How to make sense of the Cave Story+ soundtrack in the Humble Indie Bundle 4 release?

Question

HIB4 has recently added soundtracks for the seven games to the pack. The sound track I opened first was Cave Story's, but... it's... kind of a mess really. I've been trying to match up the filenames with this canonical ordering (kindly suggested by the always awesome Grace Note), but the file names just don't match and the release doesn't come with a playlist with some kind of logical ordering.

So... what's the listening order for this release?

Asked by badp

Answer

4 months late probably counts as a necro, but I only just realized that my HIB4 had the soundtracks and got them myself :P. I wasn't satisfied with the answers present and after much research, I think I've nailed down the information not completely covered in other answers so this should help those who are sticklers like me.

tl;dr explanation

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The Cave Story+ soundtrack included with HIB4 is a 44 track rearrangement by Yann van der Cruyssen.

The original Cave Story Soundtrack has 42 tracks listed + 2 added for +/Wii and 5 unreleased. I wonder about the source of the track titles listed and the order, but as they have been accepted within the fanbase, I'll move forward with them as the accepted titles and order. Unfortunately the tracks do not match 1:1 nor do the extras really fit either with the rearranged version :(

If you check the game data for the steam version, there is a folder of .ogg files which happen to match up very closely to the rearranged soundtrack and have the same names and lengths for the most part, but there are still a few incongruities. There is also a folder of split .ogg tracks which I will comment on at the end of my answer.

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Answer

Here is the matchup of everything as best I can derive using Sebastian Wolff's site which uses the order from Cave Story Music, the steam files and some gameplay for confirmation:

#  HIBST Filename  Steam Filename  Accepted Song Title
1  access.mp3      access.ogg      Access
2  vivi.mp3        vivi.ogg        Gestation
3  mura.mp3        mura.ogg        Mimiga Town
4  plant.mp3       plant.ogg       Plant
5  ginsuke.mp3     ginsuke.ogg     Balrog's Theme
6  gravity.mp3     gravity.ogg     Gravity
7  cemetary.mp3    cemetery.ogg    Cemetery
8  anzen.mp3       anzen.ogg       Safety
9  wanpaku.mp3     wanpaku.ogg     Mischievous Robot
10 kudou.mp3       kudou.ogg       Pulse
11 weed.mp3        weed.ogg        On to Grasstown
12 fireeye.mp3     fireye.ogg      Eyes of Flame
13 mdown2.mp3      mdown2.ogg      Meltdown 2
14 dr.mp3          dr.ogg          Tyrant
15 escape.mp3      escape.ogg      Run!
16 jenka1.mp3      Jenka.ogg       Jenka 1
17 jenka2.mp3      jenka2.ogg      Jenka 2
18 maze.mp3        maze.ogg        Labyrinth Fight
19 grand.mp3       grand.ogg       Geothermal
20 ironh.mp3       ironh.ogg       Oppression
21 marine.mp3      marine.ogg      Living Waterway
22 quiet.mp3       quiet.ogg       Quiet
23 wanpak2.mp3     wanpak2.ogg     Scorching Back
24 oside.mp3       oside.ogg       Moonsong
25 requiem.mp3     requiem.ogg     Hero's End
26 plantation.mp3  curly.ogg       Cave Story
27 lastcave.mp3    lastcave.ogg    Last Cave
28 balcony.mp3     balcony.ogg     Balcony
29 lastbtl.mp3     lastbtl.ogg     Charge
30 zonbie.mp3      zonbie.ogg      Zombie
31 lastbtl3.mp3    lastbt3.ogg     Last Battle
32 bdown.mp3       bdown.ogg       Break Down
33 hell.mp3        hell.ogg        Running Hell
34 ballos.mp3      ballos.ogg      Seal Chamber
35 ending.mp3      ending.ogg      The Way Back Home
36 fanfale1.mp3    fanfale1.ogg    Got Item!
37 fanfale2.mp3    fanfale2.ogg    Get Heart Tank!
38 fanfale3.mp3    fanfale3.ogg    Victory!
39 gameover.mp3    gameover.ogg    Game Over
40 toroko.mp3      toroko.ogg      Toroko's Theme
41 -               white.ogg       White
-- -               -               XXXX
42 credit wii.mp3  -               -
43 ika.mp3         ika.ogg         -
00 intro menu.mp3  -               -
?? jenka1b.mp3     -               -
X  -               kaze_intro.ogg  -
Y  -               kaze_loop.ogg   -

• 40 of them match straight across
• I don't think an extra album for 4 tracks that were included together with the rest is the correct solution. One approach to bonus tracks is to append them all to the end, but I prefer a case by case approach. I think intros are good to open a soundtrack with and that credits music makes sense at the end, followed by other bonus tracks.
• credit wii.mp3 is the credit music so why not call it Wii Credits and list it at the end as would be done with credits?
• ika.mp3 is a musical reference to ika-chan so call it Squid and put it wherever you please, but since it's a bonus track, you could just put it after the credits as that is where bonus tracks are usually placed.
• intro menu.mp3 is the music from the intro menu so I'd just call it Intro Menu and place it first as the intro is the first thing of the game that you hear.
• jenka1b.mp3 is an alternate arrangemet of Jenka 1. Maybe Yann van der Cruyssen made an extra and it was included for the heck of it. I'd call it Jenka 1 Alternate or Jenka 1b. As to the order, that's a tougher call. I'd personally put it after Jenka 1, but as it is a bonus track, tacking it on at the end wouldn't be wrong either.

Extra Information

I'm not sure how much of this applies to the HIB install, but this is what I've found with my Steam install.

• White isn't included with the HIB4ST, but it is in the steam files. Convert the file format if you want a complete soundtrack, I guess.
• The track XXXX is just a 21 second track of silence so you can ignore that.
• Wind Fortress that plays in the game is the one listed on the Cave Story music web site, so you can grab it there and add it to your soundtrack as a bonus if you like.
• Halloween 2 listed there is also in the game files (Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\cave story+\data\base\Org) in Pixel's proprietary format .org, but I don't know when/where it plays exactly. You can grab this if you like too as another nice little bonus.
• I'm not sure where the unreleased tracks are from, but I'd guess either Pixel's site (or the original games' files, but then they wouldn't be unreleased :P). You may want to grab them too for good measure and maybe place them as part of a separate Cave Story Unreleased album if it suits you.
• kaze_intro.ogg and kaze_loop.ogg seem out of place in the Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\cave story+\data\base\Ogg folder. I assume they are there by accident. The same files are in in Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\cave story+\data\base\Ogg11. As kaze is Japanese for wind and the music sounds just like a rearrangement of Wind Fortress, I can only assume that's what it is.
• Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\cave story+\data\base\Ogg11 contains 101 files. Every song in this folder is broken into an intro and a loop except for lastbtl, meaning that there are 51 tracks here, but since silence is just that, the 3 fanfale tracks are the same as the 3 fanfare tracks, balcony and balcony2 are the same, credits and ending are the same, and bdown and breakdown are the same, there are actually 44 tracks. The songs in this folder appear to be further rearranged versions of the soundtrack and sound pretty cool. I think I may post combined versions of these tracks somewhere and add the link here when I do. Notably, the new tracks added here are kaze (Wind Fortress), lastcave2 (Last Cave 2), and wanpaku ending (Mischievous Robot Ending?). I'll see if I can get some clarification somewhere on what these are supposed to be and why they are there while I'm at it.

Answered by skovacs1

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Should I trade for a Machine Gun on hard mode?

Question

I'm not sure which weapon to choose, the Spur or the Machine Gun. I've checked all over the place and the opinions are differing for the weapon of choice in Cave Story (Hard Mode)

I know that Machine Gun gives the extra range, but should I stick with MG or Spur? Which is more effective against bosses?

Concurrently I am in the Sand Zone, and still in the process of getting the dogs for Jenka, which means I can still trade the Polar Star for the MG.

Asked by Jimmy Chen

Answer

If all you're concerned with are bosses, I'd stick with the Spur. It's a fun gun and does the damage you want for bosses.

The Machine Gun is great but I use it mostly for the added mobility; being able to float to make tricky jumps/ect is extremely helpful in some situations and very fun in others. The MG takes apart normal enemies just fun but the Spur is better for single target damage. The MG can help you dodge during boss fights as well, but it's not always helpful.

For not taking hits the MG is probably better as you can (with skill) dodge certain boss attacks and keep a better distance; as a bonus you don't have to aim as carefully either, but your fights will be a bit longer.

As noted, the Rocket Launcher is probably the best against bosses, but you'll run out of rockets before killing later bosses, so you can't depend on it.

Answered by Ben Brocka

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How to hit Monster X on hard?

Question

I've been stuck for quite a while in Cave Story+, fighting the following boss (Monster X):

Since I'm playing on hard I don't really get the chance to 'explore' what I'm supposed to do, as every hit is an instant death. When he starts shooting at me I can't seem to fend off all his projectiles, there are always some that come through.

Any pointers on how to hit/where to hit this boss?

Asked by Steven Jeuris

Answer

It took me ages to finally pass this boss ... but for those of you also stuck, here are a few tips I found out which allow you to save some time/prevent you from dying as quickly.

Getting to the boss

1. Use the blade to quickly clean out the first few enemies in the first room from the savepoint.
2. If you have a machine gun there is no need to clean out the entire room, you can jump and shoot down, giving you air and allowing you to go to the right immediately. This saves you plenty of time.
3. Similarly you can avoid having to wait for the elevator to come down and up again.
4. Be sure to clean out all the roaches and leave none behind, you'll have enough worries later on.
5. The last few roaches you have to kill while the boss comes rolling in are best handled using the machine gun, while continuing running right to avoid being hit.

Boss phase 1

1. For the first phase of the boss, just ride along while it's driving, and jump of right before it passes the fence. This gives you more space to run back while it's shooting at you.
2. Use the blade to shoot at the center of the boss, and immediately run away. Stand still after a while, fend of bullets, and only after a while, start running again. This is essential in not getting hit.

Boss phase 2

For phase two it's best to fire while standing in between the tracks of the boss. It takes quite a while before the homing missiles reach you. Only worry about those once the boss starts moving again.

The following video shows what you're supposed to do, but hopefully the added tips here can help.

!

Answered by Steven Jeuris

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Can you skip dialogues in Cave Story?

Question

I am playing Cave Story on hard. I don't find it too difficult, but I would like to be able to replay some segments of the game more quickly. Especially boss fights work on my nerves sometimes, as they are introduced with quite long dialogues.

Pressing 'z' makes the dialogues scroll by faster, but you can't entirely skip them. Is there any way to skip dialogues entirely?

Answer

As far as I can tell, no.

Both Cave Story and Cave Story+ actually attempt to make this more bearable. If you've already sat through a dialog segment and died, the dialog will appear much faster the second time — i.e., box by box instead of scrolling text. These can be skipped through relatively quickly by hammering Z.

Skipping these sequences entirely does not seem to be possible, however.

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Cave Story weapons upgrade too fast?

Question

I'm playing through Cave Story on hard, and am a bit puzzled by how fast weapons are upgraded to their maximum level. The only 'hard' aspect seems to be the limited amount of hits you can take. Nowhere can I check which difficulty level I am playing on to double check whether I did select 'Hard' when starting the game.

Quite an easy question: Is this normal?

In what way is gaining experience/hitpoints affected by the difficulty level you select?

Answer

The thing about weapons in cavestory, is that getting hit will cost you XP. Your weapons gain XP so quickly, becuase if you get hit at all, you need more XP to recharge.

This is especially true with the Blade, where even losing 1 single hitpoint is enough to knock you down from level 3 to level 2.

There's also a weapon later on in the game that is most powerful when it's level 1, and actually decreases with "level ups".

You gain XP so quickly because XP tends to fluctuate quite a bit anyways.

This doesn't change based on the difficulty level, but if you're on Hard, that means you're invariably losing less XP from getting hit, because getting hit usually means you're dead.

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How can I pick up the dog in the bar in Cave Story?

Question

So, twice I've played Cave Story as Curly, and both times, when I reach Jenka and go out to collect dogs, I can't pick one of them up. It's the one called Hajime, I think, and he's the one in the backroom of where we first meet Curly (or the real protagonist, depending on the version you're playing). Everytime I try to pick him up, it goes 'Arf!' and then nothing happens. I've never had this problem with any of the other dogs, and I didn't have this issue when I wasn't playing as Curly. What do I do?

EDIT: so, I tried replaying as Quote up to that point, and I can't pick up the dog there either. So I now have three games, with both characters, where I can't do that same thing. am I missing something? does anyone else have this problem?

EDIT: Thank you, that's working perfectly. I feel a right idiot now. (I can't seem to comment because I'm not registered, so this is how I'm replying. Please consider my question answered. Thanks again!)

Answer

Make sure you speak to the NPC right outside of that room - he says to you that if you're going to visit the old lady that you better take the dog in the other room with you. Once you speak to him and the old lady, you'll be able to pick the dog up.

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Where do I find my first gun?

Question

I can't seem to find a gun or any way to progress in Cave Story+. I'm currently at the very beginning and I can't tell if this is just glitched or if I am just completely missing where I pick up a gun.

Answer

You have to steal the first gun (The Polar Star) from the Gunsmith's House. You'll have to evade a couple of screen's worth of enemies to get there, though. The only tricky part is the first jump over the water, where you'll have to jump before you walk off the end of the shore, or you'll end up unable to get over the barrier.

Here's a Let's Play of the first level, taking you down to the Gunsmith's House:

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How do I not screw up the best ending in Cave Story?

Question

Grace Note said, in an answer I hadn't read until it was too late:

The best ending is achieved by following specific requirements at certain points in the game. It's very difficult to explain without any spoilers, but it involves skipping certain events and items to get better items at a later point, and making sure you follow through on an optional sequence of events.

Well, five minutes ago I got stuck for long enough in Cave Story+ to finally fire up a walkthrough for the game. I was in Labyrinth B, looking for a power source of sorts, and I thought I'd done everything there needs to be done in the general neightbourhood, zealously saving after each event. Then I read:

There are several ways to get to the door: [a door I'd already reached]

• If you have the Machine Gun on level 3, boost upwards by firing it down. [like I've been doing for ages now]
• Go ahead past Monster X, talk to Professor Booster, and get the Booster 0.8. [yeah, I've got that] This will cause you to lose your chance to get the Booster 2.0 later [what? why?], and also keep you from getting the best ending [OH GOD WHAT?], but it will allow you to use the Booster 0.8 to reach the door to the room with the Arms Barrier. [no, god! no, god, please, no! no! NO! NOOOOOOOOO-]

I had done that five minutes ago. Three hours of progress down the bin. He didn't even ask me if I wanted the stupid booster or not.

• Do I want to get the best ending, or is it something so incredibly hard (think "I Wanna Be The Guy!" difficulty) that's best left ignored pretending it doesn't exist?
• Is this path even available at all on Easy difficulty, what I'm playing on?
• What is it I must and, most importantly, must not do to get the best ending?

Answer

I will say up front that I don't think that Easy difficulty affects this, but I've only played the original. However, unless they felt like being callous, it shouldn't have an impact (considering you can access the Best Ending in other alternate game modes as well).

The Best Ending isn't incredibly difficult unless you (like me) are playing at 3 Health. If you've been picking up all the health increases and arm yourself properly, you should be able to accomplish it eventually. So I would recommend going for it because it is a nice ending. As well, even if you meet the requirements for the best ending, you can always opt to still take the normal ending (or even the bad ending).

You basically need two things to get the Best Ending. This is obviously a spoiler but you're literally asking for it, and a 90% spoiler post looks stupid. You need the Booster 2.0 and you need Curly. All the big points you need to make sure to not screw up are all in bold below.

Booster 2.0

• For Professor Booster to survive, he needs to keep the Booster 0.8. So you can't take it from him - this means when you see him fall past you in the labyrinth, don't drop down. Instead, jump across the gap (you can do it with a good moving start or just use Machine Gun lv. 3 if you have it) and continue onwards.
• Later on when you return to the Mimiga Village, Professor Booster will warp into Arthur's house. He will have completed the Booster 2.0 and will give it to you. Objective complete.

Curly

• When you access the Labyrinth Core room for the first time, do not immediately investigate the robots (which triggers the boss fight). Instead, drop down to the bottom right corner of the room, there should be something shiny. Pick up that Tow Rope, you'll need it, and it washes away if you don't pick it up now.
• When you defeat the Labyrinth Core boss fight, Misery floods the room and Curly gives you her oxygen tank. If you picked up the Tow Rope I had just told you to, go examine Curly and you should use the item to grab Curly and bring her with you.
• In the ensuing water ways sequence, make sure to stop at the cabin on the way. Put Curly on the bed and examine the bookshelf to find instructions on how to drain the water out of her. Go do just that, and remember to take her with you when you leave. She'll drift away after fighting Ironhead, this is expected.
• Much later on in the Plantation area, head to the bottom right of the whole map and you'll find Curly and another guy. Talk to both of them to get caught up on the story and learn about a mushroom you need to grab in the Mimiga Graveyard.
• Backtrack to the Mimiga Graveyard and use your fancy new Booster 2.0 to get to the previously inaccessible door. There, you'll find a mushroom. Pass his quizzical bombardment, and you'll get a Mushroom Badge. Examine that badge and then talk to that conniving mushroom so that you can get the real mushroom. By force.
• Return to the Plantation and give Curly the mushroom. The ensuing conversation gives you a ton of backstory and also completes the requirements to have Curly.

With both Curly in tow and the Booster 2.0, you gain access to the Best Ending. This does two things you will want to be aware of, though.

First, it does indeed ramp up the difficulty of the Last Cave section. It ends up filled with more spikes, and all of your weapon experience levels are dropped to 1 at the start. It isn't a severe ramp in difficulty, though, just a taste of what is to come. This shouldn't worry you as you'll have the Booster 2.0, which is worth it, and the difficulty spike isn't that strong.

Second, after you beat the final boss, during your escape, you should pass by the house you had last used as a save point. This door would be closed if you failed the requirements. Inside will be another door that leads to the Sacred Grounds. This is an extra dungeon that you must clear, upon which you'll receive the Best Ending. You do get the option to use the Save Point again so you don't have to re-fight the final boss. As I mentioned earlier, though, this is optional and so if you want to you can always ignore the house and settle for the Normal Ending.

Check more discussion of this question.

How to not screw up the best ending in Cave Story?

Question

Grace Note said, in an answer I hadn't read until it was too late:

The best ending is achieved by following specific requirements at certain points in the game. It's very difficult to explain without any spoilers, but it involves skipping certain events and items to get better items at a later point, and making sure you follow through on an optional sequence of events.

Well, five minutes ago I got stuck for long enough in Cave Story+ to finally fire up a walkthrough for the game. I was in Labyrinth B, looking for a power source of sorts, and I thought I'd done everything there needs to be done in the general neightbourhood, zealously saving after each event. Then I read:

There are several ways to get to the door: [a door I'd already reached]

• If you have the Machine Gun on level 3, boost upwards by firing it down. [like I've been doing for ages now]
• Go ahead past Monster X, talk to Professor Booster, and get the Booster 0.8. [yeah, I've got that] This will cause you to lose your chance to get the Booster 2.0 later [what? why?], and also keep you from getting the best ending [OH GOD WHAT?], but it will allow you to use the Booster 0.8 to reach the door to the room with the Arms Barrier. [no, god! no, god, please, no! no! NO! NOOOOOOOOO-]

I had done that five minutes ago. Three hours of progress down the bin. He didn't even ask me if I wanted the stupid booster or not.

• Do I want to get the best ending, or is it something so incredibly hard (think "I Wanna Be The Guy!" difficulty) that's best left ignored pretending it doesn't exist?
• Is this path even available at all on Easy difficulty, what I'm playing on?
• What is it I must and, most importantly, must not do to get the best ending?

Answer

I will say up front that I don't think that Easy difficulty affects this, but I've only played the original. However, unless they felt like being callous, it shouldn't have an impact (considering you can access the Best Ending in other alternate game modes as well).

The Best Ending isn't incredibly difficult unless you (like me) are playing at 3 Health. If you've been picking up all the health increases and arm yourself properly, you should be able to accomplish it eventually. So I would recommend going for it because it is a nice ending. As well, even if you meet the requirements for the best ending, you can always opt to still take the normal ending (or even the bad ending).

You basically need two things to get the Best Ending. This is obviously a spoiler but you're literally asking for it, and a 90% spoiler post looks stupid. You need the Booster 2.0 and you need Curly. All the big points you need to make sure to not screw up are all in bold below.

Booster 2.0

• For Professor Booster to survive, he needs to keep the Booster 0.8. So you can't take it from him - this means when you see him fall past you in the labyrinth, don't drop down. Instead, jump across the gap (you can do it with a good moving start or just use Machine Gun lv. 3 if you have it) and continue onwards.
• Later on when you return to the Mimiga Village, Professor Booster will warp into Arthur's house. He will have completed the Booster 2.0 and will give it to you. Objective complete.

Curly

• When you access the Labyrinth Core room for the first time, do not immediately investigate the robots (which triggers the boss fight). Instead, drop down to the bottom right corner of the room, there should be something shiny. Pick up that Tow Rope, you'll need it, and it washes away if you don't pick it up now.
• When you defeat the Labyrinth Core boss fight, Misery floods the room and Curly gives you her oxygen tank. If you picked up the Tow Rope I had just told you to, go examine Curly and you should use the item to grab Curly and bring her with you.
• In the ensuing water ways sequence, make sure to stop at the cabin on the way. Put Curly on the bed and examine the bookshelf to find instructions on how to drain the water out of her. Go do just that, and remember to take her with you when you leave. She'll drift away after fighting Ironhead, this is expected.
• Much later on in the Plantation area, head to the bottom right of the whole map and you'll find Curly and another guy. Talk to both of them to get caught up on the story and learn about a mushroom you need to grab in the Mimiga Graveyard.
• Backtrack to the Mimiga Graveyard and use your fancy new Booster 2.0 to get to the previously inaccessible door. There, you'll find a mushroom. Pass his quizzical bombardment, and you'll get a Mushroom Badge. Examine that badge and then talk to that conniving mushroom so that you can get the real mushroom. By force.
• Return to the Plantation and give Curly the mushroom. The ensuing conversation gives you a ton of backstory and also completes the requirements to have Curly.

With both Curly in tow and the Booster 2.0, you gain access to the Best Ending. This does two things you will want to be aware of, though.

First, it does indeed ramp up the difficulty of the Last Cave section. It ends up filled with more spikes, and all of your weapon experience levels are dropped to 1 at the start. It isn't a severe ramp in difficulty, though, just a taste of what is to come. This shouldn't worry you as you'll have the Booster 2.0, which is worth it, and the difficulty spike isn't that strong.

Second, after you beat the final boss, during your escape, you should pass by the house you had last used as a save point. This door would be closed if you failed the requirements. Inside will be another door that leads to the Sacred Grounds. This is an extra dungeon that you must clear, upon which you'll receive the Best Ending. You do get the option to use the Save Point again so you don't have to re-fight the final boss. As I mentioned earlier, though, this is optional and so if you want to you can always ignore the house and settle for the Normal Ending.

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How many different endings are there for Cave Story?

Question

I don't know a lot about the game but I've heard you can go for the "best ending". So, how many endings are there and what things do you do differently to get them?

No spoilers please.

Answer

There are 3 different endings.

Getting the worst ending involves opting to end the game early by talking to a certain NPC. You won't get to do the final dungeon sequences or fight the final boss. You can always say "No" or just not talk to the NPC, so it's not something you can really accidentally do or get shoehorned into.

The normal ending is gotten by following a standard playthrough, turning down the option to end the game early, and going through the final dungeon and boss. It's fairly straight forward, and what you'll most likely get on your first playthrough.

The best ending is achieved by following specific requirements at certain points in the game. It's very difficult to explain without any spoilers, but it involves skipping certain events and items to get better items at a later point, and making sure you follow through on an optional sequence of events. This opens up an extra dungeon after the final boss that would have to be cleared. Few people achieve this ending without knowing that it exists and the required steps, as they are fairly unintuitive at some points.
A guide to getting the best ending can be found in this question, if you wish to see how to get it.

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