Cave Story 3D

 3DS
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 72 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 72
  3. Negative: 9 out of 72
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  1. Zero2k
    Dec 25, 2011
    10
    This is an updated classic. The new graphics and sprites in comparison to the original are awe inspiring. Wonderful story, memorable characters, a large variety of weapons and fantastic level design give it a high replay value.
  2. Rhunyc
    Nov 27, 2011
    10
    This game is a true joy to play through. I had played the original a year back, for free, and I was delighted to hear it being remade. So, I held out and waited till it's release on the 3DS to finish the game. The world this game puts you in is pretty interesting, and it gives off a great vibe. The game play is reminiscent of Metroid, in a very good way, but it has it's own original flairThis game is a true joy to play through. I had played the original a year back, for free, and I was delighted to hear it being remade. So, I held out and waited till it's release on the 3DS to finish the game. The world this game puts you in is pretty interesting, and it gives off a great vibe. The game play is reminiscent of Metroid, in a very good way, but it has it's own original flair to it, which makes it a very enjoyable title. If you've wanted to try a great shooter/platformer, or you want a great game for your 3DS collection, definitely check this one out. It's a game to be played.… Expand
  3. Teliiii
    Nov 8, 2011
    10
    Absolutely gorgeous game overall. I honestly thought this would suck because of the distracting graphics from the trailers, but when I played this, it wasn't distracting at all! Not to mention the remixed music is beautiful as well! Amazing game, a must-have for the 3DS!
  4. Quote
    Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Do you know what game I wanted badly on November 8th 2011, one that I was REALLY looking forward to? Call of Duty? WRONG, Cave story 3D, the remake of the greatest freeware game known to man. I'm a huge addict of Cave Story, heck, I'm even the current owner of the Cave Story Wiki, Go to the Tribute Site, and think about CS almost on a daily basis. This version however... it's absolutelyDo you know what game I wanted badly on November 8th 2011, one that I was REALLY looking forward to? Call of Duty? WRONG, Cave story 3D, the remake of the greatest freeware game known to man. I'm a huge addict of Cave Story, heck, I'm even the current owner of the Cave Story Wiki, Go to the Tribute Site, and think about CS almost on a daily basis. This version however... it's absolutely AMAZING. It has a greatly remastered track ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np8CYBL1DCs ), huge depth in visuals, and great gameplay just like the original. This game is an ORGASM! Heck, for example on how greatly remastered this game has been, just think of this: Iv'e been a Sonic fan for a long time, when I got Sonic Generations, I felt nostalgia, but when I got the remake of some game iv'e known about for less than a year, I was blown away three times as much. I have almost no complaints, except for the fact that we were promised new modes (we only got a few...) and that "Hero's End" from the original Cave Story wasn't remastered. Anyways, I don't have much to say about it, except for one last thing: If you have a 3DS, who cares about Super Mario 3D Land, Sonic Generations 3DS, or other already released titles for it, get CAVE STORY 3D. Even when it comes to all games coming out lately, Forget Call of Duty, Skyward Sword, Skyrim, Uncharted, Sonic Generations, and everything else. This game is a must.… Expand
  5. Megoliat
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I love the original Cave Story, that game represents the old videogame generations, and it's music is fantastic! A challenging retro game. The 3ds version is superb, all the love put in the original version we can see it in this. The 3ds is very good and the mechanics too. A must have for who wants tho play a forgotten gameplay. (Sorry for my english!)
  6. irixcolirio
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    yeha greatyeha great game------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------… Expand
  7. Wormoid
    Nov 9, 2011
    9
    I personally think this is an amazing game. From tip to tail, Graphics, Sound Effects and Gameplay, everything has been revised brilliantly for the 3DS. This is one of the best Game revisions ever produced. Forget The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, (Despite it's brilliance) Nicalis know how to do a port. Yet, this is not a port, it's almost a brand new game. The scenery isI personally think this is an amazing game. From tip to tail, Graphics, Sound Effects and Gameplay, everything has been revised brilliantly for the 3DS. This is one of the best Game revisions ever produced. Forget The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, (Despite it's brilliance) Nicalis know how to do a port. Yet, this is not a port, it's almost a brand new game. The scenery is unbelievably beautiful and well structured, and from what I have seen this is so far the best 3D in a 3DS game to date! - And yes, I do own Pilotwings Resort - it's absolutely eye popping, yet it puts far less strain on the eye than Pilotwings Resort did! - which is astounding! The Sprites are wonderful and well detailed, and really do this great game justice. As brilliant as the old soundtracks were, the reworked soundtracks are far better. They combine the brand new orchestral yet lovely old retro sounds in each song which makes each one a masterpiece. My only gripe about the sound is that it is not very varied in some places. The gameplay stays true to it's earlier successors, but by no stretch of the imagination is that a bat thing. The gameplay is simplistic and very effective, and most importantly, extremely fun! There are a ton of fun elements packed in including a Classic Mode where you can play as the original sprites against the newer background to keep that Retro feel. This is the joint best 3DS game to date, (No prize for guessing the other one) and I am so glad that I luckily received this 2 days before the official UK release date. Don't hold out until SM3DL, you need to get Cave Story 3D.… Expand
  8. hagelt18
    Nov 8, 2011
    9
    I'm a very big fan of the original Cave Story. It is an amazing game with a fantastic gameplay that has a perfect, adjustable difficulty level with very precise controls. The story is funny and charming, the artwork (in both the orignal freeware and wiiware/dsiware revamps) has always been good, and the music is catchy as hell. The reason I say all this about the old game is becauseI'm a very big fan of the original Cave Story. It is an amazing game with a fantastic gameplay that has a perfect, adjustable difficulty level with very precise controls. The story is funny and charming, the artwork (in both the orignal freeware and wiiware/dsiware revamps) has always been good, and the music is catchy as hell. The reason I say all this about the old game is because it's my basis for comparison.

    Cave Story 3D gives you two game modes "Story" and "Classic" both of them are the same except in classic your character and all the enemies are old 2D sprites instead. The visuals are very details and look very nice, although one problem I do have is that they are very dark to the point where sometimes its hard to see whats going on. The music in this game has been fully improved which is saying a lot since the original music was amazing. The 3D effects work well and are very adjustable (I've noticed some games is basically on or its off...with this the depth slider works very well). I get a little aggressive while playing a fast paced game like this so its easier for me to play with it off.

    I kind of wish there were more extra's in this game since it retails for $39.99, but aside from the music and graphics change, the only thing they added was the ability to play as a Prinny from Disgaea (Which is pretty awesome I guess). In all honestly, I think I like the DSI version of this game better. But I think $50.00 for three versions (3ds, dsi, and the original free pc version) of an amazing game is worth it, and Pixel deserves it. It is also nice to have a physical copy of this game. I'd give Cave Story 3D a 10 but it drops to a 9 because the visuals are are too dark and less charming than the vivid graphics of the dsi/wiiware versions.    … Expand
  9. Metakev
    Jul 3, 2012
    10
    An Awesome game that got the repainting it needed! Developers really gave love to this indie masterpiece. keeping the great gameplay and story while giving it a huge boost in the graphics department
  10. CaveStorySam
    Nov 29, 2011
    10
    I have played the pc version of this game.It's gameplay is amazing,It has a great story and its the best 2D game I have ever played so far.I simply love this game...
  11. Falgo
    Nov 24, 2011
    9
    This game is great! It' fun and challenging to play. Although, the graphics is not top notch but it looks nice and it does give life to the background that was not very interesting in the original.
  12. Serin
    Jan 5, 2012
    9
    As a huge fan of the original PC game and the port to the DS, there was no way I couldn't get this. The first thing that struck me was just how beautiful and deep everything looks. The Mimiga village, the Egg Corridor, all of them looked fantastic! Yeah, it was different from the vibrant and colorful original, but it really does look wonderful. I also really enjoyed the music remixes andAs a huge fan of the original PC game and the port to the DS, there was no way I couldn't get this. The first thing that struck me was just how beautiful and deep everything looks. The Mimiga village, the Egg Corridor, all of them looked fantastic! Yeah, it was different from the vibrant and colorful original, but it really does look wonderful. I also really enjoyed the music remixes and the new solid sprites. At first I had some trouble getting around, but they provided a pixel map on the bottom screen that makes things loads easier. Now it's not completely perfect. Every time you switch screens, there is a very brief loading screen. Usually this isn't so bad, but during a conversation between Sue and Kazuma, every time it switched between them it would load again. But again, usually this isn't very noticeable, thankfully. Another problem I had at first was not noticing enemies who seemed to blend into the background. But since there's a "Classic" mode that uses all the original sprites which stand out a bit more, it's really not so bad. Plus I got used to it after a while anyway. So if you're a fan of the original, this one is definitely worth your time. And if you've never played before, well, the original story and game is almost exactly the same! Cave Story is one of the best games ever made. Check it out!… Expand
  13. BobSmith
    Feb 9, 2012
    9
    The pure gameplay of this game deserves the 9, and I'm not taking into account its relation with the other versions. (i.e. not as much bang for your buck). But if you have never played Cave Story before, this is an EXCELLENT game. And if you've played it for numerous hours and enjoyed it, I would highly recomend this 3D version. It doesn't add too much, but hey. What's there really to addThe pure gameplay of this game deserves the 9, and I'm not taking into account its relation with the other versions. (i.e. not as much bang for your buck). But if you have never played Cave Story before, this is an EXCELLENT game. And if you've played it for numerous hours and enjoyed it, I would highly recomend this 3D version. It doesn't add too much, but hey. What's there really to add to such an amazing game?… Expand
  14. acoolguy
    Jan 8, 2015
    8
    If you've never played Cave Story before, then this game is a great investment.
    In my opinion, Cave Story is one of the greatest 2D-platformers of all time. Needless to say, I was eager when a physical version of the game was finally announced. However, the game was a bit disappointing. The most startling problem for me is the framerate. If this game ran at 60fps, like every other version    If you've never played Cave Story before, then this game is a great investment.
    In my opinion, Cave Story is one of the greatest 2D-platformers of all time. Needless to say, I was eager when a physical version of the game was finally announced. However, the game was a bit disappointing. The most startling problem for me is the framerate. If this game ran at 60fps, like every other version does, then I would have loved it. However, it doesn't even run 30fps. To make it worse, at (albeit rare) times, I noticed framerate drops below the already sub-par framerate. This really slows down the face-paced style of the game, and detracts from the otherwise great experience. While the graphics themselves aren't anything special, I felt that they would have been fine with a decent framerate. Some areas of the game, such as Mimiga Village, actually look better than ever in my opinion.
    I have some other minor complaints with the game, but nothing really worth noting. I'd say theres not much a reason to get this game now that you can get classic Cave Story in 3D on the eShop for a fraction of the price, unless you really want a physical copy of this masterpiece (like me).

    Graphics: 5
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 10
    Lasting Appeal: 8
    Overall: 8    … Expand
  15. alphaomega88
    Jan 6, 2016
    9
    Played a demo of this, and thought it was awful, and could not get into it at all. Then a sale went up on the eshop for this, and with all the rave reviews, I figured I would splurge and give it a second chance, and I'm glad I did. This is now one of my favorite 3DS games...the story is good, the graphics are creative, and the gameplay is fantastic. I enjoyed this from start to finish,Played a demo of this, and thought it was awful, and could not get into it at all. Then a sale went up on the eshop for this, and with all the rave reviews, I figured I would splurge and give it a second chance, and I'm glad I did. This is now one of my favorite 3DS games...the story is good, the graphics are creative, and the gameplay is fantastic. I enjoyed this from start to finish, and couldn't put it down...highly recommend!… Expand
  16. Mutty99
    Sep 29, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Cave Story 3D is a reinterpretation with 3D depth of the original masterpiece by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya.
    While expanding the original game by adding new rooms and more health upgrades, the camera zooming has been handled very poorly, especially in bigger stages like Egg Corridor: the level elements and enemies are too small and can be barely seen, which is a terrible disadvantage in a game like this where a lot of stages and bosses are very chaotic. Some assets also lack a bit of color, take for example Blood Stained Sanctuary: it's deep, ok, but that doesn't mean everything must be darker!
    While this title hasn't convinced me fully, the remastered OST is very enjoyable.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best 3DS Game of 2011
21
#21 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2011
20
#20 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Cubed3
    May 2, 2012
    80
    At the end of the day, Cave Story 3D will most likely appeal primarily to fans of the original willing to experience one of their favourite games in its new form, or collectors of physical copies who wouldn't pass a chance to get their hands on the only retail version of the masterpiece that Cave Story is.
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  2. Multiplayer.it
    Jan 4, 2012
    75
    New visuals and an average 3D effect are the only differences between this game and other, cheaper versions: anyway, if you own a 3DS, never played Cave Story and fancy a hard challenge, this game is for you.
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  3. Worth Playing
    Dec 28, 2011
    85
    If you want an excellent action game on the go that captures the best elements of the glory days of old and does so with a style that is rare nowadays, get to a retailer or store and get Cave Story 3D. If you haven't played this game yet, you are missing out.
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