User Review : Spelunky

Insanely difficult adventure with a rock-hard retro vibe

In an age where games hold your hand from start to finish - regardless of the genre or difficulty, it's quite heart-warming to see a game like Spelunky hit the XBLA and ooze that old school feel that I had as a kid. It's something this generation of 12 year olds playing Call of Duty just won't understand. Some of my fondest memories as a child are pulling the sofa up to the TV and playing Mega Man 2 on the NES.
I can barely do that game now, but when I was a kid I would blitz through it over and over. So what if I got to Heat Man and died every time? I was going to beat it one day, I knew it.
That's the exact same feeling I get now from Spelunky, the randomly generated dungeon crawling platformer from (who I can only assume is evil) indie game developer Derek Yu.

Originally a freeware title on PC, Spelunky became instantly notorious for its insane levels of difficulty, the addictive trial and error-based re-playability, but most importantly the fact it's just down right fun.
The XBLA version of Spelunky takes the PC version and just slathers it with a massive lick of new shiny paint: The graphics have improved from an old 8-bit feel to a more modernised retro vibe, the sometimes complained about keyboard controls are now smooth and responsive thanks to the use of the Xbox 360 controller, and the sound quality has shot up with the use of brand new tracks throughout the game. These are just some of the improvements that have turned an indie hit into a nearly flawless game.

The game starts you off in the shallow end as you take on the role of Yang, the tutorial man. With Yang you play a few levels in the first world, the Mines. Use this time well to get to grips with the controls and basic feel of the game, as these are the only levels that aren't randomly generated. I'm not usually one to play tutorials in games (tutorials are for wimps) but with Spelunky I made sure I soaked in as much information as possible, because I knew if I didn't I'd die immediately in the main game. I still died immediately, but I felt like it was my fault.

Once you finish the tutorial and move onto the main chunk of the game, you start by picking a character. Four are available from the start, and represent a varied portion of races and genders, with about half a dozen or so locked characters to find during the game. These include another indie game legend in the form of Super Meat Boy, a pirate, and a suspiciously gruff looking man in a bright blue bear costume. I wouldn't approach him in the street.
The main objective of Spelunky is as tough or as simple as you want to make it. At the very core you can play to reach the end, or maybe even to collect as much loot as possible and get ranked on the online leaderboards. Dig a little deeper though (pun intended) and you'll find that Spelunky is filled to the brim with hidden secrets and agendas.
Aside from finding hidden treasures and characters scattered amongst each world, there are also hidden areas that require specific items or actions to enter. Some such as the Alien Mothership are fairly easy to find, but then places like The Black Market will have you pulling your hair out trying to locate. Getting to the fabled City of Gold is an entirely separate game in itself. I haven't even came close and I've sank countless hours into the game.

Each level also contains a damsel in distress (which can be changed between a woman, man or dopey looking pug dog) which upon rescue will grant the player an extra hit point. You can also use your found treasure to purchase extra bombs, ropes and other more bizarre items from the randomly placed shops. Aside from the item shops you will also encounter Wheel of Fortune shops, Kissing Booths and a slightly slow looking sidekick available for purchase. Sadly the AI is terrible on him so often he's best to avoid.
These shops can either make or break your game, as being a respectable citizen and purchasing items from it will no doubt make your game easier, but stealing or attacking the shop will enrage the shopkeeper not only on that level, but every following level until you die.
Imagine the iconic scene from Indiana Jones where he's chased down and narrowly avoids death via giant boulder. Now imagine that scene again, but the boulder shoots past Indy and crushes a guy's shop. The shopkeeper then blows Indy's face clean off with his shotgun. That scenario happens a lot in this game and it is just the worst.

The game, despite seeming short is actually massive. You will visit Mines, Castles, Ice Caverns, Jungles and even the insides of a Giant Worm; each level containing their own sets of scenery, layouts, enemies and traps. Just when you finally learn to make it out of the Mines without being pierced through the skull by an arrow trap, you'll find yourself getting devoured by a man-eating plant in the Jungle.

You'll find though that during the early stages of the game, dying repeatedly isn't such a bad thing. Every time an enemy you've never encountered before kills you, or you kill it (the less likely option), its information will be added to your logbook. For the more difficult or rare enemies to find such as the King Yeti or Anubis (yes, the one of Egyptian God fame) you'll find that you begin to weigh up the pros and cons of hurling yourself directly at it, whips blazing. Yeah the exit is right there, but you need that entry for your logbook and what are the chances of seeing that again anytime soon?

That sort of choice is the current that constantly bubbles under this game throughout. You find yourself constantly jammed in a zone of risk vs. reward. You could go for that pile of gold, but what if you miss the jump and get impaled? You could use a bomb to blow through the wall to reach the damsel, but what if you need that bomb later for something better? Yeah that ghost is chasing me for taking my time during the level, but if I rushed through then I'd only run into my death.
It's the little choices and panic events like that which make Spelunky so intense. You'll find yourself in desperate need of treasure to buy more bombs and ropes, but take too long searching the level and a Bubble Bobble-style ghost will chase you down and instantly kill you. Sometimes you just have to lose everything to gain a little, but you know that on the next level you might win big.

Outside of the Single player hell that is Adventure mode, is a brand new addition to the console version - multiplayer.
Multiplayer mode offers not only 4 player co-op Adventure, but also a Deathmatch mode which instantly brings memories of games like Mega Bomberman back.
Sadly, despite being the major inclusion that the PC version lacks, multiplayer is often more trouble than it's worth. You will find that during co-op you will constantly be whipping each other by accident, often into traps or off ledges. You'll also find that the lack of split screen in favour of a single screen, follow-the-leader style of gameplay hinders the fun massively as those wanting to adventure will have to instead just follow the main guy around, with little room for independence. You also can't access the super handy Shortcut Man in multiplayer mode, meaning that as opposed to in single player where giving the man items at the end of each world eventually leads to a shortcut there, in multiplayer you will have to start from the Mines every time until unlocked in single player.
The treasure count is also combined between all players meaning that any fun that could have been had competing for gold and loot is rendered pointless because Player 1 gets the lot and only he can spend it in shops.
It's a beat that was sadly missed, and multiplayer as a whole suffers because of it.
Deathmatch mode is a mixed bag, as while very fun and packed with variety in terms of maps, weapons and rules, you'll find that every character dies within seconds - even with the hit points ramped up. This is because the recovery time from being hit is very long, so if you get hit with a stray bomb as soon as the round starts, you never get up in time to avoid the blast. If your opponent has thrown several bombs, you will die instantly. What could have been a game of strategy and panic is sadly left as some sort of uncontrollable gib fest. It's still a good laugh though, and if you've played the single player first then you should be used to dying on a loop.

Overall, Spelunky is one of the best games to come out on XBLA in a very long time. It's easy to learn but impossible to master, it's new every time you pick up the pad and start again, and to collect 100% of the items in your Logbook seems impossible, but damn it you'll try. Single player is a frustrating but joyous experience, while multiplayer leaves a lot to be desired. As a total package though it is the must-have XBLA game this summer.