Spelunky

 Xbox 360
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. 4P.de
    Jul 6, 2012
    74
    This game is killing me. After a few days with Spelunky everywhere I look I see arrow traps and giant spiders. But why does it have to be so damn hard? One wrong step and there it is again: Game Over!
  2. G4 TV
    Aug 1, 2012
    70
    It isn't for everyone though, the difficulty can be infuriatingly hard and means that some players won't ever make it to the later levels.
  3. GamesBeat
    Jul 2, 2012
    70
    I really do hate Spelunky. It is frustrating in a way that few console games ever are. It's audio-visual trappings don't really help the matter for me, but the sense of discovery has me intrigued to find out what happens next. That doesn't make Spelunky a good game, but I can't wait to get back to playing it.
  5. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Sep 23, 2012
    50
    Frustrating. [Issue#89,p.82]
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
71
#71 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 92 out of 141
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 141
  3. Negative: 27 out of 141
  1. brad2534
    Jul 4, 2012
    10
    This is the type of game that will get bad reviews because people don't have the patience to really get what it's all about. Also, if youThis is the type of game that will get bad reviews because people don't have the patience to really get what it's all about. Also, if you don't enjoy hard games, you will hate this game. This game is so rewarding because it takes so much planning, concentration and even luck to get through to the end. The controls are great, the items useful and fun, and it has great variety based on the endless iterations of the various levels. If you're up for a challenge and understand that it's going to take you hours to master the gameplay, you're going to love Spelunky, which is undoubtedly the most well-designed and executed game of the year so far.… Full Review »
  2. The_Shed
    Jul 5, 2012
    10
    You have to know what you're in for with this game to enjoy it. If you do, it's a masterpiece, one of the best examples of aYou have to know what you're in for with this game to enjoy it. If you do, it's a masterpiece, one of the best examples of a small-but-oh-so-fun arcadey experience which is infinitely replayable and deep. Other reviewers obviously don't know what they're in for. A couple of hints: i) after the tutorial, every level is randomly generated EVERY TIME you play it. You can't learn the levels like other games: you have to be actually good at PLAYING it, it requires skill and practice to get better and learn how to deal with issues. ii) It's goddamn unforgiving. Hand in hand with point i), this game will take you apart repeatedly until you learn to do things like: avoid running under spiders, drop things in front of arrow traps, save ropes and bombs more than money, GET THE CLIMBING GLOVES AS FAST AS YOU CAN, stay the damn hell out of a yeti's armreach... And so on. It's wonderfully deep and infinitely new and fresh. GET IT AND ENJOY IT, FOLKS. (The only issues I've noted are very, very rare bugs and... That's it. It's great stuff, and I haven't even tried 4-player splitscreen co-op, which sounds incredible).… Full Review »
  3. Xborn74
    Jul 7, 2012
    8
    Spelunky is a XBLA game costing 1200MS Points, based on an Indie game that was released for PC in 2008, and consists of a 2D platform gameSpelunky is a XBLA game costing 1200MS Points, based on an Indie game that was released for PC in 2008, and consists of a 2D platform game with old-style gameplay, as we saw in 8 and 16 bit consoles. The basic game is the prerogative of an explorer, after an Aztec artifact, which has to go through various underground levels and stages, to the exit of them.

    The Graphics of the game are simple, but the XBLA version won a updated look, being cleaner and more polished, still maintaining the old-style look, but being attractive, with a more "lively" and colorful. Everything else, like Menus keeps the air retro game. The CG animation of the game use to tell the story and have a simple air, but more refined.

    Audio: songs and voices are simple, but with a good audio, and effects, and voiceovers (in animation) are consistent with the actions and what you see, but still keeping the classic look we see in graphics.

    Gameplay: here is concentrated the greatest attraction of the game - the game has a series of 14 levels, which should be circulated with controls typical of the old platform games, and using some objects to help walk the galleries and avoid hazards such as spikes, sags and enemies, ranging from the simplest like snakes to advanced ones, like ghosts.

    You have objects like a rope (to climb up or down from a session), pumps (used to break the floor or walls) and a whip (to break objects or kill enemies), and other items that are being released with the progression in the game (such as jet packs).

    The Levels has the objective to reach the exit using its limited and scarce resources, and in the meantime, picking up treasures and rescuing characters if you want. You can make your way using the items, or try to cross using pre-established paths, but keeping the retro look, nothing is as easy as it sounds.

    If you die, you'll be returned to the initial stage of the game, and added to that, we have the fact that the levels are random generated, never a stage will be equal to each other and never the difficulty will be predetermined.

    Summary: the game is a very good classic platform game, with a retro air, but it presents a difficulty that may disappoint many people, but to please players who like games more hardcore platform games - the price is a little salty, 800ms points would be better.    … Full Review »
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