The Science of Cave Story

*The game says Jenka confined Ballos to a floating island. It doesn't say she confined him to an island and then made it float.

Ouch.

 

My handwave for a bunch of things. About five minutes of vigorous palm motion.

The island is a floating island. There're a lot of them in fantasy, but it doesn't really matter how it floats so much as that its "natural state" is floating*.

A long time ago: Ballos goes completely nuts. He tries to kill everyone.
Jenka decides that's a bad idea, so she tries to isolate him, teleporting him to the floating island. Ballos, having no teleportation ability of his own (it would have shown up when you fought him) decides to kill everyone and free himself by causing the island to crash to the ground. Jenka counters this by making the core, which has the ability to screw with gravity and acts as a seal on Ballos' power. The water in the core's room acts as a gravitational sink - it can be raised or lowered in order to offset any fluctuations in the power struggle.

Slightly less of a long time ago: Misery decides that all that crazy powerful magic shouldn't go to waste. She approaches Ballos and gets him to make the Demon Crown, which would let the wearer use some of Ballos' intense magical powers. Like any story with an evil genie, he grants her wish, but gives it a nasty twist. She is bound to forever serve the master of the crown, and every time the crown is used it acts as a corrupting influence since Ballos hates everything. This creates all sorts of nasty stuff as time goes on, such as the red flowers, spikes, et cetra. All of hell (since it's closest to Ballos it would logically have more corruption), and almost anything red and evil can be attributed to this.

Ten-fifteen years before the game: Some scientists (Responsible for most of the modern influences upon the island. Probably including Malco and the power room) find the core. They see a fluctuating water level and are all "Sweet! Free energy!"**. They build platforms in the room for observation or something.*** Some killer robots come through and try to destroy the base (presumably since the scientists are from another country). They attack the core since it's central to the power generation operation, and get wiped out.

Later on: Quote kills the core. Ballos is now free to try to kill everyone. He starts stage one of his plan, bringing the island crashing to the ground. When Quote and Curly kill Ballos, he isn't adding any extra downward acceleration anymore, so the island stops falling. Incidentally, since Ballos is spending a vast amount of energy pulling the island down he isn't fighting at his full "destroy a city in one instant" capacity.

*The game says Jenka confined Ballos to a floating island. It doesn't say she confined him to an island and then made it float.

**Vaguely Supported by the music track being called "geothermal"

***The core would be virtually unbeatable if those platforms weren't there to let you dodge the shots. I assume that Jenka originally had it in a platformless flooded cave, which would make it much better at protecting itself

That's a lotta analysis.

 

My handwave for a bunch of things. About five minutes of vigorous palm motion.

The island is a floating island. There're a lot of them in fantasy, but it doesn't really matter how it floats so much as that its "natural state" is floating*.

*The game says Jenka confined Ballos to a floating island. It doesn't say she confined him to an island and then made it float.

"Jenka, seeing her brother's madness, confined him to this floating island."

Confined him to this floating island.
I don't see enough information to determine whether it was floating before she arrived or not. "This floating island" is in the present tense, so it could simply just be stating the place you would know. If it had said "a floating island" then I'd probably agree with you.

A long time ago: Ballos goes completely nuts. He tries to kill everyone.
Jenka decides that's a bad idea, so she tries to isolate him,
teleporting him to the floating island. Ballos, having no teleportation ability of his own (it would have shown up when you fought him) decides to kill everyone and free himself by causing the island to crash to the ground.

We don't actually see Jenka use any magic in the game that we can clearly say is hers. We never see her teleport either... [Now the dogs on the other hand..!]
As for Ballos, there could be a reason why he is unable to teleport out of that room of his. That Seal Chamber. I mean Misery sends Balrog to save you at the very end, rather than a teleportation spell. Not enough evidence to support it but, I say we can't know for sure if Ballos is unable to use teleportation.


For everything else, can't say you're right or wrong; but nice :eek:

 

damn people driving their hummers and quotes around and raising gas prices v.v'

Rofl.
Verymuchquiteamusing.

 

We don't actually see Jenka use any magic in the game that we can clearly say is hers. We never see her teleport either... [Now the dogs on the other hand..!]
As for Ballos, there could be a reason why he is unable to teleport out of that room of his. That Seal Chamber. I mean Misery sends Balrog to save you at the very end, rather than a teleportation spell. Not enough evidence to support it but, I say we can't know for sure if Ballos is unable to use teleportation.

Ballos can teleport, but Jenka's seal traps him.

I love figuring this stuff out, its fun. :eek:

 

Just throwing this out there:
I'm pretty sure Ballos begs you to kill him...
So maybe he didn't want to leave because he was afraid his wild magic would harm more people...?

 

Just throwing this out there:
I'm pretty sure Ballos begs you to kill him...
So maybe he didn't want to leave because he was afraid his wild magic would harm more people...?

That was just the small remaining traces of Ballos' sanity.

 

That was just the small remaining traces of Ballos' sanity.

Exactly.
Uselesstextftw!

EDIT: lol post #69~

 

Exactly.
Uselesstextftw!

But that wasn't the thing that kept him there.

 

But that wasn't the thing that kept him there.

o.o
Was it... Drugs?
Or candy?
Or candy laced with drugs, so when you eat to many, you die, but no one knows whether it was from too much sugar or an OD...
~Twitch~
Gotta lay off the Advil...
Especially the sugar-coated ones...

 

o.o
Was it... Drugs?
Or candy?
Or candy laced with drugs, so when you eat to many, you die, but no one knows whether it was from too much sugar or an OD...
~Twitch~
Gotta lay off the Advil...
Especially the sugar-coated ones...

..or the magic seal that gave the seal chamber it's name.

Oh wait you were talking about his insanity. Maybe it's due to him killing everyone he ever cared about and the torture the king put him under.

 

..or the magic seal that gave the seal chamber it's name.

Oh wait you were talking about his insanity. Maybe it's due to him killing everyone he ever cared about and the torture the king put him under.

Storyline:

• Ballos was advisor to kingdom.
• King (not the mimiga) grew jealous of Ballos popularity.
• King threw Ballos in prison.
• Ballos let magic run wild, killing and destroying most everything in it's wake.
• Ballos went mad seeing what his magic did to his wife and children.
• Jenka sealed away Ballos.

Soooo...
All things considered, I'd say Ballos is a classic split personality.

BTW: WT255 are those little green things (Green Devils) from the second form of Ballos called "Innocent Demon" in the credits?

 

Ballos was advisor to kingdom.

Ballos was a commoner, but used his powers for the good of everyone to the point where he was given more respect than the king.

• King threw Ballos in prison.
• Ballos let magic run wild, killing and destroying most everything in it's wake.
• Ballos went mad seeing what his magic did to his wife and children.

Ballos underwent torture that went for many days until it drove him near insane under the neverending pain. Under such pain you would do anything to stop it, so Ballos lashed out with his magic to stop the pain. No-one survived. That last fact drove him over the edge into insanity.

 

Ballos was a commoner, but used his powers for the good of everyone to the point where he was given more respect than the king.


Ballos underwent torture that went for many days until it drove him near insane under the neverending pain. Under such pain you would do anything to stop it, so Ballos lashed out with his magic to stop the pain. No-one survived. That last fact drove him over the edge into insanity.

Or mayhaps it was just gas?

 

DANGER! Ballos Phase 3!!

Ballos was a commoner, but used his powers for the good of everyone to the point where he was given more respect than the king.


Ballos underwent torture that went for many days until it drove him near insane under the neverending pain. Under such pain you would do anything to stop it, so Ballos lashed out with his magic to stop the pain. No-one survived. That last fact drove him over the edge into insanity.

"Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals..."
"He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king..."

"The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed..."

- It doesn't say what Ballos was exactly. Whether he was a priest, a warlock, a commoner or a noble; it seems he had a lot of influence.

"Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos' magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. In a single night, the kingdom that Ballos so loved was reduced to ashen ruins."

"Welcome. I am Ballos. Ages upon ages ago, in fear of enduring further punishment, I allowed my magic to run wild... The magic became such that even its master's hands could not control it. As I looked on, unable to quell its firey rage, it took from me my loved ones, my children, my dearest wife... Their cries of agony soared above the flames. I could not avert my eyes, so I merely gazed upon the spectacle... Laughing... Jenka sealed me away, but my magic yet rages out of control even now. Long, long have I waited... Waited for the one who would finally subdue my magic's fury... Now, kill me! Or I -- shall KILL YOU!!"

- I'm having a hard time understanding Ballos' magic... But, in my attempt to better grasp what information is available, I realized :

The Doctor. A clear cut case to see how the wild magic works. Not fool-proof mind you, as he had borrowed the powers through the Crown, and the Red Crystal. Whether the Core truly is related to Jenka and Ballos is unknown, or is if it is something else entirely. All that is known is that it is of a similar type of power to Ballos' magic.
Before we jump onto the Core theories, back to how wild magic works...

Case : The Doctor
Phase 1 : The Doctor with the completed crystal and crown has full control over the magical powers. He is able to wield them as he wishes.

Phase 2 : The Doctor with his body and mind closing in on death, the magic takes over, warping his body and mind.

Phase 3 : The Doctor's body destroyed, is free to take control of another body with sanity intact. With possibility of even greater powers...

Phase 4 : Doctor's probably totally dead!

Now if that is true... Ballos could be in something similar to Phase 2, when you do battle with him.
Don't forget when Ballos dies, stuff is still happening, "The Pain... So Hot... "
If... my theory is correct, Ballos could just be entering something similar to Phase 3.
There is the slight possibility that Jenka knows how it works, and thus the prison of bone/spirits are dragging him to hell or wherever. But then there's also the scary possibility that Ballos is just becoming free to take over whatever. But since the Doctor's case was just a minor fraction of Ballos' case, we can't assume to say it will be exactly the same...


Oh and back to the Core stuff, if the Island did Indeed float before Jenka and Ballos arrived, and the comments from Misery and Prof. Booster and Kazuma are true about the Core. That would mean the island floats because of the Core, and the flowers power also are linked to the core.
If that's true, and the Core existed before them; it's always possible that the Core could have become tainted by Ballos at some point, or perhaps the Core might be related even to deeper and older mysteries...

Not enough evidence I think to speculate the truth of the Core
But, the Doctor/Ballos case thing seems pretty unnerving to me...

 

- It doesn't say what Ballos was exactly. Whether he was a priest, a warlock, a commoner or a noble; it seems he had a lot of influence.


- I'm having a hard time understanding Ballos' magic... But, in my attempt to better grasp what information is available, I realized :

The Doctor. A clear cut case to see how the wild magic works. Not fool-proof mind you, as he had borrowed the powers through the Crown, and the Red Crystal. Whether the Core truly is related to Jenka and Ballos is unknown, or is if it is something else entirely. All that is known is that it is of a similar type of power to Ballos' magic.
Before we jump onto the Core theories, back to how wild magic works...

Case : The Doctor
Phase 1 : The Doctor with the completed crystal and crown has full control over the magical powers. He is able to wield them as he wishes.

Phase 2 : The Doctor with his body and mind closing in on death, the magic takes over, warping his body and mind.

Phase 3 : The Doctor's body destroyed, is free to take control of another body with sanity intact. With possibility of even greater powers...

Phase 4 : Doctor's probably totally dead!

Now if that is true... Ballos could be in something similar to Phase 2, when you do battle with him.
Don't forget when Ballos dies, stuff is still happening, "The Pain... So Hot... "
If... my theory is correct, Ballos could just be entering something similar to Phase 3.
There is the slight possibility that Jenka knows how it works, and thus the prison of bone/spirits are dragging him to hell or wherever. But then there's also the scary possibility that Ballos is just becoming free to take over whatever. But since the Doctor's case was just a minor fraction of Ballos' case, we can't assume to say it will be exactly the same...


Oh and back to the Core stuff, if the Island did Indeed float before Jenka and Ballos arrived, and the comments from Misery and Prof. Booster and Kazuma are true about the Core. That would mean the island floats because of the Core, and the flowers power also are linked to the core.
If that's true, and the Core existed before them; it's always possible that the Core could have become tainted by Ballos at some point, or perhaps the Core might be related even to deeper and older mysteries...

Not enough evidence I think to speculate the truth of the Core
But, the Doctor/Ballos case thing seems pretty unnerving to me...

The doctor's case was both the magic and the red crystal's effects in unison, mostly the red crystal.

ok, here's a nice little quiz-type question:
what's with the squids when you beat the fish in the waterway?
also, why do they appear when you get the ALIEN medal?

Iron Head and the squids are all cameos from Ikachan, a game that Pixel released before cave story.

 

The doctor's case was both the magic and the red crystal's effects in unison, mostly the red crystal.

So you think the Red Crystal/flowers are unrelated to Ballos' magic?

If they are related, the Red Crystal is kind of like Ballos' wild magic/insanity; like in a physical form. While the Demon Crown is like a link to Ballos himself, but without the insanity or red power. Just powerful magic at the users disposal. Otherwise the Crown would probably cause the user to become insane. [if it doesn't..!]

If they are unrelated ... uh then there's a big coincidence going on.

Well anyways this is what I was thinking ..! Feel free to correct me

 

So you think the Red Crystal/flowers are unrelated to Ballos' magic?

If they are related, the Red Crystal is kind of like Ballos' wild magic/insanity; like in a physical form. While the Demon Crown is like a link to Ballos himself, but without the insanity or red power. Just powerful magic at the users disposal. Otherwise the Crown would probably cause the user to become insane. [if it doesn't..!]

If they are unrelated ... uh then there's a big coincidence going on.

Well anyways this is what I was thinking ..! Feel free to correct me

Hmm, you have a point there. What do you think it is then?

 

Hmm, you have a point there. What do you think it is then?

Uhhhh! I think...
-The Core or "heart of the island" has existed since the time of Ballos' Kingdom.
-That the island began to fall when it was destroyed.
-That the island stopped falling soon as Ballos was defeated.

=That may mean that the Core contained more than enough power to contain Ballos. With its destruction there was not enough power to keep the island alive/afloat/and contain Ballos.

-If you remember the Core, there was a central core, and then there were many little ones around it. Perhaps Misery had a way to save the island from falling. With enough smaller cores.. The smaller ones weren't strong enough to keep the island afloat with Ballos alive but... when he died, they were able to stop it from falling...
[If the core is a living thing, then perhaps it goes in a cycle, the adult full grown creates smaller ones which eventually take the place of the adult one when it dies]

-The amount of time that passes between Balrog arriving to save you after defeating Ballos was small... So I believe Misery and Balrog were out and about after the final Doctor battle. Misery was badly beaten at this point, but there's a good chance she knew that Quote went into hell towards Ballos.
She could have sent Balrog to help you knowing you were fighting Ballos. And she could be doing everything in her power to try to save the island or weaken Ballos...

-Was the Demon Crown ever destroyed? If I recall correctly, when the Doctor was defeated the second time he and the crown were vaporized into the red stuff. But the crown never broke... uncertain. [probably doesn't matter once Ballos is dead, so I'll assume it broke upon the Doctor's death]

-The final dog that appears just before the Ballos battle tells you the only way to free Misery is to defeat his master, Ballos. To avoid a repetition of this tragedy.

... I wonder if Balrog was originally a dog... a Bloodhound..! lol
What is with the super intelligent dogs in Cave Story
What if Balrog was Misery's dog ...

-The only way we see Jenka's magic at work in Cave Story are through the dogs...

-Jenka and Misery's knowledge of the "Heart of the Island" as Misery referred to it is impressive. It's not unreasonable that they could manipulate the Core. To contain Ballos, to control where the island floats, to create those varying zones and wildlife. It's possible the Core could feed on Ballos' magic, and perhaps that they're all connected somehow.

-If the island is alive, or at least controlled by the Core organism, the Doctor with his biological knowledge would have a greater advantage at figuring out the Island; the Core. Which the Doctor obviously knew or discovered before knowing about the red flowers...

-Robots from the 10 years ago had made it to the Core base, so they could have sent the information captured before their demise to a database...
The red flowers on the other hand, may not have been known to the world.

Did you forget your question yet?
So uh, about the flowers... The flowers were due to the Core. But, influenced by Ballos or a byproduct of feeding on Ballos' power...
The owner of the flowers would be the island itself. Defeating Ballos but leaving the Core intact may still leave the transformation intact. It is of a magical nature. So like the Demon Crown, the curse remains as long as the curser lives.

-Misery transformed Sue and Itoh, as long as she lives their curse might stay..!

Well anyways, there should be some good ideas in what I wrote, and maybe some things I missed... But, time to go!

oh one more ..
-With the Doctor's final death?, it's possible the Doctor's spirit/persona if not totally destroyed when it was defeated while possessing the core, may have returned to the source... to Ballos, as part of his power.

 

I think the core was made by Jenka to contain ballos and became twisted by its exposure to ballos' magic and insanity, like the red flowers were.

I think I recall hearing that the spell to contain ballos was a powerful one that left Jenka dry of magic, but this is yet to be confirmed.