I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
Spelunky is spunky. Get ready for some rambling…Collect gold. Throw objects. Rescue women. Steal idols. Jump. Run. Fall. Throw women. Blow up caves. Buy items. Sacrifice women. Steal items. Die. Die. Die…and die again.
This is only the tip of what can be done with Derek Yu’s wonderful Windows masterpiece. If you think it, you can probably do it. Of course all of this is wrapped up in 8-bit graphics, sound, and music. Nostalgia wins big time here.
Death is something that happens frequently in this game. In many cases, it’s one hit one kill. Taking its cue form rogue-like games every gameplay session is random–and difficult. The fact that it’s different every time possibly is what makes this game so much fun. Frustrating at times, but fun.
The catch? Letting yourself go. Enjoy the experience. This is not a game you play to beat. It’s a game you play to play. Although it doesn’t have much of a narrative, there are little bits of humor in the various enemies, worlds, weapons, and items our hero can carry. Need some awesome swag and the store owner is selling to high. Kill him and take it all. Good luck though. It’s one of the more difficult things to do in the game.
Rescuing damsels in distress can net you one coveted health point via a simple kiss. However, sacrificing her to a god can get you a valuable item that makes gameplay easier. Of course, you can use her to spring traps as well. Let her absorb the arrow.
The point of the game is to descend deeper and deeper into a cave netting gold, gems, and idols along the way. Stealing an idol sets off an Indiana Jones boulder run. Getting to the next level with it nets major money.
There’s gold in them thar hills!
This game is difficult and brutal but it can be beaten. There are even a few challenges and secrets along the way. Just keep playing. The desire to won’t be hard after you’ve given it a spin.
It’s available right now on Windows for FREE and has become somewhat of an internet sensation. Derek is hoping to ride that success over to the consoles as he plans to release an XBLA version sometime this year.
He already has my gold.
– I fell in love with Rapture when the first Bioshock came out, but when I finished the game, I felt that I had seen everything that needed to be seen. Not sure I’m really on fire for playing Bioshock 2.
– Borderlands is a game I definitely need to get back to. I was really enjoying co-op and now that DLC is rolling I need to get back to it.
– You can never get enough of “line up items of the same color” games.
– Really, Nintendo? Really?
– I don’t have one, but if I kept a “games I should play one of these days” this game would be on it on the strength of the boxart alone.
– If this game is online, I may pick this one up.
– Starring Duff from MTV!
– I’m linking this specifically because (a) I love Strong bad and (b) I am an attractive person. This must be a cool game.
– Glad to see Everquest II is still going strong. With or without me.
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