TIGSource: Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New

Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New

Derek Yu — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:26:00 +0000

Posted at Nicalis’s Cave Story Wii blog, a side-by-side comparison of the original Toroko versus the new one, also drawn by Pixel. Fun! As much as I love the first game, I’m glad they’re updating the graphics and audio. (The final game will allow players to play with the original assets, or mix and match old and new.)

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Nemo07

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:09:29 +0000

I just saw the interview on GameTrailers, and holy crap does Misery look odd. Why does she have less hair than in the original? I do like that her icon’s hair matches her hair now.

Eww, the updated graphics (in Grasstown, at least) look like the original was put through that Photoshop filter where it looks like you took a rolling pin to it. Blech… I hope they change that.

Also, we really need to see some gameplay that isn’t off-screen. Off-screen footage makes what you’re showing look like shit. I might change my mind on how everything looks if I saw it the way it’s intended to look.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Joseph

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:22:12 +0000

That looks sick! Can’t wait to play it :D

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Koholint

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:07:45 +0000

You know, it’s possible that Pixel’s art style has improved. That’s what they mean by updating.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Kobel

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:04:07 +0000

I’d hit it.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by PHeMoX

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:16:49 +0000

Needs a monocle and a bit more fez! ^^

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Eclipse

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:37:18 +0000

higher resolution but same colors = fail

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Septagon

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:46:27 +0000

I have yet to hear how much of the new art is by Pixel himself, and how much is by Nicalis. Does anyone know?

I agree with Namuol. ‘updating’ a retro game is iffy at best. Quality is how well a game works within its constraints, not how high the resolution is.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Rorkimaru

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:33:32 +0000

Hmm… no

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Gainsworth

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:31:58 +0000

Static! I was just about to say that!

But a double warning may catch more attention. It does say hhttp://

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by staticfloat

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:23:58 +0000

BTW, whoever’s in charge of the DevRoll; the link to the Cavestory Wii site is broken. (hhttp://, instead of http://) ;)

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by ffffffff

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:07:43 +0000

I like the new mouth. :3

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Lorne

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:05:48 +0000

I don’t like the new mouth :U

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Phasma Felis

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:48:12 +0000

Oh, now that’s just classy. Upping the resolution and detail without changing the basic outline and design in the slightest. Well done!

Haven’t heard any of the new music yet, but, well, IMHO the original Cave Story music wasn’t really great. It was serviceable, and did its job, but there was much better music on the SNES. The tunes were fine, but it sounds like he pushed the “retro” feel until it just sounds tinny and beepy. The best chiptunes did a much better job of working around the limitations of their hardware.

Not that I’m griping; Pixel did an absolutely stunning job for having done everything himself. But I do think the music is the weakest part.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by sfried

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:22:46 +0000

I forgot to add that, yes, those are glossy eyes with reflective specs.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by sfried

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:11:19 +0000

I don’t see what looks wrong with the new sprite. I shrunk the image to 1/8 the size and it definitely looks as every bit apealing as the first, if not a bit more. The wierd “brow line” is simply to emphasize roundness, and it seems Tokoro does have fabby Mimiga ears when compared to their character portrait.

As for what namuol said, videogames and movies are not the same medium. You can’t just rely simply on the artistic vision of one or several creators to make a good game. It takes knowing what is fun for your audience, what works, and what needs to be cut. Cave Story is no Citizen Kane, and it shouldn’t (heaven forbid how pretensious Cave Story would end up being if it were, with all sorts of symbolism thrown in) since I definitely want to enjoy Pixel’s work for what it is. That, and the fact he has his full support with this project is what make me happy for all these little extras they’re pouring over for his supporters.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Kongming

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:45:32 +0000

Giving Pixel money, I guess? I assume he’s getting paid for this, anyway.

Dunno know why they don’t set up a PayPal account and just give him money instead, though.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Scott

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:25:28 +0000

Why do people say “I’ll play it with the old graphics” whats the point of even buying it if you don’t want the new stuff?

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Medieval

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:49:52 +0000

I agree with the flaws that Xion pointed out. I also think that when everything is touched up, this will look great.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Xion

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:19:50 +0000

I dislike the new one, but only because of minor things like the brow line and the completely horizontal lines on the shirt and the extra pixel on the end of the far ear and “fingers”.

It’s cool that they’re updating it though. Yes, “updating”. How lame/lazy would it be to release the exact same product? It’s a nice freshness, marketing ploy or not.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by namuol

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:34:33 +0000

“updating” ?

Cave Story was released in 2004. The graphics were intentionally SNES-like. Pixel didn’t choose such a low resolution to save time, but rather to give the game a certain look-and-feel.

The same goes for the music, and while i like the new graphics as they stand, i highly doubt the new music will “fit” so nicely along with the new look-and-feel, let alone the original.

Cave Story’s charm is a consequence of Pixel’s unified vision of each aspect of the game. Citizen Kane was great for the same reasons; virtually every detail was under control by he who originally envisioned the film (or in Pixel’s case, the game).

It’s pretty clear that this is being done to justify selling something that is free on a few other platforms, and I understand that much.

Either way, i hope it sells well and affords Pixel what he deserves!

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by defacid

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:30:53 +0000

At first I didn’t like them, but now I think I’m leaning more towards the new sprites.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by McAndrews

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:17:19 +0000

New Cave Story = Cave Story Ripoff

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Tanner

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:59:09 +0000

Cavern Tale copy-cat.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Trotim

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:12:12 +0000

The new one looks all fat. Nah, will definitely use the old sprites.

"Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New" by Ezuku

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:25:02 +0000

Actually, I wonder how this will look in an in game screenshot. It’s entirely possible it will just end up making things look cluttered.