Whoever said that the best things in life are free obviously never got into gaming. Between hundreds of dollars for a game console, a whooping sixty dollars for a single new game, and further amounts for all your accessories and peripherals, video gaming is not easy on the wallet. But whoever said that there is an exception to every rule is actually right; and so I present to you the exception to the “rule” that any good (legally obtained) video game will cost you: Doukutsu Monogotari.

Translated into English by fans as “Cave Story”, the English version of this game is available as a free download from various sources, but I personally recommend Acid-Play (http://www.acid-play.com/download/cave-story/). Cave Story sprung from the dedicated efforts of a Japanese freelance game designer who goes by the name Studio Pixel. Every part of this game, from the graphics to the catchy music and the programming is due solely to the work of Mr. Pixel. And if that fact isn’t tremendous enough, the quality of the game itself is certain to impress.

 Cave Story is a 2D platformer/shooter that plays similar to the early Metroid or Castlevania series. The game is not a level based game, but rather takes place in a huge, vibrant world full of all sorts of scenery that can be freely explored. The shooting element bears a unique leveling system with a large, varied arsenal that offers fast paced gameplay, while still forcing you to think along the way. The controls are responsive and intuitive, so that the somewhat tricky platforming sections never get too frustrating. The story is incredible and original, providing plot twists, multiple endings, colorful characters, and plenty of impetus to get to that next stage in the game. Cave Story has boss fights, secrets, just right difficulty, and everything that you would expect from a real, professionally produced game to have, much less a freeware game.

No game is perfect, however, but Cave Story is pretty darn close. The art design of Cave Story is well done, as evidenced by character portraits and Pixel’s own artwork, but the real, in-game graphics are fairly blocky looking and inelegant. They have all the color and vibrancy modern computers can provide, but the actual modeling is more akin to something out of the NES era. The game can also get you somewhat lost, as sometimes continuing the story entails the “run around until something happens” strategy. There is also only one save file per game, and saving the game requires navigating to a save point; there are no checkpoints or auto-saves. The game is also fairly short, it might take you only about 5-8 combined hours to complete, but even then those hours are well worth it. By the way, when you think you’ve beaten the game; don’t be too quick to celebrate. I’d check an online source to make sure that you’ve squeezed out everything the game has to offer.

Despite this, the game as a whole shines well above any flaws it has. Even compared to the games sitting on your local store’s shelves, Cave Story is a worthy game. But as a totally free game contained in a download less than a megabyte large, I wonder why you aren’t playing this game right now. I can’t promise that you’ll like it, but I know it’s a good game, and at the very least, it is certainly worth every dime you paid for it.