The Best Things in Life #1: Classic Spelunky

“The Best Things in Life” is a new segment I’ll be doing every so often taking a look at some of the excellent games available for the grand total of nothing.

Kicking off this series is Classic Spelunky, a free rogue-like platformer originally released in 2009 as a free download and then updated and re-released as a paid version on Xbox Live, Playstation Network and Steam.

Sporting a retro style and feel, the original Spelunky runs on the simple concept of kill the bad guys, save the girl and earn your fortune in the process. However the game is hard-as-nails, featuring enemies and traps likely to cause an instant death. Despite this it remains just as enjoyable as it is difficult and is more about beating personal records than completing the game. In addition there’s also a very light hearted feel to the game and a coy sense of humour to boot, manifesting itself in numerous nods to Hollywood films such as Indiana Jones and The Mummy; all of which add to the amusement factor.

The levels are densely populated with enemies, damsels in distress (who provide extra lives if escorted to the end of the level), treasure, shops and many other features such as snake pits and sacrificial alters which offer treasure and danger in copious amounts.

Treasure itself comes in numerous forms, from gold coins lying on the floor, chests filled with gems, golden skulls which a trigger giant rolling stone balls, or can simply be dug out of the ground by explosions or pickaxes. These treasures can then be spent in shops encountered in the first few levels selling stock bomb and rope refills, weapons, clothing and even a red-light shop which allows you to have a smooch with a damsel in order to gain a bit of health. Alternatively, money can be saved in order to beat personal records (there is a record room which keeps track of highest kills, damsel rescues and money earned in a single play-through, along with total deaths, game completions and best times for speed runs. These stats are not only for personal glory however: secret challenge rooms can be unlocked by achieving certain records in regards to these stats, adding to the replayability.

Every four levels completed, the world theme changes and in order to compensate for the overall difficulty, a miner can be paid with money earned in-game to produce a shortcut to the beginning of every ‘world’. More casual players can experience every facet of the game by this means, whilst those who wish for a greater challenge can attempt to beat the game entirely from start to finish. Otherwise it is up to the player’s discretion to decide whether to risk losing health in the early, easier levels in the hope of finding money and useful gear, or to jump straight to the latter levels with plenty of health but lacking any character bonuses.

Overall Spelunky boasts a pleasant art style and addictively simple gameplay which offers up both amusement and challenge. There is plenty to do and achieve in a game which has obviously been lovingly created and will run on the most basic of computers. While the updated version features extra playable characters, a different art style and many new features, my view is that the original is the best but if you then find yourself spending days playing it as I did, obviously it’s worth picking up the re-release. Likewise if you have experienced and enjoyed the re-release, check out the game's roots by downloading the classic version. The updated version is available on Steam, while the original can be downloaded for free here: http://spelunkyworld.com/original.html

Simon Jenkins