A Brief Hands On With Cave Story 3D

After our interview with Daisuke Amaya, I got to explore the first cave in Cave Story 3D. While Cave Story 3D will have stereoscopic 3D effects, those were not implemented in the build I played. Actually, Quote was still a sprite! The final version will use a 3D model of Quote, but the sprite in a 3D world had its own charm.

Bats and the life container were exactly where I remembered them. This time around you could "see" into the cave. The rendered backgrounds added a sense of depth. When Quote touched the water there were particle effects, an element Nicalis is still polishing for Cave Story 3D.

I ran into the Hermit’s room and grabbed the Polar Star. Just in case you aren’t familiar with Cave Story, the Polar Star is a gun and the first weapon Quote acquires. Armed, but far from dangerous I shot a couple of bats that exploded into particles and one dropped a polygon heart. Numbers, 2D in this build, still pop up when you restore life or damage an enemy.

Cave Story 3D felt like the Cave Story I remembered playing on PC many years ago, but in 3D. Amaya confirmed to us Cave Story 3D will have new elements for fans that completed other versions of the game. Who knows, there may even be some crossover content with publisher NIS America…