Spelunky

I've lost count of how many runs I've launched in Spelunky, and I'm pretty sure at least half of them ended within thirty seconds because I forgot about an arrow trap. That's the game in a nutshell: fast deaths, fair deaths, and stories you actually want to tell people afterwards. This is a roguelike platformer built around an Indiana Jones-style explorer descending through procedurally generated cave systems packed with monsters, traps, treasure, and shopkeepers who will absolutely murder you if you steal from them. It shipped in 2013 as a PC port of the HD rebuild - a cleaned-up, fuller version of Derek Yu's original freeware game - and it holds up remarkably well. The core toolkit is deceptively small. You have a whip, a limited supply of bombs for blowing through terrain, and ropes for vertical movement - because your explorer cannot survive long falls and cannot jump very high without assistance. From there, shops scattered across levels sell upgrades ranging from grapple hooks and capes to jetpacks, and the item economy forces constant risk-reward decisions. Do you spend your gold on a shotgun, or save it? Do you rob the shopkeeper? (Spoiler: you will. Everybody does. Once.) There are also Damsels to rescue for bonus health, a Kali altar sacrifice mechanic, and a secret path that leads, with enough patience and obscure knowledge, all the way to Hell. The game has layers, and veteran players have been pulling them apart for well over a decade. On the multiplayer front, honesty is required here: Spelunky HD on PC is local co-op only, up to four players, with no split-screen. The camera follows player one, and if they die it shifts to player two - which creates its own chaotic comedy. A local deathmatch Arena mode rounds out the social options. It is absolutely a blast for a Saturday night session with controllers plugged in, but the co-op is loose and messy by design rather than tightly structured. Expect friendly fire, expect someone to accidentally bomb the exit, expect tears. Good tears, mostly. The honest caveat is difficulty. Spelunky does not hold hands. Progress is entirely skill-based and the randomised layout means that occasionally the cave genuinely conspires against you in ways that feel outside your control. Players with low frustration tolerance will bounce off it hard, and the keyboard controls have been flagged as awkward by multiple reviewers - a controller is effectively mandatory for a good time. The Daily Challenge mode adds a layer of community competition where everyone tackles the same seed once per day, which is a smart hook for solo players who want a reason to return beyond pure self-improvement. Spelunky is the kind of game that turned an entire genre of developers into fans. It is not gentle, it does not explain itself well, and the co-op is chaotic enough that four drunk friends will have an absolute riot even if nobody makes it past the Jungle. That is a legitimate use case and the game supports it perfectly. Just bring four controllers.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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