History VideoGame / CaveStory

** Some of the bosses have a defense that activates in case they would receive too much damage. The first is either Curly, who activates a shield to any missile attack, or Omega, whom will close its armor if the player fires more than one missile.

* ContractualBossImmunity: [[spoiler:The Spur]] at Lv. 3 defeats any non-boss enemy immediately, but the effect doesn't work on bosses, who instead "only" take substantial damage.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Jenka keeps the key to her storehouse so that no one will be able to abuse the Demon Flowers within. She doesn't clue into the fact that Quote is there to ''[[JustEatTheMacGuffin destroy]]'' the flowers. Jenka's hesitation buys the villains enough time to accost her for the key [[YouCantThwartStageOne before Quote can plead his case]], and everything quickly goes to shit.

* DoWellButNotPerfect: Although the Blade gains AoE damage on hit at Lv. 3, it makes each hit take much longer. A properly used Lv. 1/2 Blade can easily out-DPS Lv. 3, leaving Lv. 3 only useful when its large range is preferred.

* GreatOffscreenWar: [[spoiler:Ten years before the events of the game, humans sent an [[RobotSoldier army of lethal military androids]] to the island to [[NoBloodForPhlebotinum steal]] the [[HatOfPower Demon Crown]] for their own use. They [[InnocentBystander killed countless Mimiga]] (alongside humans who attempted to protect them) on the way in (despite not being hostile to them), until they are [[GodzillaThreshold forced to eat red flowers to fight back]] and nearly wipe out the attacking robots in self-defense. After that, some of the rabid Mimigas were last seen landing onto the surface, though their fate is currently unknown. One human, named [[EvilOverlord Miakido]], eventually got his hands on the crown and attempted to instigate a huge war to TakeOverTheWorld before he is stopped by Quote and Curly.]]

* GroundShatteringLanding: Downplayed with Balrog. Although his off-screen entrances from the ceiling never does any visible damage to the ground, the entire screen always shakes whenever he lands, and it is shown a few times throughout the game that anything that happens to be standing beneath him [[OneHitKill feels the full weight of his bulk]].

** [[spoiler:Just to make it clear, a human king who was [[GreenEyedMonster jealous]] of Ballos' [[LovedByAll popularity]], imprisoned him and subjected him to a very, ''very'' cruel torture, leaving Ballos insane and [[PowerIncontinence unable to control his magic]]. Even worse, his own niece forced him to make the [[ArtifactOfDoom Demon Crown]], a powerful tool that caused a brutal war just to get their hands on it.]]
** [[spoiler:Zig-Zagged. On one hand, humans have sent an army of robotic soldiers on an island in order to get their hands on the Demon Crown, resulting in countless and senseless deaths of innocent Mimiga for being in their vicinity. On the other, there are other humans that ''actually'' attempted to defend the Mimigas from the invading robots, but they were perished in the process. In addition, Quote and Curly were both made by humans but are sent to ''destroy'' the crown (and are implied to not endanger the Mimigas on the island), and - barring [[BigBad the Doctor]] - the entire scientific expedition that came to the island are reasonably decent human beings.]]

* InfinityMinusOneSword: The Machinegun is the first weapon you can get in exchange for the Polar Star, and is still quite useful despite the ease of obtaining it. It does damage at a reliable rate and, at maximum level, you can [[RecoilBoost fire down to use it as a makeshift jetpack]], giving you extra mobility until you get either version of the Booster.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Spur. Getting it requires skipping both previous opportunities to replace the Polar Star (trading for Curly's machinegun, combining the Polar Star and Fireball into the Snake), but once you get it, you get a weapon that is EXP-independent and uses {{charge|dAttack}} instead; at zero charge it's a permanent level 3 Polar Star and at full charge it's a WaveMotionGun.

* AnotherSideAnotherStory: In the Platform/{{WiiWare}} version and ''Cave Story+'', it's possible to unlock "Curly Mode" or "Curly Story", which essentially asks the question of "{{What if}} the roles of Curly Brace and Quote were reversed?" [[InSpiteOfANail The story goes pretty much the same way]], the only differences being the fact that you get to see what Curly Brace would say if she was in Quote's shoes (unlike him, she's not a SilentProtagonist) while he remains silent [[spoiler:apart from one brief moment]] (with Curly providing the rest of the dialog for him).
* {{Antepiece}}: The game heavily relies on this to teach new players various game mechanics they would encounter throughout the game. Even the room the player starts in is designed to allow them to get a feel for the in-game jumping mechanics (and the fact that it's possible to drown within the game).
* AnyoneCanDie: If you haven't played the game yet, be warned that [[ArtStyleDissonance it's nowhere near as cute and innocent as it looks.]] [[WarIsHell War]], [[FinalSolution genocide]], [[TheSociopath sociopathy]], and CharacterDeath (including [[DeathOfAChild several children]]) are all ''major'' tropes in this story. [[spoiler:Curly Brace gets special mention here. In actual gameplay she is [[GameplayAllyImmortality invincible]], but she has ''no'' PlotArmor.]]

* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:Quote and Curly Brace are RidiculouslyHumanRobots so ludicrously human-like that most of the characters in the game don't realize that they're anything less than human until the truth is revealed by Professor Booster, and even ''he'' had to look twice before he believed it.]]

** This is spelled out in the "Extra Mode" in ''Plus'', [[spoiler:where clones of Curly are bred inside culture tanks, using the real Curly (who is imprisoned inside a stasis capsule) as a template to create them, giving credence that the recon robots, whom Quote and Curly are part of, are bio-mechanical in nature, which probably explains their near human attributes]].

** [[spoiler:That's not even mentioning [[FromBadToWorse where the Demon Crown came from.]] As it turns out, a [[NiceGuy well meaning]] and [[TheArchmage extremely powerful wizard]] - [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished through no fault of his own]] - [[WasOnceAMan became]] an [[EldritchAbomination incomprehensibly dangerous]] MadGod after being tortured for so long that he [[PowerIncontinence lost control of his magic]], which went wild and [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds killed everyone he ever loved.]] He would love nothing more than to die, but thanks to his raging magic, [[ICannotSelfTerminate he cannot kill himself.]] He was [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] inside a floating island, but even then his out-of-control magic [[LeakingCanOfEvil manifests as]] the Demon Crown... ''and'' striking red flowers which, when eaten, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation drive the eater as just insane]] as the madman who inadvertently created them. (In particular, it turns those friendly rabbit-folk into [[TheBerserker raving]] [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk-like]] [[HairRaisingHare monsters]] that can [[KiManipulation shoot energy from their bodies]]) Creatures enraged in this way can be [[BrainwashedAndCrazy manipulated by the wearer of the Crown,]] granting them an [[TheHorde army of powerful monsters]] they can use to [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy all civilization.]]]]

* AssassinOutclassin: Balrog clumsily attempts to ambush you ''about five times'' and hilariously fails every time. [[spoiler:...except for the time when it actually works, though Quote might've been a bit distracted by the sudden horrible deaths of two of his friends.]] It doesn't help that he tends to yell [[{{Catchphrase}} "Huzzah!"/"Oh Yeaaah!!"]] whenever he jumps out at you.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: All of the game's nastiest bosses also happen to only be vulnerable by shooting them in the face/mouth/eyes during a specific part of their attack pattern, always the part where they are spamming a ridiculous number of bullets onto the screen. Always. Also, [[spoiler:Ballos's second and third forms]], though the weak points don't disappear at any point.

** When Quote first enters Curly's makeshift home in the Sand Zone, she smiles as she remarks upon how rarely she gets visitors. At first it seems like she is welcoming Quote, but when she suddenly pulls out her machine gun it becomes clear that she is not pleased to see him. A battle ensues.

* BlamingTheTools: Discussed with Tetsuzuo who states that people who use weapons made by others often blame the weapons for their own failures.

* BoisterousBruiser: Balrog. He's an all-around fun loving dude with a generally pleasant and lax attitude, who takes to his every action with a lot of enthusiasm. [[CatchPhrase Huzzah!]]
* BoisterousWeakling: [[BrattyHalfPint Sue.]] She's convinced that she's a fighter, and claims to never have lost in a fight with her brother ([[NonActionGuy which isn't saying much]]). In the first (of three) times that [[DistressedDamsel you have to rescue her]], she grossly overestimates her fighting abilities, and grossly underestimates those of a raging Mimiga more than four times her size... ''[[TooDumbToLive in a fist fight.]]'' [[{{Tsundere}} Then she gets rather pissed if you admit that you rescued her.]] Or even [[{{Hypocrite}} if you don't.]]

* BubbleShield: The Bubble Gun when upgraded to level 3 will have the bubble projectiles orbit around you while holding fire, obscuring Quote from damage.

* ContractualBossImmunity: [[spoiler:The Spur]] at Lv. 3 defeats any non-boss enemy immediately, but the effect doesn't work on bosses, who instead "only" get substantial damage.

* CraniumRide: You can ride on the heads of certain enemies for a short amount of time after you've been hit (during the MercyInvincibility timeframe). Using this trick you can reach certain places earlier than expected.

** The player character standing right there, with a weapon in hand, while the second boss (the first if you skip Balrog's first fight) punches Sue in the face repeatedly and then carries her away.

** Imagine, if you will, living in a world where life is essentially normal... ''except'' for the fact that [[FunctionalMagic magic is real]]. Think that's not that big of a change? Think again: [[spoiler:a ''[[GreatOffscreenWar World War]]'' was rather recently fought over a magical floating island because [[GovernmentConspiracy seemingly every government in the world]] wanted their hands on a [[ArtifactOfdoom certain piece of magical headgear]] called the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demon Crown]] that allows the user to freely channel the [[PowerIncontinence never-ending magical outflow]] of an [[SealedEvilInACan eternally entombed]], [[TheAgeless ageless]] and [[MadGod hopelessly insane]] wizard with [[TheArchmage power beyond mortal reckoning]]. Said wizard's powers [[LeakingCanOfEvil leak out and manifest in the world]] as a [[HatePlague blind, uncontrollable rage]] that also grants '''''[[MadeOfIron impossible]]''''' [[HulkingOut strength]] by unlocking the affected person's true power. Anyone affected by said rage can be [[BrainwashedAndCrazy controlled by the owner of the Crown.]] If someone - anyone - were to obtain that crown, they theoretically could - at any time of their choosing - release a raging horde of monstrous demonic creatures that would ''easily'' tear apart all of modern civilization, leaving you in a [[VillainWorld ruined world]] ruled by a [[TheSociopath complete psychopath]] with infinite power.]]

** In regards to the keys to the Storehouse, [[spoiler:Balrog will normally steal it from Jenka after Quote brings the fifth and final puppy to her home. You can actually go out of your way to find all the other five puppies and give it to her one-by-one, in the hopes of getting the key before Balrog does. Despite this, she will not give you the storehouse key immediately if you do, and asks you to go outside and wait for awhile, allowing Balrog to accomplish the same feat]].

* DoWellButNotPerfect: Although Blade gains AoE damage on hit at Lv. 3, it makes each hit take much longer. A properly used Lv. 1/2 Blade can easily out-DPS Lv. 3, leaving Lv. 3 only useful when its large range is preferred.

* DualBoss: The Sisters fight together and share a health bar. There's also trio boss, [[spoiler:Undead Core, with a mutated Misery and [[DemonicPossession Sue.]] They ''don't'' share a health bar.]]

* DungeonShop: Subverted; The "Labyrinth Shop" is a location within the Labyrinth in which otherwise hostile creatures known as Gaudi are friendly and operate a shop. However, someone stole all their stuff, so they cannot sell anything - not without quipping that Quote wouldn't have any money anyway.

** When first visiting Chako's House, should the player decide to use the bed ''after'' checking the fireplace, and ''before'' leaving her house, Chako will be sleeping on the bed next to them when they wake up. Additionally, they will have Chako's Rouge in their inventory, which has... [[OptionalSexualEncounter implications]]. Like Curly's panties, they do absolutely nothing.

** The [[spoiler:Heavy Press]] has, in addition to regular enemies, two {{Invincible Minor Minion}}s fighting with it.

** Misery herself [[spoiler:gets [[LaserGuidedKarma transformed into a horrendous creature by the Doctor]].]]

* AnotherSideAnotherStory: In the UsefulNotes/{{WiiWare}} version and ''Cave Story+'', it's possible to unlock "Curly Mode" or "Curly Story", which essentially asks the question of "{{What if}} the roles of Curly Brace and Quote were reversed?" [[InSpiteOfANail The story goes pretty much the same way]], the only differences being the fact that you get to see what Curly Brace would say if she was in Quote's shoes (unlike him, she's not a SilentProtagonist) while he remains silent [[spoiler:apart from one brief moment]] (with Curly providing the rest of the dialog for him).

* BossRush: The UsefulNotes/{{WiiWare}} version and ''Cave Story+'' both have a Boss Rush as an unlockable.

** Also, if you upgrade from the UsefulNotes/DSi ware version to the 3DS version, the programmers ''switched the jump and fire button'' for no apparent reason. Averted in the 3DS eShop version, where there's an option to unflip the jump and fire buttons.

* HolidayMode: Playing on Christmas or Halloween in the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} version will change your sprite.

** [[https://rushjet1.bandcamp.com/album/cave-story-famitracks Cave Story Famitracks]]: composed by by [=RushJet1=], this is essentially the original Cave Story soundtrack as it would sound coming from an [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES.]]

** Getting the Super Missile Launcher in the UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} version nets you the achievement [[WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut "Super, thanks for asking!"]]

** The UsefulNotes/WiiWare and UsefulNotes/DSiWare versions of the game in 2010, which featured remastered graphics and a "New" remixed soundtrack, runs at 60 FPS as opposed to 50 FPS in the freeware version, added an Easy and Hard difficulty level, increased the number of save slots for the main game to three, promoted Curly Brace to playable status, and added a BossRush mode and a Jukebox where players can listen to the game's music and swap between the different soundtrack options. The European release later updated the [=WiiWare=] and [=DSiWare=] versions by touching up the graphics and improving the sound quality, which would later be ported back into the North American release through an update. This version of the game was later ported to PC in 2011 as ''Cave Story+'' with a new Challenge Mode, [[HolidayMode seasonal graphics]] during the Halloween and Christmas season, and a third "Remastered" soundtrack. There were also a port for the 3DS that is identical to the freeware version in terms of visuals and sounds but has the extra Challenge Modes from ''Cave Story+'' and can toggle between the original 4:3 aspect-ratio or the wider 5:3 ratio from its 3D remake. In 2017, ''Cave Story+'' was ported to the Nintendo Switch with further enhancements such as 16:9 widescreen presentation, new lighting and water effects, animated character portraits for dialogue scenes, a new Sand Pit challenge, two more "Famitrack" and "Ridiculon" soundtrack options, and other quality-of-life improvements.

* BaitAndSwitch: When Quote first enters Curly's makeshift home in the Sand Zone, she smiles as she remarks upon how rarely she gets visitors. At first it seems like she is welcoming Quote, but when she suddenly pulls out her machine gun it becomes clear that she is not pleased to see him. A battle ensues.

* {{Metroidvania}}: While Cave Story is definitely heavily influenced by Metroidvanias, it's ''much'' more story-oriented than [[BlackSheep almost every other game in that genre.]] As a result, the game is fairly linear by necessity, with very few sidequests. Additionally, the game is separated into four broad areas that that don't obviously interact except via teleporter.[[note]](First Cave/Mimiga Village/Labyrinth/Waterway, Egg Corridor/Outer Wall/Plantation/Balcony/Final Cave/Sacred Grounds, Grasstown, and the Sand Zone.)[[/note]]

* ActionGirl: [[ArmyScout Curly Brace.]] Thanks to being a RobotSoldier, she's [[OneManArmy more than competent in battle]]. Momorin Sakamoto also fits the trope, but [[BadassNormal without being physically special in any way.]]

* BlownAcrossTheRoom: In the Sand Zone warehouse, [[spoiler:King finds the Doctor and [[HotBlooded voices his intent to kill him.]] In reply, the Doctor very casually summons a lightning bolt that [[TheWorfEffect blasts King all the way to the opposite wall]]. The impact kills him.]]

* BoisterousWeakling: [[BrattyHalfPint Sue.]] She's convinced that she's a fighter, and claims to never have lost in a fight with her brother ([[NonActionGuy which isn't saying much]]). In the first (of three) times that [[DistressedDamsel you have to rescue her]], she grossly overestimates her fighting abilities, and grossly underestimates a raging Mimiga more than four times her size... ''[[TooDumbToLive in a fist fight.]]'' [[{{Tsundere}} Then she gets rather pissed if you admit that you rescued her.]] Or even [[{{Hypocrite}} if you don't.]]

* BossArenaRecovery: Due to how the game's weapon energy system works[[note]]EvolvingWeapon. Most defeated enemies drop energy crystals, which can -- similarly to experience points -- be picked up to level up the currently selected weapon, but if you get hit, the current weapon loses energy and, if no energy is left, is reduced in level.[[/note]], most ''Cave Story'' bosses are {{Mook Maker}}s, {{Flunky Boss}}es or have item-dropping projectiles to allow you to take the drops.

* BullfightBoss: The first fight against Balrog is one of these, while Monster X quite a threatening take on the same trope. [[spoiler:[[TurnsRed The Muscle Doctor]] is an even ''more'' threatening example]].

* CrutchCharacter: Well, weapon. The Machine Gun is one of the first weapons you can trade your starter pistol for, and it is a pretty good weapon. Particularly due to the fact that at max rank, it serves as a jetpack when firing downward. This can trivialize platforming for most of the game (at least if you can avoid taking damage to make sure the gun is always at full strength) and is a lot easier to use than the actual jetpack you can obtain later in the game. That said, the actual jetpack allows for much more precise platforming than the machinegun (and is outright the only way to get past some parts if you get the "proper" jetpack), and the fully upgraded Polar Star is a better weapon for straight up damage than the machinegun.

** [[https://rushjet1.com/album/cave-story-famitracks Cave Story Famitracks]]: composed by by [=RushJet1=], this is essentially the original Cave Story soundtrack as it would sound coming from an [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES.]]

* WorldOfWeirdness: ''[[MindScrew Hold onto your butts]]'' - a common [[QuirkyMinibossSquad recurring boss]] is a sentient brick of ''soap'' that can fly by flapping its arms, and attacks by spitting bubbles at you. [[WidgetSeries It only gets loonier from there.]] [[spoiler:The plot involves ''[[BewareTheCuteOnes seemingly]]'' harmless [[IntelligentGerbils bunny people]], that commonly eat ''[[AscendedToCarnivorism fish]]'', who can [[HairRaisingHare turn into monsters]] when they eat a magic flower that acts like PsychoSerum. A [[CatsAreMean murderous]], ''[[PantheraAwesome house-sized]]'' house cat can apparently [[TankGoodness drive a tank]] that uses [[AbnormalAmmo rocket-propelled fishes]] as a weapon. A gun that shoots a stream of bubbles that [[LethalJokeWeapon turn into deadly]] [[EnergyWeapons energy blasts]] is ''just randomly sitting'' in someone's fireplace. An intelligent mushroom must be found and [[SapientEatSapient eaten]] to cure amnesia. And the protagonist - [[RobotSoldier who is a robot]] - can have a [[OptionalSexualEncounter one-night stand]] with one of the bunny creatures.]]

In December 2021 ([[TemporaryOnlineContent and ONLY for the holidays]]), Creator/{{Nicalis}}, without any input from Pixel, released a ChristmasEpisode spin-off StealthBasedGame entitled ''Cave Story's Secret Santa''.

* BossArenaRecovery: Due to how the game's weapon energy system works[[note]]Weapons have [[LevelUp levels]]. Most defeated enemies drop energy crystals, which can -- similarly to experience points -- be picked up to level up the currently selected weapon, but if you get hit, the current weapon loses energy and, if no energy is left, is reduced in level.[[/note]], most ''Cave Story'' bosses are {{Mook Maker}}s, {{Flunky Boss}}es or have item-dropping projectiles to allow you to take the drops.

* FirstTown: Mimiga village contains the Player Headquarters and is home to some of the most important NPCs in the game.

* TinCanRobot: Malco and the robots in the Labyrinth fit this trope.