Spelunky - roguelike/sidescroller fusion

[Quinton]

Runs on win32, doesn't seem to work under wine on linux.

It's a little unforgiving at times (in the spirit of rogelikes and classic sidescrollers), but addictively fun.

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=4017.0

Latest version: http://www.derekyu.com/games/spelunky_0_98_1.rar (~11 MB)

Previous stable version: http://www.derekyu.com/games/spelunky_0_97_1.rar (~11 MB)

Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society, I call this story... SPELUNKY!  This is my latest game release and my first Game Maker game.

Probably the easiest way to describe Spelunky is that its (kind of) like La Mulana meets Nethack - every time you play the levels, items, monsters, and so forth, are all procedurally-generated.  And the terrain is destructible and there are quite a few ways in which the various game elements can interact with one another.

My goal was to create a fast-paced platform game that had the kind of tension, re-playability, and variety of a roguelike.  In roguelikes, the gameplay tells the story, and I wanted to give Spelunky that type of a feeling... but make the player rely on their reflexes rather than their brain (or knowledge of what 50 billion command keys do!).  If there's a best of both worlds, that's what I was trying to go for.

[ezrast]

This is completely awesome. The only thing I don't like so far is the ghost; I wish the game would give you more time to goof around on the levels.

Have you managed to steal from the shopkeepers yet? I haven't but I've come close.

[Signe]

oooooo.  I this.

[rattran]

It was cutesy, but not at all roguelike to me. The discussion did get me fire up nethack for a bit though, so much fun.

[Quinton]

It was cutesy, but not at all roguelike to me. The discussion did get me fire up nethack for a bit though, so much fun.

The roguelike elements seem to be the randomly/procedurally generated content, and the often unforgiving deaths.  More of a sidescoller influenced by nethack than the other way 'round.

That said, I really should play some nethack too.  Been too long.

[ezrast]

moar discussion

Seriously, I can't stop playing this. It has the perfect mix of long-term objectives combined with a fair amount of freedom to explore; you can play it safe and take your time getting through each level or take lots of risks and expend lots of items trying to get a big reward. Either way you're probably going to die in spectacular fashion.

The game also has long-term milestones to reach; so even when it feels like you're just throwing yourself into a meat grinder you know there will be a reward eventually (this isn't obvious when you start playing). The carrot is on a very long stick, is all. I don't know how much depth the game has but I'm pretty sure I've just scratched the surface. The game is not as brown as it first appears.

If you enjoy Nethack and also enjoy Cave Story (and who doesn't enjoy Nethack and Cave Story?) I don't see any reason not to like this.

[Kail]

After almost 100 deaths, I finally got my shortcut to level five, and I haven't made it to level six once.  The game doesn't seem to have much to do with Nethack or Rogue to me... aside from the stores, maybe, but I've almost never bought anything because it's far too expensive for an "oops, you instantly died" game.  Plus, I have no idea what half the items do.  Got some "Eye of Radjet" item from a locked chest, and on picking it up, it says something like "you feel awakened," but didn't have any other effect that I could see.  Ditto with the eyeglasses which "improve your sight."  Awesome game, though.

My main problem at the moment is getting stuck behind trees.  Is there some way over them other than having to waste a bomb/rope?

[ezrast]

If the trees have branches sticking out, you can grab onto the trunk as if there were a ledge there. The eye thing lets you see gems in the dirt which I guess you can get to by bombing, but I've never tried it because I imagine the gems are worth less than the bombs are. I could be wrong. Haven't gotten any eyeglasses yet.

I'll admit the game doesn't actually play anything like a roguelike, but to me it just feels like one. It's the random tile-based dungeons and the propensity for killing you in understated ways, but it's also a bunch of little touches: the shops, the occasional dark dungeon, the arrow traps that you trigger by luring some other poor sap into the way. If the next dungeon has an altar you can sacrifice stuff on I will probably wet myself.

Other games, too - the ghost is totally a nod to Bubble Bobble (could be coincidental, but I refuse to believe it), and optimizing rope placement reminds me a bit of Thief. Spelunky displays total awareness of its context as a video game without ever breaking the fourth wall, which i think is pretty cool. I wish it was named something... else.

Damn, this is gushier than I've been in a while.

[Quinton]

(and who doesn't enjoy Nethack and Cave Story?)

Commies.

[ezrast]

Okay, secret confession: I've never actually played Nethack enough to level up. I sunk a lot of hours into ADoM back in the day, and every time I pick up Nethack I can't help but think it'll just be the same thing except that I'll have to relearn 10,000 keybinds.

But I'm sure I would love it if I got into it!

[Ironwood]

I still say that making a graphical 'proper' Nethack will be an instant win.

Yeah, don't point me to some tiled shit.  Arg.

[Quinton]

I still say that making a graphical 'proper' Nethack will be an instant win.

Yeah, don't point me to some tiled shit.  Arg.

I'm not entirely sure how you'd do that and still keep it as awesome as the original, but I wish more people would try, on the off chance that somebody figures it out. 

[Hindenburg]

Given Baroque's sales numbers, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Moaner]

Baroque was not a good roguelike though.  Shiren the Wanderer on the other hand, pure condensed fucking love!!  I still play it a couple times a week.  If you own a DS and like roguelikes, you should own Shiren the Wanderer.  It's as close to a graphical Nethack as you are going to get at the moment.

[ashrik]

I'm loving the game, but I just can't get past the first 5 levels. I just don't have it in me anymore... maybe I never did

[lamaros]

I find the game a bit meh, but then I'm not a huge fan of platform games.

[Yoru]

Yeah, I tried this. I couldn't get past the part of the tutorial where I have to run and jump. Hell, jumping up from a wall-cling is hard enough.

I suck at platformers. Also, the controls are terrible.

[Tarami]

Yeah, I tried this. I couldn't get past the part of the tutorial where I have to run and jump. Hell, jumping up from a wall-cling is hard enough.

I suck at platformers. Also, the controls are terrible.

Agree about the controls. They're far more complicated that they'd need to be. Having something like holding 1-3 for the respective item and then pressing an arrow key to toss the item in that direction would be miles better. More keys aren't necessarily bad in itself. This cycle-item-with-X-then-hold-Z-and-press-up-and-then-X-again is just too much keyboard tango.

But yeah, cute game still.