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| Review: Spelunky by blackwater 07/15/2018, 12:25pm PDT | ||||
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| A few months ago, Spelunky was almost the only game I was playing. It works fine in Wine, so I can play it on a work computer which does not have Windows. It's also pretty quick-- it rarely takes more than 20 minutes to play. I've been meaning to write a review of it for a while. The version I'm talking about here is the original (free) version, which Mossmouth is now calling Spelunky Classic.
Spelunky is a platformer with roguelike elements. As you explore the caves, you collect items and gold, and so forth, to help you on your journey. There is no save mechanism, and it's pretty easy to die. You have a life bar, but there are a lot things that will kill you in one hit no matter what equipment you have. Since you never get too attached to your character, this game is easy to play casually. It's actually kind of similar to some of the old arcade games in that the controls are simple, but the difficulty is high. While it never reaches I Wanna Be the Guy or Super Meat Boy levels of difficulty, it's definitely a satisfying challenge. The game is divided up into levels. Each level has some fixed attributes (like it's a mine level, or a frozen cave level, or a temple level). There are also certain special items that appear only on certain levels. The specific layout is randomized, in classic Rogue fashion. Levels have a time limit-- once that runs out, you get chased by an insta-kill ghost. You accumulate gold throughout the levels, which you can use to buy items from shopkeepers. If you save up enough gold, you can pay for "tunnels" to be built that let you start your next game on one of the later levels. Starting on a later level is a good option if you want a short game. But really, starting on level 1 lets you build up the most equipment. The last level has a final boss. He's not too difficult if you have a good weapon at that point. 
The game has "damsels" which you can rescue in order to increase your life bar. It's kind of a clever mechanic. Rescuing them is difficult because you have to carry them throughout the level, and you can only carry one item at once. You can also choose to sacrifice damsels to Kali, the god of death. If you do enough of this, you can get some special items. While I appreciated the chance to be evil, I was annoyed that the game didn't give me the chance to be good. If you destroy Kali's altars, the game penalizes you harshly. I think if you keep doing it, the punishment basically makes the game unwinnable. I would have appreciated the chance to kick Kali's ass. But instead, the final boss is this other god, who I didn't really care about. Needless to say, there is a lot of hidden shit in this game, which you will probably never find unless you consult a walkthrough. It's kind of like NetHack in the sense that you'll never find all the stuff without a walkthrough or a huge amount of free time. Unlike Nethack, though, you can and should beat it without reading the walkthroughs. Anyway, this game is fun, free and has low enough system requirements that it can probably even be played on TDARCOS' G4. Recommended. |
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Review: Spelunky by 07/15/2018, 12:25pm PDT  Oh man, this is HARD to come back to after Spelunky HD's smoother controls. NT by 07/15/2018, 2:59pm PDT |
