Cave (company)
Encyclopedia
Cave Co., Ltd. is a Japan
ese video game company, known primarily for its manic shoot 'em up
s. Cave remains one of the most active makers of arcade shoot-'em-ups in the Japanese market. The company was formed primarily from the remains of Toaplan
, and several of their early games are considered to be spiritual successors to prior Toaplan works, in particular Truxton and Batsugun
. Cave currently produces new titles for the arcade, Xbox 360 and cell phones, as well as online games for the PC.
They are also known for an Engrish
warning screen after turning on the games DonPachi
and Puzzle Uo Poko
("Violator and subject to severe penalties and will be prosecutedt to the full extent of the jam" [sic]).
Cave's arcade titles have used various arcade boards over the years. Earlier titles used a Cave-designed board based on a Motorola 68000 CPU, whereas later releases moved over to the PGM (Poly Game Master)
hardware, and then on to boards based on the Hitachi SH-3 CPU. Cave dabbled in PC-based hardware for DeathSmiles II, but with Akai Katana, they have gone back to the old SH-3 hardware.
In many Cave arcade video game flyers, especially those based on SH-3 hardware, there are also papercraft games at the back of the flyers.
A character named Cave represents the company within the company-collaborative RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese video game company, known primarily for its manic shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
s. Cave remains one of the most active makers of arcade shoot-'em-ups in the Japanese market. The company was formed primarily from the remains of Toaplan
Toaplan
, sometimes written as Toa Plan, was a video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous scrolling shooters and arcade games, yet the company declared bankruptcy in 1994.-Games developed :...
, and several of their early games are considered to be spiritual successors to prior Toaplan works, in particular Truxton and Batsugun
Batsugun
is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up hailing from the now defunct Japanese game developer Toaplan.Originally developed for the arcade, Batsugun saw two revisions—the first being released in 1993. The latter named Batsugun Special Version was shown at the AOU show in Japan but was never...
. Cave currently produces new titles for the arcade, Xbox 360 and cell phones, as well as online games for the PC.
They are also known for an Engrish
Engrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
warning screen after turning on the games DonPachi
DonPachi
thumb|DonPachi arcade PCB is a vertically-scrolling manic shooter video game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1995. It was the first game developed by Cave, and the second on Cave's first generation arcade hardware...
and Puzzle Uo Poko
Uo Poko
thumb|Uo Poko arcade PCBUo Poko is an arcade puzzle game developed by Cave and distributed by Jaleco. It has gained some notoriety in gaming circles for the Japanese variant's engrish legal warning threatening that copyright violators will be "prosecutedt to the full extent of the jam".- Gameplay...
("Violator and subject to severe penalties and will be prosecutedt to the full extent of the jam" [sic]).
Cave's arcade titles have used various arcade boards over the years. Earlier titles used a Cave-designed board based on a Motorola 68000 CPU, whereas later releases moved over to the PGM (Poly Game Master)
PolyGame Master
The PolyGame Master is an arcade system board released in 1997 by the Taiwanese company IGS. The PGM was developed in order to compete with the likes of SNK's Neo Geo MVS system in Taiwan...
hardware, and then on to boards based on the Hitachi SH-3 CPU. Cave dabbled in PC-based hardware for DeathSmiles II, but with Akai Katana, they have gone back to the old SH-3 hardware.
In many Cave arcade video game flyers, especially those based on SH-3 hardware, there are also papercraft games at the back of the flyers.
A character named Cave represents the company within the company-collaborative RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2
Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is the sequel to Hyperdimension Neptunia, announced on April 12, 2011, for the PlayStation 3....
.
Games developed
| Game | Year | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|
| DonPachi DonPachi thumb|DonPachi arcade PCB is a vertically-scrolling manic shooter video game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1995. It was the first game developed by Cave, and the second on Cave's first generation arcade hardware... |
1995 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| Delisoba Deluxe | 1996 | Fuji TV Network, Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
| DoDonPachi DoDonPachi thumb|DoDonPachi arcade PCB is a vertically scrolling manic shooter arcade game developed by Cave and published by Atlus, in 1997. It was the second game developed by Cave, and the sixth on Cave's first generation arcade hardware... |
1997 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| Peak Performance | 1997 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| Steep Slope Sliders Steep Slope Sliders is a console game made for the Sega Saturn, published in 1997. It was developed by a collaboration of Victor Interactive Software, and the Cave Company and was published by Sega. This game was a port from the Sega Titan ST-V arcade system... |
1997 | Capcom Capcom is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its... |
| ESP Ra.De. ESP Ra.De. is a vertically scrolling manic shooter arcade game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1998. Unlike most other shmups, ESP Ra. De. has a somewhat involved story and setting. The Game received 2 prequels in the form of Espgaluda and Espgaluda II.... |
1998 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| Dangun Feveron / Fever S.O.S. Dangun Feveron thumb|Dangun Feveron PCB with art is a vertical scrolling shooter game developed by Cave in 1998. The gameplay is typical of manic shooters, with numerous swarms of enemies onscreen at any given time, and bosses that shoot intimidatingly large clusters of bullets... |
1998 | Nihon System |
| Uo Poko Uo Poko thumb|Uo Poko arcade PCBUo Poko is an arcade puzzle game developed by Cave and distributed by Jaleco. It has gained some notoriety in gaming circles for the Japanese variant's engrish legal warning threatening that copyright violators will be "prosecutedt to the full extent of the jam".- Gameplay... |
1998 | Jaleco Jaleco is a Japanese video game publisher and developer established in 2006.The original Jaleco Ltd was founded in 1974. In 2006, it decided to become a pure holding company by renaming itself Jaleco Holding and splitting its video game operations into a newly created subsdiary that took its former name... |
| Guwange Guwange is a vertical scrolling shooter developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1999.-Story:The story of Guwange is set during the Muromachi period of Japan. During this time, increasing numbers of people suffer possession by shikigami. Although the shikigami grant great spiritual powers, the strain... |
1999 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| Progear Progear is an arcade video game developed by CAVE and published by Capcom on the CPS-2 arcade system board in 2001. This was Cave's only horizontal scrolling shooter until DeathSmiles in 2007. The game features a steampunk-like style and art design... |
2001 | Capcom Capcom is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its... |
| DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou is the fourth arcade game in Cave's DonPachi series. It is considered to be the "true" sequel to DoDonPachi. The "Dai Ou Jou" portion of the title translates as "peaceful death", which is a wry reference to the overwhelming and frantic manner in which players meet their end... |
2002 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi On 2007-3-26, Arika's vice president Ichiro Mihara mentioned the release of Nintendo DS version of Ketsui in his personal page . The game, subtitled Death label, was available for download in test events in 2007-3-31. Video footage of the game was also released by Mihara... |
2003 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Espgaluda Espgaluda is a manic shooter by Cave, released in 2003. It is the spiritual prequel to the company's renowned ESP Ra.De. and is followed by Espgaluda II.-Playstation 2 version:... |
2003 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Mushihime-sama Mushihime-sama is a manic shooter developed by Cave and released by Taito in 2004. It was ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game has an insect theme as all of the enemies resemble various insects such as beetles and butterflies. The game is set in various forest environments... |
2004 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Espgaluda II Espgaluda II Espgaluda II is a manic shooter by Cave, sequel to Espgaluda, which was the prequel released after ESP Ra.De.. An Xbox 360 release, titled Espgaluda II Black Label, was released on February 25, 2010 in Japan.-Story:... |
2005 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Puzzle! Mushihime-tama | 2005 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Ibara | 2005 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Pink Sweets ~Ibara sorekara~ | 2006 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Mushihime-sama Futari Mushihime-sama Futari , a bullet hell shooter by Cave, was released in arcades on October 27, 2006 and is the sequel to Mushihime-sama. On the 21st of April 2009 it was announced at Microsoft's spring press conference in Japan that Mushihime-sama Futari would be released on the Xbox 360 in Japan on November 26, 2009.... |
2006 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Muchi-Muchi Pork | 2007 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE , formerly , is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based in the Megami Tensei universe. Aeria Games acquired the rights to the game from Cave Co., Ltd. Shin Megami Tensei is a major intellectual property of the Japanese developer and publisher, Atlus Co., Ltd... |
2007 | Atlus Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of... |
| DeathSmiles DeathSmiles is a horizontal side scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game by Japanese developer Cave, released in late 2007. It is notable for its aesthetic style, featuring heavy occult and gothic influences. It is the second Cave shoot 'em up to be played using a horizontally-oriented monitor... |
2007 | Amusement Marketing International |
| Do-Don-Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu Do-Don-Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu is the fifth arcade game in Cave's DonPachi series. The game was publicly unveiled at AOU2008 Amusement EXPO.-Plot:After the turmoil caused by the assault on Lunapolis which sparked the "Blissful Death Wars" , peace seems to have been restored, with the legendary DonPachi Corps retreating to its HQ... |
2008 | Amusement Marketing International |
| DeathSmiles II DeathSmiles II Deathsmiles II is a horizontal side scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game by Japanese developer Cave, released in 2009. It is notable for its aesthetic style, featuring heavy occult and gothic influences. It is the third Cave shoot 'em up to be played using a horizontally-oriented monitor Deathsmiles... |
2009 | Cave |
| Akai Katana | 2010 | Cave |
| Arcana Heart: Card of Glory | 2010 | Cave |
| Mushihime-sama Bug Panic | 2010 | Cave |
| NIN2-JUMP | 2011 | Cave |
| Instant Brain | 2011 | Cave |
Subsidiaries
- Mini4WD Networks Co., Ltd. (ミニ四駆ネットワークス株式会社) is a joint venture of Cave and Tamiya established in 2006-02-01.
- Tabot Inc. is a video game, music, and online content development company.
- Beads Mania makes accessories. The company merged with Cave on 2008-06-01.
See also
- 8ing/Raizing8ing/RaizingEighting Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company mainly known for its shoot 'em ups and its fighting games....
- Takumi
- GazelleGazelle (software company)Gazelle was an arcade game developer founded by former Toaplan employees after the bankruptcy of the latter company in 1994.They developed only two games: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, a beat 'em up, 1995 and Air Gallet, an extremely difficult "manic" vertically scrolling shoot 'em up, 1996. Both...
- BanprestoBanprestois a Japanese toy company, best known in America for game development, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. The company was renamed Coreland in 1982, and during the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for...
- Ryu UmemotoRyu UmemotoRyu Umemoto was a Japanese video game music composer, born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He is known for composing soundtracks to various visual novel and shoot 'em up games since the 1990s, for several companies including FamilySoft, C's Ware, ELF Corporation, D4 Enterprise, and Cave...