Besides continued play of Lock’s Quest and Bayonetta, I decided I would continue my quest to play games that should be inspirational and eye-opening and inform what it is I am trying to accomplish with my own games.

As such, this week I decided to finally take a run at a game I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time now (and I’m sure I’ll get laughed at for waiting this long to begin with): Cave Story.

It’s more linear than I thought it would be, and the “puzzles” are exceedingly simple, but those aren’t the true strengths of the game, in my opinion.  First of all, the physics are superbly tuned.  The gravity is slightly low, but that works for it.  I especially love the level 3 machine gun float tactic.  The graphics and sound are also amazing.  I have a serious soft spot for pixel art, and Cave Story has some of the best around.  Definitely a huge thumbs up from me, and you can be sure I’ve garnered more than a few ideas of my own from my play through.