- Bubbline (aka Bubbler)
L1 > L2: 10 EXP
L2 > L3: 20 EXP
L3 > MAX: 5 EXP
A very unique hidden weapon obtainable by taking a Jelly Juice jar back to the
assembly hall in Mimiga Village and putting out the fireplace there. It's
called the Bubbler in the English fan-translation of the PC version of Cave
Story. It has a lot of potential use at Level 3 but is otherwise pretty under-
whelming. It has an ammo supply of 100 which regenerates on its own slowly.
Level 1: Shoots very short-ranged small bubbles forward. Up to four onscreen
at once. Extremely slow ammo regeneration. 1 damage.
Level 2: Rapid-fire bubbles, longer-ranged, more powerful, and they spread out
quite a bit. Much faster ammo regeneration. 2 damage.
Level 3: Now, this is where things get interesting. Holding the fire button
will release a barrage of white bubbles which will float around you, such that
keeping them at capacity (holding down the button) will create a makeshift
barrier. After a few seconds they'll pop and send out a small bolt of
electricity which travels straight across the screen wherever you're facing.
Releasing the fire button at any time will cause all bubbles to simultaneously
pop and release bolts. This can be used as either a shield weapon or a unique
projectile. 3 damage (up to 45 total if you can hit an enemy with all 15 bolts
simultaneously).
- Blade
L1 > L2: 30 EXP
L2 > L3: 60 EXP
L3 > MAX: 0 EXP
Very powerful weapon given to you by King at a certain point in the story. Its
rapidity is very low (except for rapid releases of Level 1 or 2 shots in a
strong enemy or boss's face) and it has a short range, but the damage is huge
and it has infinite ammo.
Level 1: Throws a small spinning blade forward. Only one onscreen at a time.
15 damage.
Level 2: Throws a large sword forward. Much shorter range than level 1, and
still only one onscreen at a time. This level is unique in that it is
potentially one of the most powerful--if not THE most powerful--weapon in the
entire game if used correctly. Against powerful enemies or bosses, if you're
skilled enough to get close enough to use this you can launch it extremely
rapidly as you can immediately throw another once it dissipates upon hitting
the enemy or boss. 18 damage.
Level 3: Launches a spirit of King imbued within the sword. The spirit will
dash forward, creating a myriad of slashes all around himself until he
disappears halfway across the screen or hits something. If he comes in contact
with an enemy or projectile, he'll stop and let loose a huge area-effect of
slashes all over the place. Though Level 2 is potentially more powerful, Level
3 is much safer and easier to use, much better for normal/smaller enemies and
can deal a huge amount of damage to large boss enemies that take hits from as
many of the smaller slashes as possible. Since MAX is 0 exp from Level 3, this
weapon will always level down if you take any damage. The damage from the
weapon is very random depending on how many and what type of energies from the
weapon hit an enemy.
- Nemesis
L1 > L2: 1 EXP
L2 > L3: 1 EXP
L3 > MAX: 0 EXP
Special weapon of great strength that can be obtained by trading King's Blade
to Mister Little. The weapon is unique in that levelling it up outright causes
it to weaken in every possible way, and it only takes 1 exp to level it up both
levels. Luckily, this also means that taking a hit from just about anything
will guarantee resetting it to Level 1, at which point it's at its strongest.
Overall, it's probably a more similar weapon to the Polar Star than anything
else, even the weapons that you actually trade the Polar Star for. Infinite
ammo.
Level 1: Shoots a large bolt of lightning forward that has great range, great
velocity and great damage. Only two onscreen at once, but the velocity is so
great that you can generally shoot it very rapidly regardless. Did I mention
it pierces? 12 damage.
Level 2: Probalby the hardest specific level of any weapon in the game to
attain. I kind of wish this were more powerful than Level 1 given how
difficult it'd be to keep the weapon at this level, but it's not the case.
Basically a slower, weaker version of Level 1, but still could be likened to a
"Polar Star Level 4" if there were such a thing. 6 damage.
Level 3: This would make a great weapon for a challenge run through the game,
it's too bad you couldn't possibly have it until very far in the story. It
launches rubber ducks that travel extremely slowly, it's worse in every way
than the Polar Star Level 1 except for equal damage. 1 damage.
** KEY ITEMS **
- Map System
Allows you to press the - Button on the Wii Remote to bring up a map of the
room you're in. The map is tiny, doesn't show your current position and has a
strange graphical glitch that makes the rightmost section of mose large areas
unviewable, so it's of very little use except collectibility.
- Silver Locket
An item found in the fishing hole to the west of Mimiga Village. It triggers
an event in the warehouse at the bottom right of the village.
- Arthur's Key
Found at Arthur's grave in the Cemetary. Use it to access Arthur's house, at
the bottom-left of Mimiga Village.
- ID Card
Found in Egg #06 in the Egg Corridor. Use it in Egg #01 to open the barrier to
the eastern edge of the Corridor.
- Santa's Key
The key to Santa's house that he dropped to the east in the Bushlands.
- Rusty Key
A key Kazuma found in the room he's stuck in. Gives access to the Power
Control Room in the Bushlands.
- Gum Key
Another key conviniently located in Kazuma's captivity room. It opens up the
gum room in the very upper-right corner of the Bushlands.
- Jellyfish Juice
A jar full of juice that you can find by defeating the huge jellyfish stuck in
the ceiling a bit east of Santa's house that only appears after talking to
Chako. Use it to put out fireplace fires; it's also one of three components
needed to create a bomb. It's the only Key Item you can receive more than
once, but you may only carry one at a time.
- Chako's Rouge
Some red lipstick. Obtained by examining Chako's fireplace before you obtain
Jellyfish Jelly, causing her to walk up to you and explain some things, and
then sleeping in her bed while she's standing there. It has no use, other than
proof that you really, really, REALLY like Mimigas, you scoundrel.
- Charcoal
A lump of charcoal found by putting out the fireplace in Santa's house. It's
one of three components needed to create a bomb.
- Gum Base
A stick of chewing gum found in the room in the very top-right corner of the
Bushlands. It's one of three components needed to create a bomb.
- Bomb
A bomb crafted by Malco, in the Power Generator Room of the Bushlands. Use it
to blow open the door of the building Kazuma's trapped inside.
- Curly's Panties
Found in a hidden alcove behind the wall in the bedroom of Curly Brace's house
in the Sand Zone. They have no use, other than proof that you really, really,
REALLY like robots. If you own both this and Chako's Rouge, you are officially
the most envied man in Cave Story! Okay, I made that up.
- Hajime
A dog that stays in Curly Brace's bedroom in the Sand Zone. One of Jenka's
five missing dogs. He's the leader of the bunch.. or so he claims.
Arf!
- Mick
One of Jenka's dogs. He's supposedly an adept treasure hunter, and loves to
sleep in treasure chests. What he does with the contents is anyone's guess.
Found in a chest at the end of a hidden path between the Sun Stones and Jenka's
house.
Woof woof!
- Shinobu
Another of Jenka's dogs. He has poor vision so he prefers to stay in dark
places. Found in an abandoned house at the end of a hidden road that begins in
a false ceiling along the path to the Sand Zone warehouse.
Bow wow wow!
- Kakeru
Yet another dog of Jenka's. He loves bones and has buried them all over the
place. You can find him at the end of the sand-bottomed section of the path
toward the Sand Zone warehouse.
Woof woof woof woof!
- Nene
A beautiful dog, the only female of the group. She sleeps all the time, and
can be found taking one of her long naps at the very end of the lower path of
the Sand Zone, right next to the warehouse.
Wan...
- Life Pot
Restores all of your HP when used. It can only be used once, and there are
only two in the entire game, so use wisely!
- Turbocharge
If you chose to take the Machine Gun from Curly in the Sand Zone, then you can
receive this for free from the Gaudi shopkeeper, Chaba, in the Labyrinth. It
speeds up the recovery rate of ammo for the Machine Gun.
- Clinic Key
Opens the door to the Labyrinth Clinic, the building with the cross above it
up and west from the Camp. Obtained from Dr. Gero, the physician in the Camp.
- Arms Barrier
Halves weapon EXP lost when you take damage. Found the top part of the Camp,
accessible via a hidden passageway in the ceiling in the large Labyrinth room
from which you can access the normal Camp entrance and the Clinic nearby.
Unless you took the Machine Gun, you'll have to come back to this area with the
Booster to be able to reach it.
- Cure-All
A pill found in the abandoned Clinic in the Labyrinth. It supposedly has the
ability to cure anything. Give it to the Physician in the Labyrinth Camp.
- Booster v0.8
A jetpack that can be equipped and unequipped from the inventory menu. Once
it's equipped, press and hold Jump while airborne to launch upward for a few
moments. Can only be used once in the air until you hit the ground again.
Received in the Labyrinth, past the Clinic and Camp.
- Booster v2.0
A powerful jetpack that allows you to move freely for a time at high speeds in
midair if you press the jump button. If you want this instead of the Booster
v0.8, jump over the large gap in the Labyrinth room where Professor Booster
falls down by leaping just at the red marker on the ground. It's required if
you wish to access the hidden, super-difficult Sanctuary area at the end of the
game, but you may want to go for the normal ending with Booster v0.8 first.
- Tow Rope
A tow cable found in the far lower-right corner of The Core (only appears if
you didn't take the Booster v0.8). It was used by the robots who came to the
island years ago to carry downed comrades.
- Curly's Air Tank
Given to you by Curly Brace after the events at the Core. With it, you're
automatically encased in a bubble whenever you enter water, giving you infinite
air.
- Alien Medal
Reward for defeating Ironhead (the boss of the Waterway) without taking any
damage. It's engraved with an image of Ikachan, the hero of a game named after
himself that was Studio Pixel's previous work before Cave STory.
- Whimsical Star
A trinket that you can receive from Chaba, the Gaudi shopkeep in the Labyrinth,
if you talk to him with the Spur weapon in your posession. It will cause small
stars to float around you as a meagre shield when you charge the Spur to MAX.
- Teleporter Room Key
This key is visible but unobtainable behind a cluster of instant-death spikes
in the pools at the bottom of the Plantation. You'll need to talk to Kanpachi,
the fishing Mimiga, to help you get it. Use it to unlock the room just west of
where it was fished up.
- Sue's Letter
You'll find this stuffed in your inventory after you wake up inside the jail.
It's a leeter from Sue explaining a lot of what's been going on as far as the
story that you've had to just piece together by this point. It also contains
the password to enter the Safe House on the Plantation.
- Mimiga Mask
A head covering that looks just like a Mimiga. Wearing it will allow you to
speak to the Mimiga in the Plantation who aren't allowed to speak with humans.
- Broken Sprinkler
A broken water sprinkler from the Plantation. Useless by itself, but can be
traded to Megane in the Plantation Rest Area.
- Sprinkler
It's new... isn't it? This can be taken back to Momorin in the Plantation Safe
House to help complete her rocket.
- Controller
A technologically impressive device that could only have been made by a master
technician. Too bad he's a big fat coward. Obtained from Itoh after giving
Momorin the Sprinkler.
- Mushroom Badge
Useless item given to you by Ma Pignon in hopes you'll leave him alone. I hope
you know how to answer his questions correctly even if you want this garbage.
- Ma Pignon
Mystical, ultra-rare mushroom that's said to restore people's memories. Has a
smart-aleck personality and is known to be a surprisingly potent combatant, as
well. Found in the small storage room above the Mimiga Cemetar.
- Mister Little
This guy's very, very hard to see and has gotten himself very, very lost. At
the end of the game, you can find him wandering around the Mimiga Cemetary.
It's said he is the proud owner of the world's most splendid gun. Has a
fascination with fine blades.
- Medal of the Red Ogre (aka Clay Figure Medal)
Proof of the warrior who's finally able to put an end to the Red Ogre. It's
extremely heavy despite its size.
** PICKUPS AND OTHER ITEMS **
- Heart
Looks like a nice fat heart. Dropped by enemies, it floats in the air wherever
that enemy was destroyed. It heals 2 HP.
- Heart Bundle
Looks like a cluster of three hearts. Dropped by enemies. Heals 5 HP.
- Missile
A missile that's dropped by enemies and hangs in the air. Restores one missile
launcher ammo.
- Missile Bundle
A set of three missiles dropped by enemies. It restores three missile launcher
ammo.
- Small Energy Crystal
A flashing yellowish triangle that drops from enemies and bounces around.
Gives one weapon energy.
- Medium Energy Crystal
A larger flashing yellowish triangle that drops from enemies. It gives five
weapon energy.
- Large Energy Crystal
A huge yellowish triangle that only drops from the most powerful of enemies.
It gives twenty weapon energy.
- Life Capsule
A short tube with a flashing heart inside. Raises your max HP by anywhere from
2 to 5, depending on the capsule.
- Weapon Energy Capsule
A short tube with a flashing triangle inside. If you break this, energy
crystals will spill all over. It has 2 HP.
- Treasure Chest
Small orange chests hidden all around Cave Story. They hold all kinds of
useful items.
- Save Disk
Looks like a red, spinning floppy disk. Press Down in front of it to get the
option to save your game. If you choose to retry after you die, you'll revive
at the last Save Disk you visited.
- Refill Terminal
Restores all of your hearts and Missile Launcher ammo instantly. What it
doesn't tell you is that it also refills all your ammo for all weapons that use
it back to full, such as the Bubbline and Machine Gun. Looks like a computer
monitor with a red screen and a black heart silhouette in the middle.
- Missile Expansion
This triplet of missiles looks like a Missile Bundle pickup, but it's only
found in treasure chests. It permanently increases your Missile Launcher's
ammo capacity by five. Once you have the Super Missile Launcher, these appear
gold.
- Dog
Found in Sand Zone, these dogs must be taken to Jenka when you find them.
There are a total of five, and you can only carry one at a time.
---------------------------
- 3-02 Upgrade Locations -
---------------------------
** LIFE CAPSULES **
These will give a set Max HP boost, between 3 and 5, depending on the capsule.
You will have 50 life if you find them all, 55 if you include the bonus
capsule. Some of these are possible to miss.
- First Cave: In plain sight as you descend toward the Polar Star, on the left
wall. +3 HP.
- Mimiga Village: Found in Yamanshita Farm on the top of Mimiga Village. Head
to the far right, it's in the small pool. +3 HP.
- Egg Corridor: At the very beginning, you have to drop down to the left just
as the Basil spark hits the wall then chase it so it extends its loop length.
+3 HP.
- Egg Corridor: Go through Cthulhu's Abode and out the top door. Jump left.
+4 HP.
- Bushlands: Just past where you found Santa's Key, go east to a set of two
horizontal rows of star blocks, jump on them and to the left. +5 HP.
- Bushlands: In the Execution Chamber, the tall building with the skull on it
to the right of Kazuma's shack. +5 HP.
- Sand Zone: East of Curly's House and past the Sun Stones, it's in the top of
the first thick pillar made up of star blocks. Try not to blow up all the star
blocks when fighting the Polishes to create a path and reach it. +5 HP.
- Sand Zone: At the end of the hidden path behind a pawpad block on the far
right wall between the Sun Stones and Jenka's house, behind a line of star
blocks. Found next to a chest containing one of Jenka's dogs. +5 HP.
- Labyrinth: Nestled next to the left wall of the first room of the labyrinth
when you're sent there, a ways up into the room. +5 HP.
- Plantation: Sitting on a platform hanging from the far upper-left ceiling.
+4 HP.
- Plantation: Talk to the puppy that appears on the left platform just under
the red skull signs on the top right section of the Plantation after Momorin's
finished the rocket. +5 HP.
- Sanctuary: Bonus life capsule. Found in plain sight as you make your
initial descent. +5 HP.
** MISSILE EXPANSIONS **
These each give +5 Max Missile Launcher Ammo. Your max ammo carries over to
the Super Missile Launcher. You'll have 30 missile ammo if you find them all,
54(!!) with the bonus.
- Bushlands: To the left of the hut in the air above the shack where Kazuma's
trapped. Jump around the series of platforms around where the Save Point is
between the Power Supply Room and Kazuma's shack to reach it.
- Bushlands: Inside the very hut that the previous expansion's sitting next
to. Opening it will trigger a fight with Kulala.
- Egg Corridor?: When you go back to the Egg Corridor later in the game,
you'll find the eggs have hatched. The dragon where Egg 12 used to be is quite
pissed and will fervently guard the chest containing this expansion.
- Egg Corridor?: In the ruins of the Egg observation Room, in plain sight.
Opening it will trigger a fight with The Sisters.
- Sanctuary: Bonus expansion. Just before you fight the Heavy Press at the
far west end of Blood-Stained Sanctuary B3, just past the pillar with 3 Deletes
covering it, in the room filled with flying Butes and with a hanging platform
with an arrow Bute on either side. Above this platform is a single Star Block
concealing a chest containing this massive expansion of 24 Misisles.
-------------------
- 3-03 Enemy List -
-------------------
Normal enemies from the game in order of appearance.
- Critter: You see these from the beginning to the end of the game, there are
several varieties. The first you meet are dark blue and live in the First Cave
but in the Egg Corridor you'll find green ones that are slightly more powerful.
Bushlands introduces Critters that can fly around, the Labyrinth has purple
Critters that fly in place and launch bullets at you, and the Final Cave has
very tough and fast red Critters (that are otherwise just like the first, non-
flying ones you meet). Lastly, during the Undead Core battle, Misery has the
ability to summon weak but annoying Orange Critters.
Their basic action is to just stay completely still until you approach or shoot
them, at which point they bounce or fly into the air.
- Bat: The most basic enemy, you'll find them in many different areas as
well. Dark blue ones fly in vertical patterns in the First Cave, black ones
that are slightly tougher hang on ceilings and chase anyone who runs by in the
Bushlands, weak black ones swarm around Orange Bells in the Plantation and red
Bats snake up and down horizontally in the Final Cave. Misery also has the
ability to summon orange Bats, when you fight her.
- The Door: This posessed door with an eyeball is located only once, at the
end of the First Cave. He's just a trap that'll deal damage to anyone who
doesn't pay attention. What's more, he only spawns once ever, never again once
you defeat him.
- Chin Fish: There is only one! Also known as "Egg Fish". He floats lazily
in the Reservoir to the west of Mimiga Village. He drops no items.
- Pignon: A little white mushroom that hangs around the Mimiga Cemetary.
Quite weak and drops no items.
- Giant Pignon: A bigger mushroom that's basically as defenseless as normal
Pignons, but takes more hits to defeat. Doesn't drop items.
- Gravekeeper: An angry orange being with a knife. He's invincible from the
front, but susceptible to damage from the back.
- Behemoth: Blocky elephants in the Egg Corridor. They're slow, extremely
weak and can even be safely stepped on.
- Basil: The spark that runs around the ground in the Egg Corridor. Instant
death to the touch, and is invincible; just avoid it.
- Beetle: There are two types of Beetle; one flies around freely and is
usually a sign of a Basu approaching. The other hangs on walls and flies to
the adjacent wall if you pass in front of it; these are found later in the Sand
Zone as well.
- Basu: A giant beetle that takes a lot of punishment and periodically shoots
green orbs of energy toward your position.
- Power Critter: A big, fat blue Critter found in Bushlands. It's slow, but
if it lands on you, it'll deal a LOT of damage.
- Jelly: A little jellyfish that flies around more or less in place in the
Bushlands. For whatever reason, they don't exist until you examine Chako's
fireplace.
- Kulala: A huge jellyfish that lives in the ceiling east of Santa's house.
It's tough and can make itself invincible for short periods so heavy firepower
is recommended. It drops Jellyfish Juice.
- Mannan: A ghostly gravestone-looking monster in the eastern areas of Bush-
lands that never moves or attacks, except for a retaliatory energy blast to
anyone who shoots it. Can only shoot where it's facing.
- Frog: A large frog. It jumps around. That's all there is to say.
- Rabil: Rabid Mimiga that lives on the east side of the Bushlands. Hops and
dives at you. You'll find more Mimiga just like this at the Balcony.
- Press: Instant-death trap that falls from above. Luckily, it falls rather
slowly and you can run under them easily. Can only be damaged after they're
falling (or as they're falling).
- Puchi: A tiny frog that falls from the ceiling during the boss battle in
the Bushlands. Pathetic, great to kill for supplies.
- Polish: An angry sun-looking monster that rolls around walls, ceilings and
floors. Destroying it will produce several Babies.
- Baby: A tiny Polish that floats and rolls around. Very weak but comes in
packs.
- Sandcroc: Dangerous trap of a monster. Stepping on certain pits of sand in
the Sand Zone and Outer Wall will cause them to snap up quickly. You can dodge
and destroy them but it's dangerous. They retread back into the ground if they
take damage.
- Skullhead: A long reptile skull that bounces along the ground ceaselessly.
- Skullstep: A Skullhead with legs and more HP. Can run around quite fast.
Hurt him enough and he'll lose a leg and move drastically slower; hurt him more
and he'll lose his other leg and suicide.
- Skeleton: Tough lizard skeleton that leaps high into the air and tosses
bones at your position.
- Armadillo: Looks more like a snail of sorts, it crawls along the ground on
the very bottom of the Sand Zone.
- Crow: A big green bird found in the lower Sand Zone. Some of them carry
skullheads which can shoot bones when airborne. Others fly by themselves and
are generally peaceful until threatened, at which point they angrily home in on
and try to peck the perpetrator.
- Flowercub: Terribly weak living flowers produced by the boss of the Sand
Zone. Use them for supplies.
- Gaudi: The guardians of the Labyrinth. There are two types; ground Gaudi
are nearly defenseless but aerial Gaudi are capable of shooting a purple goo
that travels to your current position.
- Armor: Fully-equipped Gaudi found only in the deepest parts of the Laby-
rinth. They're very athletic and bounce around high and low, tossing sets of
two blades at a time periodically.
- Gaudi Egg: Defenseless eggs that deal no damage. Useful for supplies.
- Fire Whirr: They hover up and down in enclosed spaces, spitting out a ring
of flame every few seconds.
- Buyobuyo Base: A long, flat contraption that sits on floors and ceilings in
the Labyrinth and ejects Buyobuyos to defend it. The Base itself isn't
dangerous but needs to be destroyed to stop the onslaught of the Buyobuyos.
- Buyobuyo: Small, annoying flying creatures that exit the Buyobuyo Base
three at a time then swerve around, attempting to home in on your position.
They're a mess to handle but the longer you can deal with killing them without
killing the Base, the more powerups you'll earn.
- Fuzz Core: A fluffy round white floating sphere found in the deepest parts
of the Labyrinth. They float up and down and won't attack unless threatened,
but they tend to stick around short hallways along with other Fuzz Cores in
such a formation that's very difficult to pass by without shooting.
- Fuzz: One of many smaller orbs that orbit a Fuzz Core. They stay in their
vertically elongated orbit until the Core is disturbed.
- Porcupine Fish: These fish come in droves as soon as you enter Ironhead's
underwater arena and never stop. They swim in from the left in large schools
and are completely harmless until they reach the apex of their swim partway
through the room, then inflate into needle-laden pufferfish and dift backward
and towards you. Try to kill as many as you can before they get dangerous.
- Dragon Zombie: The sad, Red Flower-enraged remains of the latest batch of
Sky Dragons in the Egg Corridor. They stand around helplessly until someone
approaches or damages them, at which point they'll go berserk and attmpt to
incinerate the intruder with waves of fireballs.
- Counter Bomb: There's only one of these in the game, and it's super-strong.
It waits at the end of the "Egg Corridor?" and floats there, soaking up huge
amounts of damage and counting down to 0. When it reaches this, it'll explode
about the size of an entire screen around itself into nothingness. It looks
like a large flame.
- Night Spirit: A big ghost cat that floats up and down the sky near the
Outer Wall. It has a habit of launching huge waves of "sideways balloons" all
at once toward the wall.
- Hoppy: A small yellow creature who loves to defy gravity by hopping along
the side of the Outer Wall as if it were a floor.
- Midorin: A little hyperactive plant bulb that runs around the Plantation.
It's weak and harmless to stand on, but very fast and random in its movements.
- Droll: An orange giant who keeps watch over the Mimiga at the Plantation.
It won't hurt you unless you try to attack it, at which point it'll leap back-
ward while tossing a huge spinning limb at you.
- Gunfish: These large fish found in the lake at the bottom of the Plantation
like to stay near the surface, inhale water then spew it out in a trail of
beads. They can be a nuisance to travelers but they also happen to make good
platforms over the water.
- Orange Bell: A big, fat, happy bat with a wide grin. He's not that tough,
but swarms and swarms of smaller black Bats will shield him with their life.
- Stumpy: Super-quick dragonflies that zip all about the Plantation. Their
movement is extremely erratic.
- Bute: A small cherubin that lives in the Sanctuary. They come in three
different types; one flies around, chasing you at high speeds and will often
divebomb you; the next uses a sword and will block all attacks until you get
close, at which point it'll dash and jump around attempting to stab you; and
the last sits motionless sniping you with arrows.
- Mesa: A hulking brute of an angel that lives in the Sanctuary. His only
attack is to lob blocks toward you, which absorb your shots.
- Rolling: An eyeball that rolls along floors, walls and ceilings in the
Sanctuary. It is invincible.
- Delete: An enemy in the Sanctuary that sits on walls. If you disturb it,
it'll count down from 5 then cause a small explosion that will leave the wall
behind it destroyed.
- Green Devil: Fat little demons that flood the Seal Chamber at all times.
Kill them for supplies.
---------------------
- 3-04 Extra Modes -
---------------------
The WiiWare version of Cave Story comes equipped with various new modes that
weren't in the original. All of them really beg that the main story be
completed at least once before you try them; it's likely they were originally
intended to be downloadable content. Either way, at least three of them are
selectable from the beginning of the game. As far as I know thus far, these
are the only extra modes available; contact me if you find out about any more.
Also, of course, contact me if you find out another major difference in any
mode from Original-difficulty Story Mode that I don't have listed.
** DIFFICULTIES **
In Story Mode, you're given the option to choose between Easy, Original or Hard
difficulty settings when you start a new file. These modes offer little
difference between Original; enemy placement is the same and the story etc is
identical, but they alter key aspects of the game that really do make it far
easier or far harder respectively, and you get to play as a new Quote sprite.
* Easy Mode:
- Quote's sprite is recolored to have yellow clothing and a teal scarf.
- You take half the damage from all sources as you would in Original mode,
rounded down (i.e. something that dealt 5 damage in Original will now deal 2).
* Hard Mode:
- Quote's sprite is changed rather drastically; he has light blue clothes,
blonde hair, and a very human-looking light skin tone rather than the pale
white he has normally. Also, his eyes look a bit different.
- There are no Life Capsules in the game, except for the one you can get from
the dog in the Plantation. The damage you take is the same as in Original.
** CURLY STORY **
Play the game as Curly Brace!
- Mainly just Story Mode, but with Quote's sprite replaced with Curly.
- Three brand new save files just for this mode.
- Can only play on Original difficulty.
- Some new dialogue to reflect Curly being the playable character.
- Your playable character actually has her own dialogue in this mode.
- Curly in the story is replaced by Quote. He's much less talkative than
Curly, of course.
- "Curly's Panties" key item is renamed "Your Panties".
- You can actually see Quote's official "face icon" as created by Pixel in
this mode, in the Plantation if you bring him Ma Pignon, along with what little
official dialogue he has.
** BOSS ATTACK **
Challenge EVERY boss!
This is the game's Boss Rush mode. You'll start by receiving the Polar Star
and a time counter which starts as soon as you press confirm.
You'll start in a room that looks and sounds like the Core area from Story
Mode. To your left is a "Weapon Trade" cthulhu who's useless at this point.
To your right is a Refill Terminal. There'll be a couple Life Capsules for 3
HP each, and several Weapon Energy Capsules. To the far left is a barrier, and
to the far right is a statue of Balrog and a door. Attempt to open the door to
be greeted with the boss's name and be teleported to the very same room in
which you fight the boss in Story Mode.
After beating Balrog, you return to the main room at which point you can power
up and potentially collect more upgrades and weapons. For every boss you de-
feat, the door back to them will crumble but more of the main room will be
revealed so that you can move to more bosses, more powerups and more upgrades.
Note that all upgrades and weapons are received instantly with no stopping for
a fanfare, which is a nice touch. Sometimes, bosses will directly drop items
for you after you defeat them. Also, as you defeat bosses, the Weapon Trades
cthulhu might offer a new weapon for you. A good way to tell if there's a new
weapon ready to trade for is to try and remember after which boss you were able
to attain said weapon in Story Mode. For example, after defeating Curly you
can trade him your Polar Star for a Machine Gun. Conveniently, the path opens
back to him after defeating Curly as well. It's probably also worth noting
that you receive a Life Pot after defeating Omega, and before the fourth Balrog
fight (including Balfrog) you'll be asked if you want the Booster v0.8, which
you can deny if you want 2.0 after a couple bosses. Also, you'll receive Chaba
items (Turbocharge or Whimsical Star) after the bosses after which you'd be
able to obtain them in Story Mode if you have the correct weapon.
If at any point you die, you will restart at the very beginning of Boss Attack,
receiving the Polar Star and counter again. Your time will be reset. Also,
keep in mind that some upgrades (particularly Life Capsules) can be hidden
quite well by the scenery, so make sure you find them all before attempting the
next boss unless you're purposely avoiding them. Lastly, remember to power up
your new weapons with the crystals supplied in the main area; it's embarrassing
how often I've forgotten to do this after receiving a good weapon!
For strategies on any boss, refer to the walkthrough above. The bosses are
identical to Original difficulty in Story Mode.
** SANCTUARY TIME ATTACK **
Do you have the skill?
This is a time-attack of the hidden ultimate area of the game, the Sanctuary
aka the Sacred Grounds. By no means should you attempt this before you've at
least finished the main game enough to actually have completed the Sanctuary
normally.
Starting a game in this mode will place you in a special 'starting area' before
The Sanctuary itself, at which point you can choose which of several weapons
from the game you wish to take with you, and what order you wish to take them
in (the only time you can actually customize your weapon order!); the choices
are:
- Polar Star
- Fire Ball
- Bubbline
- Blade
- Nemesis
- Spur
No Missile Launcher, Super Missile Launcher, Machine Gun or Snake.
You'll also notice that you begin with the Booster 2.0, though you need it to
complete The Sanctuary anyway. Move right to find two Life Capsules which each
give you the MASSIVE bonus of 26 life. For whatever reason, these don't open
instantly like the ones in Boss Attack. Move right a bit more and you'll see
a gap in the floor. Falling down this gap will cause the 290 Counter to
activate and you'll get the black wind message--from this point on, the mode is
identical to playing The Sanctuary on Normal in Story Mode. Good luck, you'll
need it; especially if you want to make a good time!
--------------------
- 3-05 Easter Eggs -
--------------------
- The Great Hero, Arthur (part 1)
Get past the Bushlands (Grasstown) area and to the point at which most the main
characters are collected in Arthur's house and agree that it's your job to go
to the Sand Zone in their stead. Instead of going through the teleport right
away, leave Arthur's House and head up to the right side of the Mimiga Village
and enter the Assembly Hall. Jack will be there alone. Talk to him to learn
all about Arthur, and be told the story about how Arthur fought the Red Ogre.
- Chako's Rouge (Chaco's Lipstick)
The first time you enter Bushlands (Grastown), and go to Chako's house, talk to
her then examine the fireplace so she walks over and talks about it. Go to
sleep in her bed as she's standing here (it's the only time in the game you'll
be able to get her to). You'll receive Chako's Rouge as a useless collectible
and she'll be asleep where you just took a nap..
- Curly's Panties (Curly's Underwear)
At any point in the game go into Curly's place, then into the back room. Use
your Map System and notice the secret passage behind the wall that's invisible
normally. Jump up into the right ride of the lower part of the ceiling, then
jump up and head all the way to the right until you fall. Jump into a tiny
alcove just above and to the left of the lower-right corner and press down to
open an invisible chest containing Curly's Panties, a useless collectible.
- Ikachan!
Ikachan is a short game created by Pixel before Cave Story, detailing the
adventures of a small squid with the titular name. There are several Ikachan
references in Cave Story, but the biggest one is the boss fight of the Water-
way, Iron Head. If you manage to defeat Iron Head without gettin hit a single
time, you'll earn a cameo in the form of a swarm of Ikachans swimming by, then
before falling into the Reservoir you'll receive an item. Check your inventory
and you'll have the Alien Medal, a useless collectible adorned by Ikachan's
face.
- Can I be a Mimiga, Too?
Momorin Sakamoto trades your Booster (whichever one you have) for a Mimiga mask
in the Plantation so you can communicate with the locals. After she and Itoh
finish the rocket, you're supposed to talk to her again to trade back so that
you'll have your rocket for the final challenges of the game (and this is the
only way to explore the Hidden Last Cave and the Sanctuary/Sacred Grounds.
However, you can choose to ride the rocket up to the Last Cave before talking
to Momorin, robbing yourself of the ability to Boost but giving yourself access
to several hidden easter eggs. You'll face the normal Last Cave even if you'd
had the Booster 2.0 up to this point, though even it can be challenging without
a Booster at all. If you make it to the final bosses, much of the text will be
different, especially from Misery and the various caged Mimiga. To top it all
off, during the ending, a couple of the hand-drawn Pixel artwork detailing
Quote's adventures will show him with the Mimiga mask in the areas he was
wearing it, and Quote's sprite will keep the mask during the entire ending!
- The Red Ogre
If you only got the normal ending you may be curious about the Red Ogre (Red
Demon) enemy that "only true heroes face". This is the same Red Ogre mentioned
by Jack in an earlier easter egg. To face it, you must get the Booster v2.0
instead of the Booster v0.8, by jumping past the large gap in the Labyrinth
where Prof. Booster falls down (by jumping as far as you can just at the small
red marker on the ground). If you get the 2.0 back from Momorin later in the
game before riding the rocket to the Last Cave, you'll face the Hidden Last
Cave which is much more challenging than the normal one. At the very end,
you'll have to fight the Red Ogre as a boss. After defeating him, he'll drop a
treasure chest containing the Medal of the Red Ogre (Clay Figure Medal), a use-
less collectible.
- The Great Hero, Arthur (part 2)
After defeating the Doctor at The King's Table but BEFORE you head up to the
Black Space, talk to Chako. Keep talking to her and she'll eventually compare
you to Arthur, the hero fo the Mimiga. After doing so all the Mimiga up around
the room will blush and hearts will form over their heads (Arthur must have
been quite a handsome guy); these hearts are actually Heart items, which you
can pick up to heal yourself before facing the Undead Core!
- Statue Carver
Just after the battle with the Heavy Press in the Sanctuary (Sacred Grounds)
you'll fall into a room between the Plantation and Statue Chamber. Go into the
Statue Chamber and by this point the statue carver has finished his job and
hauled out. Not only is this the only point in the game at which you can see
the Doctor's real name by examining his statue, but you can destroy all these
for huge (+20) weapon crystals, hearts or missile packs. Once destroyed, the
statues change into likenesses of the characters Curly, King, Toroko and Quote.
- Alternate Character Themes
In the PC version (and only the PC version, as far as I know at this time)
you can unlock character themes for the main menu by conquerring Hell fast
enough. They replace Quote with another character on the main menu, along with
their theme song, some of which you can't even hear in the game by any other
means. They are as follows:
Default - Quote; Title Theme
Under 6 minutes - Curly Brace; Running Hell (Isn't this Ballos' theme?)
Under 5 minutes - Toroko; Toroko's Theme
Under 4 minutes - King; White
Under 3 minutes - Sue; Safety
As far as I know, no one's ever finished Hell in under 2 minutes. It's
possible that the Sue theme is the final one.
-----------------------
- 3-06 Hints and Tips -
-----------------------
Though many of the hints here are given in much more detail in the Walkthrough
or other sections, I felt it necessary to put this section here due to its
inclusion in my previous FAQs. There are some tips that just don't fit
anywhere else, either. If you know of a hint that doesn't appear here but that
you feel would be right at home in this section, feel free to contact me (info
at the bottom of the FAQ).
- All over the game, there are spaces with hidden items behind them. If you
shoot them, they'll make a 'tink' sound and if shot enough they'll reveal the
hidden item. Rapid firing weapons like the Machine Gun are ideal for finding
these.
- You can completely avoid the first battle with Balrog by simply answering
"No" when he asks if you want to fight him. You don't miss anything, either,
except for a few weapon crystals you can very easily make up for in the Egg
Corridor.
- Shooting with a simple straight-shooting weapon like the Polar Star or
Machine Gun while behind walls you can walk behind can make finding your way
around and seeing the limits of how far you can walk much easier, as the shots
will dissipate when they touch a solid wall.
- Though getting a weapon to "MAX" from Level 3 may not actually make it
stronger, it's wise to do so, and to keep all your weapons at MAX whenever
possible. Taking hits decreases your Weapon EXP, so keeping them at MAX makes
them safe to use without fear of de-levelling whenever you need them. Well..
without as big of a fear, anyway.
- The Missile Launcher may be more situational than other weapons due to the
fact that it takes ammo, but it can level up too, and it's wise to get it to
Level 3 and keep it there; it'll shoot three missiles for the price of one!
- The Fire Ball and Snake are the only weapons that won't break destructible
blocks, so keep that in mind if you need to keep blocks intact.
- The Machine Gun can push you into the air indefinitely at Level 3 if you aim
it towards the ground. Needless to say, this is incredibly useful for many
reasons. Conversely, you can shoot upward while in the air to push you down
with much greater force than usual.
- The Nemesis is best to keep at level 1 for full power. Levelling it to 2
will weaken it considerably, and levelling it to 3 makes it rather useless;
furthermore, it's the easiest weapon to level in the game, but also the easiest
to de-level.
- This is a rather useless trick, but you can ride the small and large flying
Critters in Bushlands like platforms while you're flashing during invincibility
frames. Many other flying enemies can be 'ridden' like this as well; there's
a way to use dragonfly enemies in this manner in the Plantation in order to
reach the door to the Final Cave before you're supposed to, but it's extremely
difficult, and only earns you a generic 'stay back' message at the door that
you'd otherwise never see.
===============
= IV) The End =
===============
-----------------
- 4-01 Credits -
-----------------
- Big big impossibly huge thanks to Pixel, the one-man game-making team that
brought us the original Cave Story and had a heavy hand in all aspects of this
WiiWare version. If you ever read this, you're an inspiration to all us gamers
and have left an incredible mark on the gaming industry with this retro
masterpiece.
- Thanks to Nicalis who brought Cave Story to a much wider audience with its
release on WiiWare, and helped all the new stuff in the Wii version come to
fruition. You guys rule.
- Thanks to the Cave Story Tribute Site (http://www.miraigamer.net/cavestory/)
for lots and lots of info such as character, item and enemy names, and for
being my number one go-to source for everything involving Cave Story in the
years since I very first played it. (Rockin' forum, too)
- Thanks to GameFAQs, inspiring me to write this FAQ in the first place.
-------------------
- 5-02 Copyright -
-------------------
(c) Copyright 2010 Justin Morgan
This guide may only be used (outside of personal, private use) with credit
given to the author.
Cave Story copyright Studio Pixel and Nicalis.
All other trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
-----------------------------
- 5-03 Contact Information -
-----------------------------
Be sure to contact me if you have any additional information, hints, tips,
error alerts, or anything else that you feel would enhance this guide.
(Note: If you send me a hint, error report or anything else you feel should be
added to my guide, be sure to include the name or alias you would like for me
to use to credit you in future versions of the guide!)
E-mail: jkm553(at)gmail(dot)com</p>
