I Love Cave Story
I really like the indie game Cave Story. It has a special place in my heart, it's one of my favourite games ever.
The soundtrack is so beautiful and so fitting. The story is great. The combat is fun! And the overall atmosphere... man. I was so immersed when I played the game for the first time!
I really recommend you check it out. It's available for free.
The game was created by a solo developer Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya and released in 2004. This guy is the father of solo indie developers. Inspiring stuff:
One weird thing about the game is that getting the best ending is very difficult and counter-intuitive, if not downright impossible without external help. Why is this so? Was this bad design on Pixel's end or was this intentional? Below is a great analysis of the game's story and a good explanation for this decision:
A human would normally never get the best ending. To get such an ending, the game doesn't reward you with always acting on the choice you think is best - counter-intuitively, you have to eg. choose to not save a certain friendly character, among other specific choices. If this game was your world and you were its protagonist, you wouldn't be able to make things work out by yourself. Because you're not omniscient and you don't know what exactly you have to do to get the best outcome. You can't rely on your knowledge, your compassion or anything else familiar to you.
But there is a way. It will not be your way since won't be able to understand it, but a certain external intervention can make things fall in place. The way is to reach out for something beyond and let yourself be guided - without resistance or insisting on choices YOU think would be best.
There is a way to heaven. But you will never know it.
Does this resemble your life to you even slightly? Maybe in order for you to reach happiness, you need to let go of the belief that you know best and surrender to something inside you that just makes the necessary things happen. It's a very difficult step. I am so afraid of it. So resistant, hateful, and averse. I want to KILL IT. I want to SCREAM! I HATE YOU!!!!!!
But in the end, it is possible for me and you. It is a choice, or perhaps a recognition that you love the reality which is unfolding right in front of you, but you just can't make things work yourself... You are too flawed a host of this body. But it's okay. You never really go away, you're just taking a step back to observe and let the magic work through you.
I wish I was this wise... "Now tell that to yourself"...
Anyway, I love Cave Story.