Cave Story Wii: Toroko Old and New

By: Derek Yu

On: October 11th, 2008

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.)

Posted in Community, Previews, Wii | Tags: Nicalis, Pixel

Cobalt

She has inverted eyelashes. Maybe not, probably just glossy eyes or something.
salesale

I like the new model, it’s an updated to the old but still true to the style
Ezuku

It saddens me that us PCers won’t get this.
Sergio

Currently I like the old one better. Pixel does seem to have a habit of updating his sprites though, so maybe I’ll like the new one better by the time this is out.
alspal

I prefer the old, looks more adorable and cute.
Adamski

I agree, I don’t like the new one at all :(
annabelle

“As much as I love the first game, Iâ€™m glad theyâ€™re updating the graphics and audio.”

I’m really glad someone else agrees with me im not the only one!!

and also the port is far far from done i really doubt anythings final so reserve judgment, people.
Ezuku

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.
Trotim

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

Cavern Tale copy-cat.
McAndrews

New Cave Story = Cave Story Ripoff
defacid

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

“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!
Xion

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.
Medieval

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

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?
Kongming

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.
sfried

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.
sfried

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

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.
Lorne

I don’t like the new mouth :U
ffffffff

I like the new mouth. :3
staticfloat

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

Static! I was just about to say that!

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

Hmm… no
Septagon

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.
http://www.0xdeadc0de.org/ Eclipse

higher resolution but same colors = fail
PHeMoX

Needs a monocle and a bit more fez! ^^
Kobel

I’d hit it.
Koholint

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

That looks sick! Can’t wait to play it :D
Nemo07

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.