Playing Hard to Get
Jeffrey Matulef writes for TheGameReviews in his biweekly Challenging Conventions column: "The first time you play Cave Story it would be easy to think there are no game-altering choices whatsoever. There are quite a few "yes/no" choices, but they’re all very simple. Things like deciding whether or not to tell someone that you’re there to kill them when you’re clearly not, or if you’re ready to travel to a new area yet. It seems straightforward enough, and had I not known better I would have thought the ending I got on my first playthrough was the best one. Little did I know that there’s a secret, unlockable final level that, upon completion, reveals a fascinating backstory as well as the best ending. What I find part-troubling, part-intriguing is that there’s almost no way to find out about this hidden gem without looking up help."
