Thursday, 15 October 2026
Anime, manga, and games, with a take · A Yukimedia publication

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Cave

Cave's latest self-developed home release, Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu, is being patched forward on a published roadmap after landing at 42 percent recommending on Steam, while its older arcade shooters continue to reach current hardware through City Connection's Muchi Muchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted.

Synthesized from 11 Yomimono stories · updated Oct 5

Cave's home console strategy now runs on two tracks: it develops and publishes its own shooters again, and it licenses its older arcade catalog to other studios. The self-developed track restarted on August 27, 2026, with Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu on Steam, a refined version of the 2008 arcade DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu and the studio's first self-developed and published home title since the 2013 Xbox 360 version of DoDonPachi Saidaioujou. Cave attached Assist Mode, Royal Mode for up to 10 players, and a new Stage 6 to the release, aiming at players who cannot clear the genre on one credit.

That launch did not go cleanly. Three weeks later Cave published a four-stage roadmap with a producer letter from Akihiro Kotani, who apologized for major bugs introduced by a version update right after release and said the team has read user reviews. October adds a training feature and adjusts coin acquisition, November unlocks AREA6, and Black Label comes this winter with more phases beyond. At the time, Steam reviews sat at 42 percent recommending out of 158.

Meanwhile the licensed track continues. City Connection released Muchi Muchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted on October 1, 2026 on PS5, Switch, and PC, a port of the 2011 Xbox 360 bundle that adds 11 modes, arranged BGM, online rankings, and replay saving. Cave's catalog thus reaches current hardware through a partner while Cave patches its own new release forward.

Key facts

Self-developed home release
Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu launched on Steam on August 27, 2026, Cave's first self-developed and published home title since the 2013 Xbox 360 version of DoDonPachi Saidaioujou. ↗
Post-launch roadmap
Cave published a four-stage roadmap on September 18, 2026: October adds training and coin acquisition changes, November unlocks AREA6, and Black Label arrives this winter with more phases beyond. ↗
Steam reception
Steam reviews for Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu sat at 42 percent recommending out of 158. ↗
Producer letter
Producer Akihiro Kotani apologized for major bugs introduced by a version update immediately after release and said the team has read user reviews. ↗
Catalog port
City Connection released Muchi Muchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted on October 1, 2026 for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. ↗
Port contents
The collection bundles Muchi Muchi Pork! (2007) and Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara (2006) as a port of the 2011 Xbox 360 version, with 11 modes, newly arranged BGM, online rankings, and replay saving. ↗
Port pricing
The packaged version costs 6,490 yen and the download version 5,390 yen, both tax included. On Steam it is 10 percent off until October 16. ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Noted
Cave's first self-developed and published home console title since 2013 Xbox 360 version of DoDonPachi Saidaioujou · 2026-08-27

Connections

Produces
dodonpachi saidaioujou, muchi muchi pork, pink sweets ibara sorekara

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/cave. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about Cave was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

  • Confirmed Cave produces Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara May 30 · source
  • Confirmed Cave produces Muchi Muchi Pork! May 30 · source

All coverage

Oct 3

City Connection Releases Muchi Muchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted

City Connection released Muchi Muchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted on October 1, 2026 for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The collection bundles two Cave vertical-scrolling bullet-hell shooters: Muchi Muchi Pork!, which arrived in arcades in 2007, and Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara, which arrived in 2006. Both were bundled for the Xbox 360 in 2011, and this release is a port based on that version. It adds arranged BGM across all tracks, with Daisuke Matsumoto handling Muchi Muchi Pork! and Yosuke Yasui, Hagane, and Sean Bialo handling Pink Sweets. Players can switch between original and arranged tracks per stage. The package includes a total of 11 modes, covering arcade reproductions, Arrange Modes, and high-difficulty courses such as MANPUKU and HARDER. Online rankings and replay saving are supported. The packaged version costs 6,490 yen and the download version 5,390 yen, both tax included. On Steam it is 10 percent off until October 16.

Sep 18

Cave Reveals Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Roadmap With Black Label This Winter

Cave published a four-stage roadmap for Shin'yaku DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu on September 18, three weeks after release, alongside a producer letter from Akihiro Kotani. October adds a training feature and adjusts coin acquisition. November unlocks AREA6. Black Label arrives this winter, with more phases beyond. Kotani apologized for major bugs introduced by a version update immediately after release and said the team has read user reviews. Steam reviews sit at 42 percent recommending out of 158.

Sep 1

Moonmilk Games Announces Cave Expedition, a Realistic Co-Op Cave Crawler

Sweden-based studio Moonmilk Games announced Cave Expedition, a cave exploration simulator for up to four players, on August 31. The game casts players as cave explorers pushing into unexplored caves, with locations that include flooded passages, narrow gaps, and huge cavities. The studio records environmental sounds and textures in real caves around the world, and its staff operate as an actual cave exploration team. Gameplay covers horizontal crawling, vertical descents with ropes and anchors, and underwater diving with scuba gear. Players customize equipment before heading out, choosing headlamps, climbing gloves, and SRT gear, and deeper runs demand more tools. A shop lets players buy and upgrade equipment, and the game tracks hunger, fatigue, and body temperature. The studio plans a 2027 release on PC (Steam), with Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S versions planned. An official Discord channel is open for feature requests.

Aug 27

Cave Launches Shinyaku DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu on Steam With Assist Mode

Cave released Shinyaku DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu on Steam on August 27, marking the studio's first self-developed and published home console title since the 2013 Xbox 360 version of DoDonPachi Saidaioujou. The game is a refined version of the 2008 arcade classic DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu, rebuilt for modern players. Its headline feature is Assist Mode, which slows enemy bullets as they approach the player's ship, making the game easier to play without reducing bullet density. A trial version distributed in June let players test the first two stages, and the full release adds a new Stage 6 with a new boss named Beyond, voiced by Kikuko Inoue. The game also introduces Royal Mode, a multiplayer mode supporting up to 10 players who compete for survival simultaneously, a first for the shooting genre. New characters Stella, voiced by Satomi Hongo, and Beyond join the roster, bringing the total to seven. Music is composed by Ryu☆, known for BEMANI titles. The game is priced at 3,150 yen, with a 10 percent discount to 2,835 yen until September 6.

Aug 22

Harry Potter Actress Jessie Cave Says OnlyFans Paid More than Acting Career

Jessie Cave, the British actress who played Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films, told the talk show "This Morning" that she started an OnlyFans account because acting alone could not support her four children. She films hair-fetish content, not sexual material, and was banned from Harry Potter fan events. Cave said the income saved her family and that she earned more in one year than in her entire acting career.

Aug 13

The Cave Diver Crawls Onto Steam With Physics Horror

Individual developer Ovsko released The Cave Diver on Steam on August 13, 2026. The horror adventure game costs 1,350 yen, with a 10 percent launch discount bringing it to 1,215 yen until August 23. The player controls a protagonist with paralyzed legs who crawls through narrow caves using only their arms, searching for a flower said to bloom at the bottom and heal all illnesses. The caves are labyrinthine, with branching tunnels that lead to dead ends where turning back is physically impossible. Players can place signs to mark their route and warn of dangers. Characters and objects move via physics simulation, and some puzzles require physics-based actions, such as swinging from a collapsed platform to cross a gap. If the player becomes stuck, the protagonist dies trapped in the rock, and on restart, the corpse of a predecessor may remain at that spot. The game supports Japanese and is available on PC via Steam.

Aug 9

Contra Comic Adaptation Deal Signed With Mad Cave Studios

Konami Cross Media NY has signed a contract with American publisher Mad Cave Studios for a comic adaptation of the Contra action game series. The deal covers a 12-issue comic series, multiple trade paperbacks, and deluxe editions, with releases scheduled for 2027. The contract spans regions including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, among others worldwide.

Aug 8

Darwin Project Gets Japanese Support Update After 8 Years

Scavengers Studio released a major update for Darwin Project on August 6, adding Japanese and Korean language support, a new Duel Mode, and reintroducing Classic Mode. The update is currently PC-only. The free-to-play battle royale, which pits 10 contestants against a god-like director, previously had provisional Japanese support that was removed.

Jul 16

Horror Game 'The Cave Diver' Gets Steam Release Date of August 13th

The physics-based horror game 'The Cave Diver' by Ovsko is set to release on Steam on August 13th. The game features high difficulty, with the protagonist using only both arms to navigate claustrophobic rock crevices. Getting stuck results in being crushed. The Steam wishlist has exceeded 20,000. Playtime is estimated at 3 to 5 hours. The price has not been announced.

Jun 9

Cave Story+ Steam Version Gets Major Update With Co-Op, Mod Support, and Fixes

Nicalis released a major upgrade for Cave Story+ on Steam on June 9, 2026, incorporating console-exclusive content, two-player co-op, animated portraits, a jukebox, mod support, and numerous bug fixes. The update draws from the beta branch and adds Switch version elements to the PC release after about 15 years.

May 29

Cave Bullet Hell Duo Muchimuchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted Gets October 1 Release

City Connection announced on May 29 that a compilation of two Cave-developed bullet hell shooters, Muchimuchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted, will launch on October 1 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC via Steam. The package version costs 6,490 yen, and the download version costs 5,390 yen. The set includes the original arcade versions of Muchimuchi Pork! (2007) and Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara (2006), plus a total of 11 game modes across both titles. New arrange modes, high-difficulty modes, and practice modes are included. The compilation adds online rankings, replay saving, and newly arranged BGM by Daisuke Matsumoto, Yosuke Yasui, Hagane, and Sean Bialo. Players can switch between original and arranged soundtracks at any time. First-print copies of the package version come with a soundtrack CD and a guidebook. Pre-orders are open now, and the first public gameplay will be shown at the Shu-Daisai streaming event on May 30.