This week we are tackling an “oldie but goodie” game for our freeplay. Some of you may have taken to it before, some of you may have never even heard of it, but, regardless, this week’s take  is an awesome platforming adventure game that takes after Metroid/Castlevania with a splash of RPG thrown in between for good measure.

There’s a lot to be said for the “Metroid-like” genre of games out there. For one, I’ve yet to play one that I really haven’t enjoyed. Second, the unique combination of expansive worlds and upgradeable weapons instantly make these games much more diverse and intricate than your standard platformer or typical shooter (i.e. Super Mario Bros or Contra). Cave Story is no different in this aspect. While the graphics may be a bit rudimentary, the gameplay underneath shines right through to deliver one of the most unique Metroid-like experiences I’ve ever gotten the good graces to play.

The game was originally developed by a Japanese dev team developer who goes by the name of Pixel so the story is a little more in line with Japanese cultural traditions. This can be good or bad, dependent on you. But otherwise, expect to see many different tyes of creatures that don’t really exist in our own world, but are otherwise cute, fluffy, and large-eyed. The game was fan-translated into English a while ago and has been a free download ever since.

Now the whole reason why I mentioned that it was a Japanese developed game was because the storyline is a bit… odd. The game starts off with your character awakening in a cave with no recollection or memory of who he is, where he is, or how he got there — a typical story plot for many Japanese games. Eventually you’ll find a village that is run by a bunch of rabbit creatures called Mimigas, who are being persecuted/kidnapped by the mysterious “Doctor”. Suffice it to say, the adventures of your muted hero leads you right into the path of helping these creatures and their enduring problem with the Doctor.

The game has been lauded for it’s hugely expansive world and fun gameplay. That’s something I can attest to as well. While there are many freeplay games I pick  each week for the sole purpose of showing you guys something unique, new, or otherwise weird, I chose Cave Story this weekend simply because it’s a great game that will provide hours of entertainment at zero cost. This game could easily have sold for $5-$10 and been worth every penny. It’s simply that good.

A WiiWare version is supposedly being planned for release although information has been scarce since the original announcement.

Enjoy!

[download via Aeon Genesis]