Cave Game Styles

AGC · Post by **AGC** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 3:14 pm

Does anyone know if there are different teams working within Cave developing different games as it seems as if there are different groups of games with certain similarities such as DDPDOJ and Espgaluda which have a similar feel and then another group which contains Ibara and Mushihimesama which also have a similar feel. I don't know the history of Cave. Maybe it was formed by groups of developers from different companies?
I have to say I prefer the games from the first group I mentioned as even though they are tough I always feel like it's possible. With the second group I find it hard to see some of the bullets and end up getting killed without even having seen the bullet.

gameoverDude · Post by **gameoverDude** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:27 pm

Raizing's Shinobu Yagawa (Battle Garegga etc) is the director/programmer of Ibara and Ibara: Pink Sweets (the new one where you play as Teresa and the Rose sisters). Some Cave art staff did help out on design.

Yagawa is not involved in any of their other titles. Still, Mushihime-sama and Ibara share some "designer" staff such as Akira Wakabayashi and Hideki Nomura.

DDP and ESPGaluda run on the same hardware along with Ketsui.

Cave has some developers from Toaplan.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:32 pm

Are you talking about art style or gameplay? The whole "Cave Style" bullet hell in just about all their games is thanks to Tsuneki Ikeda (former Toaplan). He did not work on Dangun Feveron or Ibara (or Pink Sweets).

As for Artists:
Junya Inoue did most of the world designing for ESPRade, Guwange, and Progear
DOJ apparently had inhouse designers. AFAIK, Ketsui, ESPGaluda, ESPGaluda II, Mushi, and Ibara were all outsourced by somewhat famous designers (Ibara and Mushi by the same guy).

AGC · Post by **AGC** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:36 am

GaijinPunch wrote:Are you talking about art style or gameplay? The whole "Cave Style" bullet hell in just about all their games is thanks to Tsuneki Ikeda (former Toaplan). He did not work on Dangun Feveron or Ibara (or Pink Sweets).

As for Artists:
Junya Inoue did most of the world designing for ESPRade, Guwange, and Progear
DOJ apparently had inhouse designers. AFAIK, Ketsui, ESPGaluda, ESPGaluda II, Mushi, and Ibara were all outsourced by somewhat famous designers (Ibara and Mushi by the same guy).

Mainly I was talking about the look of the games but also the game mechanics. You say Ibara and Mushi were designed by the same guy, so that makes sense.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:38 am

i dont think DOJ and Espgaluda have the same look at all.. ?

in that regard id say espgaluda and mushi are more alike and DOJ and ibara (not to forget ketsui) are more similar... especially in the bullets department.. ?

maybe im crazy..

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:15 pm

The Ibara/Mushi guy just sold this book at Comike 69.

Here's my take on the bullets.
DDP and DOJ go into a family, w/ DOJ being the mean step mother.
Progear and Ketsui definitely have some similaritiess, despite the whole horizontal thing. I call these "organic" patterns
ESPRade I've always thought was on it's own, but I guess closer to traditional DDP than anything. Lots of diffferent types of bullets, but most moving really slow.
ESPGaluda and Mushi's arrange mode I think are kind of on their own as well. Similar in some respects to older games, but nothing screams.

ESPGaluda II, is a homage to many Cave games. There are a few patterns that a striaght out of Mushi's arrange mode. One of Seseri's patterns is ripped right out of Guwange. Definitely more if you look closely.