| First Cave [sect101] |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Guide yourself through the very first cave in Cave Story! Learn to navigate traps, find health upgrades, and grab your first weapon, the Polar Star.

Alright, welcome to Cave Story! You're gonna start off in a small cavern. Don't worry if you don't know what's going on, that's part of the mystery. First things first, let's get you oriented. You'll see a floppy disk icon – that's your save point. Make sure to use these whenever you find them! There's also a monitor with a heart on it. This is your refill station; it'll top off your health, and later on, it'll even refill your missiles. To use either of these, just press the Down arrow. Once you've got the controls down, head to the top of this room and press Down to go through the door.

Now you're in what the game calls the 'First Cave'. Head left and you'll immediately see some spikes. If you're still getting used to the movement, take it slow – you only have 3 health points right now, so getting hit is a big deal. You'll see some Bats flying around; just run underneath them. Look up into a small alcove, and you'll find a Life Capsule. Press Down to grab it. These are super important because they permanently increase your maximum health, so always try to snag them!

Keep moving down, dodging those Bats. The next jump might feel a little tricky – you need to do a running jump right before you hit the water. There's a little Critter enemy here, but you can ignore it for now. Just make your way towards that big tiger-head structure.

This is where you'll meet the Hermit Gunsmith. Sneak past him – he's sleeping – and open the treasure chest. Boom! Your very first weapon: the Polar Star. Pretty cool, right? (Yeah, stealing from an old guy feels a bit iffy, but hey, it's a weapon!)

Now that you've got the Polar Star, you can actually fight back! Any enemies you defeat in this cave will drop either a heart, which heals you, or energy crystals. Those crystals are experience points for your weapon, and they'll help it level up. Head back towards where you started, but this time, go to the right. You'll notice some star-shaped blocks that were in your way before. Now you can shoot them! Blast your way through, taking out any Critters you encounter. Before you jump towards the exit door, be careful – it's a mimic! Just keep shooting it until it goes down. Once it's defeated, you can head through the real door. Pro-tip: I'd recommend upgrading your Polar Star to Level 2 before you leave this area if you can!