Cave Story

Cave Story is a freeware game available for download developed by some guy over several years. It is sort of similar to the 2D Metroid/Castlevania games but more linear and story driven. The main character awakens in a cave with amnesia and the story unfolds as he explores. The plot is pretty good for being an independent game developed by one person, it isn't spectacular though.

The gameplay is good, some pretty solid 2D platforming and shooting. There are a total of 9 weapons available, and you can carry up to 5 at a time, though finding them all can be difficult. The difficulty is always reasonable, there are plenty of save points and the learning curve isn't too steep. The last series of bosses can be pretty tough; it took me a few tries but not so many that I got frustrated. There is a secret area which is much more difficult for those looking for a challenge, it took me many tries to beat it.

Anyway, I'd recommend anyone that likes 2D platformers to give this game a try. It doesn't have the polish of a professionally developed game, but it is truly excellent for being made by one person, and it many ways it has the feeling that someone really put their heart into it unlike many other games.