I'm just shy of 4 hours into it so hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, but I'm already head over heels for this game. I can't believe it took me this long to play it for the first time, yet I'm glad it did; it wouldn't have nearly the same impact if things were different.
I've burnt myself out on many "action roguelites" and their offshoots over the years. I've always wanted to find the right one that favors skill development over meta-progression to overcome harsh challenges. I also tend to prefer action over turn-based combat so I haven't been able to get into a traditional roguelike yet. what I'd need is a game that can meet in the middle. enter Spelunky - it has the mentality of dying a lot to learn the game. unlike more modern titles where you'll die a bit and suddenly make huge strides of progress because lol permanent upgrades, having to learn the game's quirks actually feels rewarding and worthwhile. trial and error is the name of the game here which may be a bother and a false indicator of difficulty to some people, but I'm quite fond of it and found that the randomness kept it feeling fresh.
I have a tendency to be overaggressive in games, and Spelunky taught me not to rush it by forcing my way through. it's notoriously brutal and funny with just how many random ways you can die. one time I baited an arrow trap into hitting an explosive tile just for the arrow to bounce off and kill me anyways. or the several times I've seen a caveman charge into instant death and said "haha dumbass" to myself just for me to do the exact same not even ten seconds later. I love when a game can have me laughing at my own mistakes and eventual death... or deaths rather, tons and tons of them. it can get frustrating but it's the good kind where I never find myself blaming the game for anything. it's quick and painless, every death just motivates me to continue further. everything about the mechanics is very well designed, it just comes down to utilizing accumulated knowledge and skills to do better in the different situations it throws at you - a staple of the roguelike design.
with that said it's easily the greatest roguelike style of game I've played thus far, and therefore my new favorite as well. I'm really eager to get into Spelunky 2 if I ever fully complete this but uh.. maybe I should just jump into that anyways, I have a feeling I'm not ever finishing this any time soon...
ETA: I did "beat" it but won't mark it as completed since I didn't get the true ending. the path to get there seems convoluted anyways, but I don't hold that against it at all. I still love it, but my biggest holdup with these types of games is how I get too sucked into them to play anything else. I like to focus on one thing at a time and these kinds of games are at their strongest when played in moderation. I don't want the repetition to wear me down and warp my perception of it so I'm more than happy to take a step back from it.
I've burnt myself out on many "action roguelites" and their offshoots over the years. I've always wanted to find the right one that favors skill development over meta-progression to overcome harsh challenges. I also tend to prefer action over turn-based combat so I haven't been able to get into a traditional roguelike yet. what I'd need is a game that can meet in the middle. enter Spelunky - it has the mentality of dying a lot to learn the game. unlike more modern titles where you'll die a bit and suddenly make huge strides of progress because lol permanent upgrades, having to learn the game's quirks actually feels rewarding and worthwhile. trial and error is the name of the game here which may be a bother and a false indicator of difficulty to some people, but I'm quite fond of it and found that the randomness kept it feeling fresh.
I have a tendency to be overaggressive in games, and Spelunky taught me not to rush it by forcing my way through. it's notoriously brutal and funny with just how many random ways you can die. one time I baited an arrow trap into hitting an explosive tile just for the arrow to bounce off and kill me anyways. or the several times I've seen a caveman charge into instant death and said "haha dumbass" to myself just for me to do the exact same not even ten seconds later. I love when a game can have me laughing at my own mistakes and eventual death... or deaths rather, tons and tons of them. it can get frustrating but it's the good kind where I never find myself blaming the game for anything. it's quick and painless, every death just motivates me to continue further. everything about the mechanics is very well designed, it just comes down to utilizing accumulated knowledge and skills to do better in the different situations it throws at you - a staple of the roguelike design.
with that said it's easily the greatest roguelike style of game I've played thus far, and therefore my new favorite as well. I'm really eager to get into Spelunky 2 if I ever fully complete this but uh.. maybe I should just jump into that anyways, I have a feeling I'm not ever finishing this any time soon...
ETA: I did "beat" it but won't mark it as completed since I didn't get the true ending. the path to get there seems convoluted anyways, but I don't hold that against it at all. I still love it, but my biggest holdup with these types of games is how I get too sucked into them to play anything else. I like to focus on one thing at a time and these kinds of games are at their strongest when played in moderation. I don't want the repetition to wear me down and warp my perception of it so I'm more than happy to take a step back from it.