Klagmar's Top VGM #4,800 - Cave Story - Running Hell (Curly's Theme)
26This #X00 entry is a bit of a throwback, as it’s the same subject as one of my very first #X00 videos, Klagmar’s Top VGM #300! Cave Story is just such a special game that it deserves another retrospective, and the music has evolved quite a bit from that original upload.
Cave Story is one of the most influential games of all time – I think it acted as a template for the modern indie game, back when finding these sorts of gems online was so much rarer than it is now. Daisuke Amaya really achieved an impressive feat back in 2004, releasing a game entirely made by him, even the excellent soundtrack, all as a completely free download. I downloaded it on a whim back in the day after hearing online buzz around it, unaware it would act as a basis for my modern love of indie platformers. It’s a short game, but such a perfect mix of a unique and interesting story with snappy platforming that makes it endlessly replayable.
I’m obviously not the only one who thinks so, as this game has been released on just about everything, sometimes as an upgraded version and sometimes as straight ports. I think the best version is the easily available Cave Story+, but the original free version still holds up. What might be more surprising is how many official different versions of the soundtrack are out there – I think this may be the only video featuring all of them, but it’s equally possible I still missed one. Basically, in addition to the original, there was the version for the WiiWare port, the version for the 3DS remake by Danny B (known as the Remastered version), optional versions featured in the Switch port by RushJet1 and Ridiculon, as well as several remixed tracks featured in the game Crystal Crisis. Phew! I of course had to feature “Running Hell,” the game’s most iconic track from the game’s most iconic section. I think Danny B’s version is the best and Ridiculon’s is the worst, but it’s just so interesting hearing different artists’ takes on the same track and listening to it evolve over the years.
The featured art is by Shinonoko as promo for Cave Story 3D.
0:00 - Original PC Version
1:09 - WiiWare Version
2:20 - Danny Baranowsky Version (3DS / Remastered)
3:30 - RushJet1 Version
4:39 - Ridiculon Version
5:51 - Final Boss Theme from Crystal Crisis
Systems: Windows, Mac, Linux, Wii (WiiWare), DS (DSiWare), 3DS, Switch (eShop), PlayStation 4 [Crystal Crisis]
Games: Cave Story, Cave Story+, Cave Story 3D, Crystal Crisis
Music Title: Running Hell (Curly's Theme)
Composers: Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, Danny Baranowsky, RushJet1, Ridiculon, & UMI☆KUUN
Also see Klagmar's Top VGM #220: • Klagmar's Top VGM #220-Cave Story-Jenka 2
Klagmar's Top VGM #300: • Klagmar's Top VGM #300-Cave Story-Running ...
Klagmar's Top VGM #391: • Klagmar's Top VGM #391-Cave Story-Last Cave
Klagmar's Top VGM #486: • Klagmar's Top VGM #486 - Cave Story - Majo...
Klagmar's Top VGM #646: • Klagmar's Top VGM #646 - Cave Story - On t...
Klagmar's Top VGM #780: • Klagmar's Top VGM #780 - Cave Story - Scor...
Klagmar's Top VGM #1,208: • Klagmar's Top VGM #1,208 - Cave Story+ - W...
Klagmar's Top VGM #1,362: • Klagmar's Top VGM #1,362 - Cave Story+ - P...
Klagmar's Top VGM #1,895: • Klagmar's Top VGM #1,895 - Don't Starve: R...
Klagmar's Top VGM #2,135: • Klagmar's Top VGM #2,135 - Cave Story+ - R...
and Klagmar's Top VGM #3,192: • Klagmar's Top VGM #3,192 - Cave Story+ - L...
A list of my favorite video game music. It's not in any order, and is intended purely for entertainment. Perhaps it will also introduce a few obscure titles or unknown songs. Enjoy!
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Cave Story Statistics For Klagmar
Klagmar currently has 13,515 views spread across 13 videos for Cave Story. His channel published less than an hour of Cave Story content, making up less than 0.24% of the total overall content on Klagmar's YouTube channel.