Cave Story

Cave Story

Cave story has had a myriad of ports, and re-releases over the years as the creator handed the source code to many people back in the mid to late 2000s before being bought by NiCALiS who released Cave Story+ on multiple platforms.

The best way to play Cave Story is split between Cave Story: Tweaked, A mod of the Cave Story Decomp CSE2 with various QoL, and Cave Story+ with the Aeon Genesis Translation Patch (AGTP).

	Cave Story: Tweaked	Cave Story+
Cost	✔ Free	– $14.99
FPS	✔ 50/60fps toggle	✔ 50/60fps toggle
Graphics	– 1X res included with 2X+ res support	– 1X and 2X res included
Content	– Base game	✔ Extra Challenges
Soundtrack	✔ Original + support for extras	✔ Original + remaster, switchable
Translation	✔ AGTP translation	✘ NiCALiS translation
Patches	✔ None required	✔ AGTPcs+ Translation

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Cave Story: Tweaked

Recommended Setup

✔ Multiple Platforms supported

✔ Widescreen

✔ Multiple Soundtracks

✔ Lots of QoL settings

In order to source the alternative soundtracks for Tweaked, you can simple drag-drop the data/Soundtracks folder Most of these soundtracks are freely avalible via official sources, but some have to be ripped from copies of CS+ to obtain.

• "WiiBalanced" - Yann van der Cruyssen and SoloMael
• Arranged - DM Dokuro
• Remastered - Danny Baranowsky and Dustin Kulwicki
• Ridiculon soundtrack - Ridiculon
• Famitracks - RushJet1
• SNES - livvy94

Similarly, if you want the 2x res graphics, they can be copied into the data folder for Tweaked from a copy of CS+.

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Cave Story+

Recommended Setup

✔ Widescreen

✔ New Lighting Engine

✔ Extra Challenges/Boss Rush

– Requires AGTPcs+ translation mod for best experience

– Must install ModdersDelight branch on Steam

The new features of Cave Story + are only available via a branch and password needed to access all the new content in the 2026 update:

Branch name: ModdersDelight
Branch Password: ModPizzaParty

for a (nearly) complete list of every Cave story port check out the ports page at cavestory.org