Spelunky

This game has 4 areas, each area contains 4 levels. As long as you are trying to let by one level it works pretty great but as soon as the game tasks you with completing multiple areas in a row(with other limitations added as well) it goes from a good game to merely frustrating. This game is very punishing, one mistake could be your death at any time BUT often times you play with limited information and on a time constraint. My first two runs in this game I died to a ghost that came and killed me, and yeah thats a timed enemy that is unbeatable and spawns if you take too long and are playing carefully. So the game is super punishing and hard but also hands you a timer where if you play too slowly you will also die, this forces you to make hard decisions between risk-reward. As I previously stated that works fine for one area, trying to string togther 4 levels cleared, but anything beyond that and its enjoyment really drops. After you've gotten to the point that you've entered the last area a few times, if you start the game from the beginning you will be bored. You will not feel tension since its pretty easy, but its still super punishing one mistake and you're dead. So what do you do? Play a little bit rushingly which will get you killed or buckle yourself in for boredom over and over? You uninstall the game thats what you do. The challenge to unlock the last shortcut in this game is crazy, it is a lot about luck and I would not call it fun.

Spelunky is a rather innovative game. The Original version reminded me heavily of Secret Agent when it came out - with instant death on spikes or a lose of a valuable hitpoint when you got hit. However, the random level generation helped to keep things fresh on each new run - and the permadeath helped to make you start new runs. Getting the HD version, you get the original game and more. It has local coop, more enemies and zones, and even a few new fun items and modes to play around with. This is definitely worth buying as well for the improved graphics.

The indie game that I play consistently almost every week for years. The replay value of this one is insane. Spelunky's single player adventure game is always divided in 4 areas (if you don't count the hidden secret one): mines, jungle, ice caves and the temple. You will play sequentially 4 levels of each area. Every time you start in the first level of the mines and work your way up (or, in this game's case, down) towards the temple last level. You descend from the top of the level towards the bottom, avoiding traps and enemies along the way. You come equipped with bombs, which allow you to break through the ground and walls and do high splash damage to enemies, and ropes, which allow you to climb back up a small distance in case you want to take another route. You also have a whip which you can use to kill enemies very close to you as a last resort, although it has a very short range and you need to time it properly. You may also jump on the enemies Mario-style to do damage to them. You also can find active and passive items along the way to help you like a shotgun, which you can use to easily kill enemies from afar and does a lot of damage, a jetpack, which allows you to fly upwards, downwards and sideways very easily so that you won't have to manoeuvre yourself across the level or even an mystical ancient eye that allows you to see through the rocks to find hidden gems and, also, allow you to find a hidden level. The game is incredibly addicting and fun, mainly because of its randomly generated levels. Every time you start a new run, the level layouts are randomized, so no two runs are the same. Items, traps and enemy placements are different, sometimes to your advantage, other times not. This randomness can, sometimes, be very unfair.. Like you failing to stop an enemy from hitting you, that stunning you and making you fall into a spike trap beneath and boom! You're dead and have to start from the mines again. Yes, it's permadeath. All in all, it's fun.

If all of the other reviews didn't make it clear, this game punishes. In fact, a bit too much for me. I got it free during the summer sale, and am glad I didn't have to pay. If you're into this type of game with a rogue like twist (shortcuts do ease the burn a bit) you'll probably love it. I've only seen a few bugs (mostly menu and display issues), but I didn't play for long. Instead, a let's play showed me how lame I am at this type of game, and demonstrate that it is fast paced and an at least somewhat interesting challenge. But I've got more important and better things to do with my time than be punished so severely. And I grew up in arcades (when they were new), so it's not about "kids these days..."

I had no expectations for Spelunky, just looked like a fun & interesting platformer that I could play multiplayer with my kids. At first it delivered (for the tutorial levels). I will admit I had the thought, if the tutorial feels like a full game then this must be a hard game. And while it is reasonably hard, in the end, the ghost ruins the game for me. Just to ward off any nay sayers I gave this game a few hours & got decent @ it (I got through 4 levels @ a time a few times & generally got through 2 or 3), but it ended up not being fun, just annoying. DETAILS & A FIX The game is pretty hard without an enforced time limit However, I like being pushed a little by a time limit, but the ghost is nuclear holocaust where a good grenade would have sufficed. If the game creators had just been a bit more imaginative they could have replaced the ghost with other things that drive you out of a level @ an increasing pace THAT ARE NOT NUCLEAR WEAPONS. What I mean is, as time goes by, add new elements that make the level progressively harder, until, oh say three times as long as it takes for the stupid ghost to show up, @ which point the level would become nearly (or completely) impossible to survive. Before that time the level would become progressively harder at around the time the ghost shows (rocks falling from the ceiling, new enemies showing up, etc...) but things you can deal with if you are good enough... having to run out because of a stupid invincible ghost is idiotic @ best.