I often post Game Impressions, and occasionally post about a game on release day, but I usually shy away from saying solely in a non-review type post that you should go buy a particular game.  But I’m going to break with tradition today and say that if you have a Wii, go spend $12 and buy Cave Story.

If you are unfamiliar with Cave Story (you’ve been living in a cave, right?), let me give it a brief introduction.  It was first released in 2004 for the PC, and is one of the best known indie freeware games ever made, in part because it is excellent, and in part because it was developed completely by one person, Daisuke ‘Pixel’ Amaya, over a span of 5 years.

A 2D side-scrolling platformer with an old skool style, Cave Story takes its inspiration from classic games like Metroid and Castlevania, and it delivers a game that rivals such classics in story and play time.  The game was adapted for WiiWare by independent developer Nicalis, and sports new widescreen 480p graphics, a new English localization, new character designs by Pixel himself, and new music.  It also includes some new gameplay modes.

It’s in vogue these days to say “there’s nothing to play on the Wii” or “my Wii’s collecting dust” or something similar.  Don’t be one of those people who like saying that at the expense of playing  a good game.  Hopefully this game gets the mainstream attention it deserves, and Pixel realizes a little monetary gain for all his hard work.  In a console generation or two, when you see the inevitable lists of games you should have played on the Wii, Cave Story will be near the top of the list.

Hit the jump for some gameplay footage.