Cave Story +
Cave Story is a 2D adventure game created by the acclaimed indie developers, Nicalis. It also just so happens to be as hard as nails. You take a the role of an amnesiac protagonist who wakes up in a cave, and uncovers a sinister plot by someone known as “The Doctor.”
Cave Story, much like Mega Man and Cuphead, is a run-and-gun adventure that has you navigating through a cave network. The biggest difference here though is that Cave Story features quite a few puzzles, something that Cuphead lacks. Along the way you’ll collect multiple weapons, which can be switched out. Occasionally when you beat enemies you’ll gain experience for your weapons, which can be leveled up to level 3. However, when you take damage you can lose experience and reduce a weapon’s level, which only ups the difficulty of the game even more. Cave Story is definitely more story and exploration oriented than Cuphead, but nevertheless you’re going to find quite a few similarities between the two.