I failed, I was having a blast. It says a lot about the quality of a game when, even if it's giving you a beating, you're still loving it. Getting the best ending...that was an accomplishment. I recommend this for anyone who wants to play a milestone in indie gaming and in gaming period. But also, don't feel ashamed to look up a guide here and there; some of the things in this game are hard to find, especially when it comes to getting the best ending.
