Spelunky

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 590 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 384 out of 590
  2. Mixed: 97 out of 590
  3. Negative: 109 out of 590

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  1. Kattsylt
    Sep 18, 2013
    2
    Prepare to die alot, and be bored while you do it. Its highly repetetive and gets old very quickly. I dont see myself playing this game again anytime soon.
  2. ManRammer
    Sep 8, 2013
    3
    Did not enjoy it. I really tried hard to like it. But no. I played games like this on my Commodore and Amiga, but this game just has not evolved at all. Those games were good in the late 80's and maybe early 90's.

    And the most important part: did I have FUN while playing? No. I just did not.
  3. AthanasiosT
    Aug 20, 2013
    3
    I don't own a console, so I played this game for the first time, on a PC. I'm not impressed at all The only "new" concept was the random generated levels and even this was old for PC (see Dungeon Hack). Music was mediocre, graphics the same and all in all I've seen much better platforms before. I really can't understand the whole hype about it.....
  4. eponymous
    Aug 21, 2013
    0
    What a rubbish game. Was open minded about it and gave it an honest nudge, hate everything about it. It's not that a 2D scroller isn't fun because Terraria was awesome. The movement is horrible and difficult to master. There is no fun or reward to be had here only frustration and rage. Wish I could get my money back.
  5. thelastcritic
    Jul 4, 2013
    1
    Spelunky is not a good game. i went in with an open mind but it wasn't appealing or even fun. there is no real skill involved and the puzzles are simple to complete. some enemies are simply dumb. i do not recommend and wouldn't waste my internet downloading it again. Don't waste your time play a better indie game there are plenty out there.
  6. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    4
    Not as good as people make it out to be. If you want to play a game, that is the definition of insanity (as told by Vaas) then of you go. I have better things to do than this... and better games to play. Pickens condemns!
  7. Brumbek
    Dec 31, 2013
    3
    Spelunky has a lot of charm. The visuals are cute and the music is nice. The randomness can lead to funny things like tossing a damsel toward the exit only to have her eaten in one bite by a ravenous plant. Some items are quite fun too. Despite the potential appeal, I found Spelunky to be totally obnoxious, relying on cheap deaths, nonsensical randomness, and arbitrary design decisions.Spelunky has a lot of charm. The visuals are cute and the music is nice. The randomness can lead to funny things like tossing a damsel toward the exit only to have her eaten in one bite by a ravenous plant. Some items are quite fun too. Despite the potential appeal, I found Spelunky to be totally obnoxious, relying on cheap deaths, nonsensical randomness, and arbitrary design decisions. Lest you think I’m just not a good player, it personally took me 9 hours (about 160 deaths) to unlock all the tunnels (the last tunnel unlock is insanely annoying) and then complete the regular ending. Speaking of fiendish, Spelunky is designed to make you die over and over. Moreover, it is random to a fault. Some levels are easy, but others are nightmarish (torch levels!). Gear is absolutely essential for surviving, but often it never spawns. You are at the whim of the randomness which is frustrating. Item management is also obnoxious. You have to constantly be dropping and throwing your stuff. And why can’t you put the key in your pocket!? Because the game wants you to die. To conclude, Spelunky is obnoxious and its charm cannot overcome the incredibly repetitive and random nature of the game. There’s a reason the original PC version is available for free. I cannot recommend this game to anyone but the most masochistic of gamers.… Expand
  8. cidgrad01
    Dec 30, 2013
    1
    I do not understand all the rave reviews this game has received. I bought it during a Steam sale and I wish I could get my money back. This is an overhyped, mediocre platformer that gives you no incentive to keep playing. It bills itself as part platformer, part exploration game, but fails at both. It is way more frustration than fun.

    The core issue with Spelunky is the randomly    I do not understand all the rave reviews this game has received. I bought it during a Steam sale and I wish I could get my money back. This is an overhyped, mediocre platformer that gives you no incentive to keep playing. It bills itself as part platformer, part exploration game, but fails at both. It is way more frustration than fun.

    The core issue with Spelunky is the randomly generated levels. It may sound good on paper: always a new experience! Never the same thing twice! But let’s be honest: Spelunky is actually the same thing EVERY time. All that changes is where things are placed. Instead of running into two bats in the first part of the level, you’ll run into a snake…but the level is still made up of the same bats & snakes. And anyway, playing the same level twice, thrice, or a hundred times doesn’t matter if it is a fun, well-made level.

    The whole random level generation is a dodge for the developers b/c the burden has been taken off of them to create clever, fun environments. Instead they’ve made a few basic gameplay mechanics that all get tossed into a blender every time you play. Good luck, hope something enjoyable comes out of the mix. And the levels still manage to be quite repetitive, despite the randomization.

    This, combined with the “rougelike” elements (the latest indie game fad) poisons the exploration aspect. Not only is the game riddled with cheap deaths and difficulty due to poor controls, but there’s also an invisible timer for each level. If you take too long to finish, a big ghost comes that instantly kills you, meaning you have to start all over but from a new, randomly generated level. And there’s no way to tell how much time is left, so you’ll want to hurry to the exit & keep exploration to a minimum. Where is the fun in that?

    The PC version features a daily challenge, which is one level randomly created each day that is accessible & the same for everyone but you can only play through once. Defenders of Spelunky talk like this is an amazing feature but I say who cares? The whole point of leaderboards & online competition is to see who has the most skill. Classic platformers have legendary levels that all its players know through shared experience (Battletoads, anyone?). Even someone who casually plays through the game once could see the top score & shake their head in amazement. No one will remember Spelunky’s levels, though. Who sits back and talks about, “Man, remember the daily challenge from April 5, 2013? My, that was a classic.”

    Ultimately, there is no point to playing Spelunky beyond saying you did. You may stumble upon a level that is a joy to play, but it’ll be gone forever as soon as you die or find the exit. More likely you’ll stumble repeatedly into tedious levels that look alike and are merely arranged differently. Then you’ll die from touching something you didn’t know was harmful or from taking fall damage, even though the fall didn’t look too steep. Then you’ll have to start the whole thing over from the beginning. Wheeeee.    … Expand
  9. Nidhoggur
    Jan 11, 2014
    0
    Whoever thought it would be fun to play several consecutive levels with 4 hit points, without any proper checkpoints or healing, well it's NOT, and he's a dumbass. It's tedious, frustrating, unrewarding and a general waste of time.
    Any decent roguelike would have more freedom, possibilities and room for error, than that piece of... code.
    And the sickening cartoony style just makes it    Whoever thought it would be fun to play several consecutive levels with 4 hit points, without any proper checkpoints or healing, well it's NOT, and he's a dumbass. It's tedious, frustrating, unrewarding and a general waste of time.
    Any decent roguelike would have more freedom, possibilities and room for error, than that piece of... code.
    And the sickening cartoony style just makes it worse by taunting you with its idiotic cheerfulness.
    I'd gladly return this, if I could. Regret buying.    … Expand
  10. hackenslash
    Oct 30, 2013
    2
    What I love about small and independant developers is that they often have new ideas and a will to make something unique. When I buy their games I love the idea that I can expect anything to happen when I push the play-button. When I bought Spelunky I thought the idea of randomly generated levels would be that "anything". That one idea could easily have carried a whole game by itself ifWhat I love about small and independant developers is that they often have new ideas and a will to make something unique. When I buy their games I love the idea that I can expect anything to happen when I push the play-button. When I bought Spelunky I thought the idea of randomly generated levels would be that "anything". That one idea could easily have carried a whole game by itself if developed properly. Unfortunately, in my opinion, so was not the case. Instead the game seems to consist of a number of different ideas that each have been proved to work elsewhere. Put together in a way that none of them are fully developed or given the chance to really grab my volatile gamers-attention in the end the idea of the randomly generated levels just seems like a "by the way".

    After playing Spelunky for a while I'm left with a feeling that the game feels eclectic. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table. It feels like the game is trying be a lot of things but ending up not fully being any of them.    … Expand
  11. casualindiegame
    Feb 20, 2014
    0
    I like indie games and I like roguelikes (Nethack is my favorite game of all time) and I like side scrollers. I don't like spelunky. Good games find ways to keep you interested. In spelunky the levels all just look interchangeable, the collectibles are a joke, and there doesn't really seem to be any excitement. Good roguelikes are filled with a sense of wonder, the thought that you areI like indie games and I like roguelikes (Nethack is my favorite game of all time) and I like side scrollers. I don't like spelunky. Good games find ways to keep you interested. In spelunky the levels all just look interchangeable, the collectibles are a joke, and there doesn't really seem to be any excitement. Good roguelikes are filled with a sense of wonder, the thought that you are scratching the border of a zone filled with complexity and fun...

    Spelunky reminds me of the kind of games a 10 year old would enjoy, repetitive and simplistic... I hated it.    … Expand
  12. Jay_Pickens
    Oct 27, 2018
    4
    Not as good as people make it out to be. If you want to play a game, that is the definition of insanity (as told by Vaas) then of you go. I have better things to do than this... and better games to play. Pickens condemns!
  13. PenisMan69
    Aug 19, 2014
    1
    Good concept, but very poorly designed. Game is filled with instant death traps and randomly generated levels that don't even try to be of reasonably similar difficulty. Some levels are randomly made dark, which is a terrible mechanic for new players and shouldn't occur until players have made some progress in the game.
  14. GameReviews35
    Dec 29, 2013
    3
    This game has promise, but isn't much fun in the end. You can say it's "challenging" but that implies skill determines success. Really, it's just another game with a ton of things randomly positioned to kill you. The dart trap never misses, the giant spiders take four hits to kill (while they jump on you), there are unavoidable long falls, and if you take too much time thinking about howThis game has promise, but isn't much fun in the end. You can say it's "challenging" but that implies skill determines success. Really, it's just another game with a ton of things randomly positioned to kill you. The dart trap never misses, the giant spiders take four hits to kill (while they jump on you), there are unavoidable long falls, and if you take too much time thinking about how to get around something, the Time Limit Ghost shows up and kills you instantly.

    Wearable items are rare, and if you're holding a weapon you can't pick anything else up. Movement is awkward: you can't fall between two supports, the regular jump is tiny, the running jump is way too fast and long.

    Even with the randomly generated levels, it gets repetitive really fast because you always start in the mine and die really quickly so finding a few exits means nothing.    … Expand
  15. blackbird1
    Jul 16, 2014
    2
    I would have given 8 points if i could play it on my speed like i want like Isacc but i give - 6 points for this stupid time limit!

    If there at least where an option fr puting the time limit off but so..... i dont like to play it
  16. warriv13
    Nov 29, 2013
    1
    Started game up and already there is a bug in the settings window when changing the resolution, quite disgusting for a game that has been out for so long.
  17. DRiVER_helsinki
    Dec 26, 2013
    2
    Nice looking, for start but gets repetitive on the matter of level design, visuality and purpose Fails deliver any surprises, and it fast turns into no more fun. I did almost come give positive review after first minutes of play but too soon my feelings changed to a thought This was it .
    yep that was it. Theres luckily better games.
  18. cwepahguy225
    Jul 5, 2014
    0
    Not a bad game, but I'm giving it a 0 because it can't run very well on Windows 8. It crashes a lot. I cant even complete the tutorial without it crashing. It would also be nice to have the option to use buffs if you are bad at it to help noobs.
  19. mugen_is_here
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    A most fantastic concept ruined by a couple of things:

    1) The arrow traps. They're very difficult to make out from the level and you have to be a paranoid to spot it 2) That stupid ghost that comes in after a minute or two. It ruins the whole game that you've been building up. Then the only remaining choice is to rush through the level instead of savoring it. 3) You collect gold    A most fantastic concept ruined by a couple of things:

    1) The arrow traps. They're very difficult to make out from the level and you have to be a paranoid to spot it

    2) That stupid ghost that comes in after a minute or two. It ruins the whole game that you've been building up. Then the only remaining choice is to rush through the level instead of savoring it.

    3) You collect gold and go down. Then you collect more and go down again. What's the difference? You could collect 5 gold or 5000 gold. Either way it doesn't make any difference. You'll just move downwards onto the next level.    … Expand
  20. overkoell
    Jan 12, 2015
    1
    Spelunky is a 2D Platform rogue like.
    You jump, throw, swim, jump, climb, jump and die... a lot.
    Where is the meaning in this? That's what i asked myself after an hour of Spelunky. And sadly the answer is not to have fun. Even if you play with a friend Spelunky just doesn't entertain. At least it didn't entertain me. It looks like its fun but it just isn't. Maybe there is a niche for    Spelunky is a 2D Platform rogue like.
    You jump, throw, swim, jump, climb, jump and die... a lot.
    Where is the meaning in this? That's what i asked myself after an hour of Spelunky. And sadly the answer is not to have fun.
    Even if you play with a friend Spelunky just doesn't entertain. At least it didn't entertain me. It looks like its fun but it just isn't.
    Maybe there is a niche for you out there Spelunky some die hard platformer fans probably like you. But i don't.    … Expand
  21. nagaibareru
    Dec 30, 2018
    0
    i hate this game from inside. i have 150 hours long and there is no way to progress.
  22. Voyou
    May 18, 2021
    2
    Stuck in the tutorial without enough gear to be able to reach the exit. That's how "good" the design and the game mechanics are.
  23. farrokhi
    Mar 29, 2020
    1
    I tried playing this game in several different occasions to figure out what is all the hype about. I initially thought I am missing something. But I really didn't enjoy it. There are so many beautiful platformer games out there but I still do not understand why people make this one a big deal.
    Please try it before you buy. There is a very good chance they you won't like it.
  24. badreview7854
    Apr 11, 2018
    1
    This game has lots of skill depth, but is completely joyless. Has more in common with learning arithmetic than with anything resembling a good time. I put in the same amount of time into this as i did Ori and the blind forest, my favorite 2d platformer, so I think it's fair to judge spelunky, and I hate it more than any game I've ever played. This game punishes fun. It is the epitome ofThis game has lots of skill depth, but is completely joyless. Has more in common with learning arithmetic than with anything resembling a good time. I put in the same amount of time into this as i did Ori and the blind forest, my favorite 2d platformer, so I think it's fair to judge spelunky, and I hate it more than any game I've ever played. This game punishes fun. It is the epitome of what i don't want from a videogame.… Expand
  25. Mizuiro
    Oct 1, 2020
    4
    Overrated game. Not funny at all, gets boring very quickly.

    It's a "die and learn" gameplay. That gameplay style died in the 90's, feels so unfair and tedious.
  26. SomaKurusu
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Tenía "muchas ganas" de probar este título porque en muchos tops de sitios webs la prensa lo ha puesto por los cielos entre los mejores juegos. Ya sabía yo que este juego iba a ser un truño, demostrando que los redactores de dichas páginas no tienen ningún criterio. Juego super aburrido, de los peores rogue likes. No se destaca en absolutamente nada y hay millones de indies mucho mejoresTenía "muchas ganas" de probar este título porque en muchos tops de sitios webs la prensa lo ha puesto por los cielos entre los mejores juegos. Ya sabía yo que este juego iba a ser un truño, demostrando que los redactores de dichas páginas no tienen ningún criterio. Juego super aburrido, de los peores rogue likes. No se destaca en absolutamente nada y hay millones de indies mucho mejores que no los han reconocido tanto. Animaciones y diseños horripilantes que son una verguenza para los trabajos magistrales en 2d que realizan compañías independientes. Absoluto desastre. Juegos como Time Spinner, Iconoclast e incluso, el propio Celeste, le dan una paliza a este de calle.… Expand
  27. hileger
    Oct 15, 2022
    3
    Абсолютное говно как это ели хуй знает хоть соли хоть сахари вкус пробивается

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2013
73
#73 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
44
#44 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Oct 23, 2014
    95
    Excellent randomly generated level design and very high difficulty. There is no doubt that Spelunky is one of the greatest 2D roguelike platforms ever created.
    Read full review
  2. Games.cz
    Sep 30, 2013
    80
    Spelunky is a great fun, but when it goes down, the fun is gone and your eye goes neurotic. Still, it ranks among the best recent platformers.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Sep 19, 2013
    80
    A few years ago, Spelunky was a unique phenomenon. Now, when its ideas have been adopted and improved upon by Super House of the Dead Ninjas, Binding of Isaac, and Rogue Legacy, this remake is simply first among equals.
    Read full review
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