Sand Pit

The Sand Pit is a Challenge mode exclusive to the Nintendo Switch port of Cave Story+, however, it is possible to port it to the PC version. It is unlocked by obtaining the Fireball in Story Mode. It takes place in the titular Sand Pit, starting off in the Storeroom and going downwards into multiple B levels.

Sand Pit
Butes and Gaudis next to Quote in B2
Map
Information
Music	Last Cave

Gameplay

The player is given 35 HP at the start of the challenge and starts at the Storeroom, a small room with the same tileset as Jenka's House and Power Supply Room, leaving it will make Quote fall in B1. The challenge has enemies from Sand Zone, Blood Stained Sanctuary and Labyrinth.

Item collection

The players begin with two items:

• Fireball
• 290 Counter

Stages

The Sand Pit is combined with 3 different rooms, B1, B2 and B3. Once the player hits the bottom floor of the Sand Pit, the Fireball is traded for the Blade, in B3, where the player needs to go all the way back to B1, this time, able to destroy Star Blocks, releasing new paths. For full understanding, reading B1, B2 and B3, to then read its ''after blade'' text is recommended, firstly B2 and then B1 as Quote is going back.

B1

After leaving the starting Storeroom, the player fallls into a corridor with enemies from the Labyrinth and Hell. With some Pillars and tiles from the Sand Zone along with Gaudis, the player needs to make their way to B2 going to the right and walking into platforms surrounded by Death Spikes and Flying Gaudis. If it is the first time the player visits B1, it finishes by some floors going down with Butes until the entry to B1. In its right, Star Blocks that your fireball can not break blocking the second part of B1, where you can see Rollings.

After Blade

After getting the Blade, you can break some Star Blocks leading to B1 part 2. It starts at a bottom level, going up with Mesas and Archer Butes attacking you along with the Rollings already seen. After some tiles, you can see several platforms with spikes and death spikes in the bottom. The player is supposed to make their way to finish the corridor, activating some butes generators and then, finishing the challenge. Depending if you did or did not rescue the Puppy at B2, it will show you different messages in the final screen.

B2

In the transition to the next room, the player starts in the left way of a passageway, the right way is blocked with Star Blocks that lead you to B1 part 2. After going downwards the ''tight'' collumn, some Gaudis take place, if you get down one more collumn, you can only go back by breaking two more Star Blocks. Butes and Archer butes are present there, and in the final part of the collumn, Gaudis and its Flying versions too along with spikes. The next corridor has lots of Gaudis taking place, with more spikes and death spikes, after the blade, some gaudis disappear being replaced for Mesas and flying Butes. In the start, it is seen 4 Star Blocks blocking a large vertical zone. The collumn has small platforms with three Death spikes and sand slopes almost everywhere. Above the way to the fourth collumn, there's a chamber also surrounded by Star Blocks, it will be useful after getting the blade to make your way to B1 part 2. Below this chamber a faster way to get to the next collumn exists, a gap with one death spike, requiring the player to take damage before entering it. The fourth collumn is mostly based of Flying Gaudis and Armors, with holes leading to Death Spikes and pillars being platforms. In the end of this collumn, there are tiles, again, blocked by Star Blocks, useful them after the blade. Falling to the next collumn, you see a large place in terms of height, with rollings in them and platforms to step on avoiding Death Spikes.

You start by finding one of Jenka Dogs, Shinobu. As you approach him, he will run away, the player needs to be fast to collect the puppy, collecting it will later make hearts appear in some places of the Sand Pit and, will remove some sun stones to make paths cleaner. After that, the player would walk carefully into the platforms avoiding falling and touching the rollings, where you will find a wall with lots of spikes in it, right next, armors and rollings, having flying butes if you already got the blade, and then it's needed to walk to the left until a low level leading to B3. It's possible to pass that way after getting the puppy, or, take damage from one of the rollings and passing through a maze which its entry has death spikes. Quote need to be fast, as the invincibility is short after taking damage. Next to B3 entry, there is a path blocked by Star Blocks, after getting the blade, rollings will spawn there.

After Blade

After getting the blade, already with the ability to destroy Star Blocks, B2 is the first area you will visit. Now, the player needs to go to the right side mentioned in the start of this heading. For that, it'll be needed to destroy the 4 Star Blocks next to B3 entry, as it is the only place you can go to. Each chamber of rollings is divided by Star Blocks, one of them contains two hears. Depending on what star block you break, the rollings direction can be changed. Going up, you see the same place with rollings, an armor and a flying gaudi next to the wall with spikes. In the left of that wall, Star Blocks are blocking the way for the same place where Shinobu is found. It is not optional to jump or not into the platforms avoiding the rollings this time. After that, the same vertical star block collumn is seen, breaking the blocks leads to a passage to the third collumn, where it is entered from 4 Star Blocks before not breakable. The player needs to pass the corridor that before had Gaudis, containing Butes, Mesas and butes generators, and then jump into the Star Blocks chamber above the death spike gap. It will lead to the second collumn with Gaudis, and later the right side of the first collumn. To get to the first collumn the player needs to break the two Star Blocks that before blocked the way back: There, Quote can enter B1 part 2.

B3

Quote locked up in the division of B3

This stage has only 1 version, differently from the others, meaning it won't add or remove enemies depending if you have or not the blade, being the room where you obtain it and the bottom or last room. It also has Sand Zone enemies, such as Polishes and Skullheads. Quote starts at the room division of Star Blocks, the only way he can go to is to the left, Butes, Mesas and a spike are seen, when you pass them, you fall into a ''Sand Box'' with a Skeleton, a Mesa in its upper-left throwing blocks at the player and a single Armadillo. It is possible to just ignore them and enter the way for a chest containing the Blade. In the right, A Polish can be found inside a star block box, above it, a hidden XP Capsule, under it, 2 Skullheads. It is possible to use the Star Blocks to get up, breaking them properly which will give the player a path, if one is broken accidentally, the player can go to the skullheads in its right, where 2 hearts can be found, and jump until two Star Blocks boxes with a Polish and a Skeleton, already near to the division of the room, the player gets to a large part of the room with a single Polish, walking to the left, the Star Blocks division, it is possibly to break it with the Blade to get the hearts inside it, before not able to reach. Above it, it is where Quote first entered B3 from B2, the player needs to re-enter there to clear the star blocks with the obtained blade. Re-entering B3 after B2 locks the player into the division, with Sun Stones.