Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Spelunky
Randomly generated cave systems full of traps and treasure must be traversed with limited gear, and a single death ends the entire run. The game was a defining influence on the modern roguelike genre.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Roguelike / Platformer, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is built on pixel art, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. Co-op is supported, so you can bring someone along. It is available broadly, on 4 platforms. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- procedural caves
- permadeath
- genre defining classic
This fits you if
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- levelling, looting and optimising a build is your kind of loop
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you have someone to play with
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you play mainly for narrative
- pixel art puts you off
- repetition wears you down instead of drawing you in
What it costs you in time
About 25 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 4 weeks, or 13 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 91 out of 100, which puts it above 90 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 112 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Roguelike averages 84 points across the database, so this one sits 7 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 197 collected ratings.
Released in 2012, which makes it 14 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2012
- Genres
- Roguelike, Platformer
- Playtime
- approx. 25 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Pixel art
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
- Critic rating
- 91 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spelunky | 2012 | approx. 25 hrs. | 91 | Budget |
| Spelunky 2 | 2020 | approx. 35 hrs. | 87 | Mid price |
| Rogue Legacy 2 | 2022 | approx. 25 hrs. | 91 | Mid price |
| Skul: The Hero Slayer | 2021 | approx. 15 hrs. | 81 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- Spelunky 2 Shared: Roguelike, Platformer, Fantasy
- Rogue Legacy 2 Shared: Roguelike, Platformer, Fantasy
- Skul: The Hero Slayer Shared: Roguelike, Platformer, Fantasy, shorter
- Have a Nice Death Shared: Roguelike, Platformer, Fantasy, shorter
- Rogue Legacy Shared: Roguelike, Platformer, Fantasy
- Enter the Gungeon Shared: Roguelike, Fantasy