Spelunky

I can understand why people like it. The game is nice looking and dynamic. To a certain point it reminded me of good old PP Hammer from the Amiga. It also has the exploration feeling, fast pace, nice sound and graphics. But what to many people is a great asset of this game - it's "rougelikeness" for me strips it of any fun. I don't feel the challenge to complete the levels because I know they are random. There's no fun in beating the generator and there's nothing to compare yourself to others by. It just feels as if the creators went the easy path (although I'm aware that programming a decent level generator is not an easy task) and instead of designing good and challenging levels just thought "hey, let's just call it rogue-like and we can skip this part". So again - I understand the game's appeal. But it's just not for me.

Missing 1.47 update & Daily Challenges.

I tried playing this game, but found very little enjoyable about it. The animation is pleasant, and I like the journal that keeps track of enemies you've killed (and that have killed you) as well as items and other various stuff. Other than that, I haven't enjoyed this game. It's a perma-death rogue-like, meaning when you die you start back at the beginning. Which wouldn't be a problem, except you die in only four hits (I think that number increases as the game progresses, but I never got that far). This makes the game extra challenging and repetitive, which some people see as a strength, but is a huge turn-off for me. The levels are randomly generated, but yet they are somehow boring and feel small, filled with the usual cliche RPG "monsters" like spiders, bats, snakes, and other unimaginative creatures. You collect bombs and ropes that help you navigate the levels, as well as gems and coins to let you buy more bombs and ropes. You can go out of your way to try to collect every single last bit of money, but most of the time it is too dangerous and doesn't seem worth it. If you're a hard-core gamer that likes being killed constantly, this game might appeal to you, but if you're looking for something fun and simple to pass the time, skip Spelunky.

Spelunky has the potential to be played for a long time. It also has the potential to cause rage-quitting. Its randomly generated levels can never be memorized, so you have to develop skills and tactics for handling various situations and enemies. You can be killed instantly or very quickly by carelessness or a slip of the fingers, sending you back to the beginning. Sometimes you end up with unfortunate level generation. Sometimes you get really lucky early on. Playing it safe usually pays off, but if you take too long on a level, you will have other problems... I would recommend the game. It is especially entertaining with multiple players, but single player is often easier to make progress. For the amount of times you will die a quick, frustrating death, I would suggest buying it on sale.

I absolutely love this game, but it's not for everyone. It's a challenging game with procedurally generated levels and perma-death. You play this when you're in the mood for a challenge, rather than one that you just relax with. One tiny, little mistake is all it takes to end your game. It forces you to slow down enough so you don't just dive face-first into spikes. But if you go too slowly, a ghost appears. The ghost is invincible and will kill you instantly, so you also have to go fast enough to avoid that. The more you play, the better you get at making the snap decisions required. One other thing that happened to me was that I learned to let go of my completionist habits. Usually, when I play a game, I like to do every single thing I possibly can. That does not work in this game. You could grab every single gold, kill every single enemy and explore every single corner, but it's usually not worth the risk. Exploring everything and grabbing all the money can take too long. Dealing with enemies can result in you getting hurt. Frustration, death and rage-quitting become familiar experiences. I've had my moments where I have to take a break from the game for a day or two, then I come back to it, reinvigorated. Sometimes, though, you die in a way that just makes you laugh. Hit by a boomerang guy into a carnivorous plant? Hit by a spider into spikes? Stabbed in the back by a spike trap as you admire your new cape? As the saying goes, "Losing is fun!" The game might be overly difficult, but at least you can sometimes laugh at how badly things went. Over time, bit by bit, I got better and better and started making it to the final area. The first couple times I got to the final boss, I choked and lost. After all that, though, defeating the final boss for the first time was so satisfying. I definitely would not recommend this game to just anyone, but I've been having a blast playing this game.