Topic: Cave Story ... How long will it keep me busy?

Ive heard of this game.. but one guy made it? couldnt be that good.. looks like a retro metroid vania fun time... but.. is it that good? and will i beat it in like 2 hours? or will it take more.. i dont want to fork over money for a quick game..

I'd say it'd last at least 4 passings of the moon.

It will probably take you 3-5 hours to beat the game's normal ending. The best ending, on the other hand... depends on you're skill level. It's hard the first time.

@mushroomer: It's a decent size. It took me about 12 hours on my first playthrough. The game still took me 7 hours to complete on my seventh or eighth playthrough (100%). And yes, it is that good. The original version in all of its super pixelated glory can still be downloaded for free if you want to test the waters.

Yes.. It's good.. Should take you about ten hours or so to get the true ending.. If you are even skilled enough to get through the final area.. And a game's quality isn't contingent on the number of staff which created it.. Look at the team size for Umihara Kawase.. Or Dust on Steam..
..

The game is not good - it's really really good.
I have no idea how it plays on 3DS though - the people who publish it apparently don't like Europe.
Took me, say, five hours to complete the first run and get the normal ending.
After that, you realize that there's more to it and you want to go for another run, so you can find the cool weapons (there's a lot of stuff you'll miss during your first run) and go for the best ending, which might take a while, depending on your skill. To get the best ending, beside skill, you will need to peek at a guide because you have to do a couple of very specific actions.
And trust me, all the three endings are relevant, so you want to see them.

Just looked at the software records in my 3DS library. It says 45 hours for Cave Story and I haven't even been able to beat the harder version - that's insanely hard..at least for me. I like to complete all challenges within games so that's the max I'm likely to get out of it, unless I suddenly gain more skill or get someone to show me how to do it properly. Very replayable though and enjoyable.

thanks guys! i watched a youtube and really get a good idea what its like and it looks totally fun.. but now. i have another question...

which one should i get first.
cavestory
VVVVVV
mighty swtichforce 2 or 1
Edge
Shante
nightsky
or something ive missed?

ive been into pinball so i have ll the zen stuff.. and ancient beckons for dsi that was a gem..

the problem is that, in my opinion, you'll hardly find another indie/downloadable title as good as Cave Story (La-Mulana on WiiWare is one, but it takes 20 times the effort). The list above has some excellent games (VVVVVV, Mighty Switch Force, Shantae etc - I would add Steamworld Dig to the mix because of its high quality). If you want to play the best one first, go with Cave Story - otherwise I dunno...VVVVVV is pretty good.

Download the original? Where? What was changed?

Where: first result for the Google search "Cave Story".

What was changed: Some minor things. Certain payed versions have visual differences, and an unlockable character, which IIRC was not in the original freeware PC release. And some other things I'm forgetting.

I think the 3DS version has the aforementioned Curly Story mode, and a new stage called Wind Fortress or something?
The original is a freeware PC game.

I think it kept me busy for a week or so. Keep in mind though that I didn't play through Curly story or play through the Hell section (didn't know it existed until after I beat the game).

Playing through Hell is definitely worth it. Even if you miss the flags to trigger access to it, it's worth another playthrough to get to it. That's where the game actually gets challenging.

I've gotten 15 hours on my 3DS, about 11 or 12 from my (Third) playthrough of the game and three or so from extras. I'd definitely say go for it, it's one of my all time favorites.

Very long if you get stuck on bloodstained sanctuary like me.

CAVE STORY CAVE STORY CAVE STORY CAVE STORY…

ahem…
excuse me, i happen to like Cave Story. i love this game. i breath it (at the time of writing this, i'm actually listening to the soundtrack). this is one of my favorite, if not then my absolute favorite, game of all time. is the game worth buying? Hell. yeah. the game isn't perfect, but it's close, very close.

i bought this game knowing nothing other than it's a popular game. what ensued was a 10-15 hour first playthrough of honestly one of my favorite games ever. Story? awesome. music? awesome. gameplay? awesome. characters? awesome there is almost nothing wrong with this game, near perfect. it took five years to make, so everyone and everything is fleshed out and brilliantly made. the writing is awesome, the graphics are gorgeous, the music is even better, the story is flawless, the characters are memorable, and the game leaves a mark that burns in you.

even after you beat the game, there is SO much stuff to do afterwards. play replay the game with new tactics in mind, try new strategies and weapons, challenge yourself, play on higher difficulties, unlock curly story, play the Hell Level! the game contains so much content, saying it only lasts 7 hours is a lie - it's closer to the 50+ region. i've played this game so many times, several different ways, and i never got bored.

so buy this game? yes! no question, just buy it. you will fall in love, i promise. buy this first, before anything else, it needs to be your top priority. play this game, nothing will seem good in comparison. VVVVVV is good, MSF is good, Shantae is good, but nothing is near as good as Cave Story. i still do not think you understand how much of a gem this is. the only way to truly understand is to play, so do it. buying Cave Story+ on 3DS or wiiware is best, but the freeware version is always available.

if i could summarize this game with a song, i would choose this song…

It is definitely a good purchase. I spent around 10 hours on my first playthrough, but I fooled around alot so you could probably beat it faster. Afterwards I immediately replayed it to get the best ending, this time taking me much less, up until I made it to the blood stained sanctuary, which took a long time to beat. Even now I replay it every once in a while.

Maybe I'm in the minority but honestly, I prefer Shantae, though Cave Story is a close second. Either one is great though, and the majority seems to vote for Cave Story.

Cave Story is simply an amazing experience, and definitely top of that list you gave. VVVVVV is a very deserved second place though, and is really fun on the 3DS. Shantae is in my opinion a very overrated gaming franchise, and the others were simply alright or good to me.