Spelunky Catch-all (Spelunky HD now on Steam!)

Watched the giant bomb quick look and am very tempted to pick this up.

Its scratching that binding of Isaac itch for me.
So much bloody fun.

For those of you who've played both versions, are there new branches or items or enemies that aren't in the original PC version?

Oh yeah I meant to post this earlier but Spelunky for XBLA is coming out tomorrow. I don't own an Xbox, and I am not sure if I like the new art style as much as the 16-bit style, but I hope to see the changes translated into a PC version soon.

Downloaded it via XBL today. It's my last gaming purchase until sometime in August (hooray for moving expenses), but it was money well-spent. I'm pretty stoked to have access to a hard-as-hell super-punishing platformer that actually has a solid control scheme and tons of replay value.

I'll be curious to see how long it takes me to get out of the mines.

EDIT: Got past the mines once, donated a bomb to Tunnel guy, got served up a "I can't see..." level as 2-1, and died quickly. The area outside the mine entrance still has the yellow construction board talking about how I should become pals with Tunnel guy. Does that shortcut actually never open as some sort of "ha ha, this game is HARD, dumbass!" taunt, or did I do something wrong?

ianunderhill wrote:

EDIT: Got past the mines once, donated a bomb to Tunnel guy, got served up a "I can't see..." level as 2-1, and died quickly. The area outside the mine entrance still has the yellow construction board talking about how I should become pals with Tunnel guy. Does that shortcut actually never open as some sort of "ha ha, this game is HARD, dumbass!" taunt, or did I do something wrong?

I haven't tried the XBLA version yet, but if it works like the PC version you'll have to make a number of donations before the construction of the shortcut is complete. After over 100 deaths on the PC version, I finally managed to open up a shortcut to the subterranean jungle level (the second dungeon area.)

It finally clicked why I enjoy the frogs so much in the game; they remind me of the frogs from Kid Icarus! For some reason I always loved watching those guys move around.
In fact, Spelunky reminds me of several games in its movement/animation/graphics, which is probably why I get a nice burst of nostalgia playing it.
* Kid Icarus (NES)
* Terraria (PC - came out after Spelunky, but I bet the guys who made Terraria played Spelunky)
* Legacy of the Wizard (NES)
* Blaster master (on-foot segments outside of Sophia in the main maps - NES)

Thanks, Puce Moose. I'll keep at it and see if I can open that up.

Your mention of the original Kid Icarus is right on - this game reminds me of the early non-fortress stages of that game quite a lot. That said, my own praise for Spelunky should be weighed against the fact that whenever an NES and a case of beer get hauled out in the face of social time, my go-to titles are controller-thrower platformers like Kid Icarus and Ghost 'n' Goblins. With its excellent controls and seemingly decent collision detection, Spelunky's going to change those "That's bullsh*t!"-->"Yeah, that was BS" types of exchanges into a series of chiding taunts and hopefully not too much in the way of physical altercations.

Stayed up too late playing Spelunky. Yarg.

I gave the free PC version another try after seeing the Giant Bomb quick look. Apart from a graphics overhaul and some additional stuff (not sure what), the versions are basically identical.

I have a question for XBLA guys: If you swing over a ledge in front of the arrow traps, does the arrow miss you? In the PC version, I stumbled across this as a pretty easy way to avoid the arrow traps. If the arrow trap is right near a wall, the arrow will actually bounce off the wall and still hit you.

I'm having a lot of fun carrying things through the level like dead bodies, damsels, and rocks and using them to kill enemies / set off traps.

My most successful run was setting off the boulder trap which barreled through a shopkeeper I didn't even know was there. I was able to take the shotgun, boots, cape, and other stuff that was just left there.

I played the free version to death so I felt obligated to pick up this version. Some early thoughts:

Pros:
- The graphics are pretty and they added a lot of purely aesthetic content. I'll save you, dog!
- There are new features within the levels and new themes to keep things interesting (I got one where it said my skin was crawling, only to find it full of spiders. I saw FIVE giant spiders on a single screen!).
- Controls are streamlined.

Cons:
- It's harder to judge the edges of objects, which can make traversal more difficult in all stages of the game.
- I'm not sure the backstory really serves the game. I never assumed that there was any resurrection action going on there. I never really thought about it.
- The controls are streamlined, but since I can't seem to select inventory slots I can't toss bundles of unspent rope to set off arrow traps.
- Some of the new features don't make a whole lot of sense, like the guy buried underground with his treasure. I fired a shotgun once and somehow managed to piss him off, which was fine because he was trapped in his little room. Then I set off a boulder, which broke his wall open. He came out and murdered me.

All told it's very solid and a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously (Brad took it too seriously). I haven't found any new items yet, but I'm not sure it really needed any.

After the umpteenth unseen spider came crashing down on my head, stealing my last heart, I decided to call it a night. But wait, there's always time for one last run, right? Which turns out to be my best run ever. I finally made it to the Jungle levels after some 4 hours of dying. I don't know if my skills are getting sharper, or I was just handed a series of easier than average level configurations by the algorithmic gods.

I am curious if there is some kind of difficulty scaling built into the level generator code. Maybe it's my paranoia, but I would swear that every time after I've had a pretty good level (hauled off lots of loot, rescued the Damsel) then the next level is jam packed with Giant Spiders, death traps stacked on death traps, or a darkness level (which gets me every freaking time). Like it's punishing me for doing well.

I have managed to evade the arrow traps on rare occasions. Seems like if you take a running jump at just the right angle you can zip past the arrow.

Loads of fun. I'm kind of puzzled why this game has gotten its hooks in me, as it's not my sort of thing, really, at all.

bombsfall wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

- I'm not sure the backstory really serves the game. I never assumed that there was any resurrection action going on there. I never really thought about it.

Wait... the integrity of the story matters here? I thought we were operating in a "Bowser kidnapped the princess and imprisoned the mushroom people in blocks!" or "Ninjas kidnapped the president!" or "Attack the devil's world!" mode.

Exactly, we were, which is why it's distracting when they try to make it more than that.

chaosmos wrote:

I am curious if there is some kind of difficulty scaling built into the level generator code.

Just wait until you make it to the third world. Lots of tiny chunks of solid ground spaced out too far to jump or safely fall. Also they're covered in ice.

EriktheRed wrote:

For those of you who've played both versions, are there new branches or items or enemies that aren't in the original PC version?

-From what I can tell, each of the existing areas have had at least 1-2 new traps added and 1-2 new enemies.

-They added a new final area, The Mothership, as an alternative to The Temple & The City of Gold. I'm sure it has it's own unique end boss. It's ridiculously difficult as are the other areas.

-I haven't run into any new items/weapons other than the Boomerang (which is amazing) and maybe the sticky bombs. (that might have been in the pc version.)

-There is now a shopkeeper that sells "lurches." They are semi mindless grunts that act as AI companions.

-About 12 playable characters this time around.

-Shortcut man now requests specific items instead of just gold. (In my game, i'm working on the shortcut to the temple. Shortcut man requested the key from level 1-2.)

-Completely new soundtrack (that I hate.)

-The 4 player local coop/deathmatch stuff.

Overall, it feels different enough. Maybe a bit harder than the PC version if anything.

EDIT: Why isn't my quote tag working.

There were sticky bombs in the original. I agree that the new soundtrack isn't so great.

TheTino wrote:

EDIT: Why isn't my quote tag working. :(

They won't work until you have a certain number of posts. Don't worry about it, just stick around.

LobsterMobster wrote:

There were sticky bombs in the original. I agree that the new soundtrack isn't so great.

TheTino wrote:

EDIT: Why isn't my quote tag working. :(

They won't work until you have a certain number of posts. Don't worry about it, just stick around. :)

Thank you, I thought I was doing something wrong. Instead I"ll just pretend it's working. I'm doing my best at sticking around. I'm really really bad at using forums but this is a community I want to break into and be a part of, so I assure you i'm trying.

Yeah, GWJ is pretty keen. Welcome.

I love this f*ckin' game.

Got to play an hour or so of co-op last night, which was awesome. My partner was completely new to the game, so we went a little slowly, but it was very rewarding, and I can see the game really opening up if several skilled players are going at once. The ability to gang up on the shopkeepers could be incredible, for example.

This is basically the perfect videogame.

Just beat this for the first time! (NO shortcuts)

I was just trying to open the shortcut to the temple by bringing the key to the tunnel man in the caves and ended up beating the whole thing. I was shaking during the Olmec boss fight!

TheTino wrote:

Just beat this for the first time! (NO shortcuts)

I was just trying to open the shortcut to the temple by bringing the key to the tunnel man in the caves and ended up beating the whole thing. I was shaking during the Olmec boss fight!

Wow! very impressive. I'm stuck at the end of the Jungle levels. I think the sweat dripping onto my controller is messing me up...

I checked the clock after a couple of deaths in the newly downloaded XBLA version, only to found that five hours of my life had just disappeared and I really needed to go to the bathroom. It definitely nails the 'one more try' bug bite just as squarely as the original. I had largely forgotten about Spelunky until the remake came out, but returning to it after several years has convinced me that it deserves a place in my all-time greatest list alongside the Metroids and the Marios.

Anyone know what the camera does, other than mildly annoy enemies? BTW, don't photograph the shopkeeper. He's murderously camera-shy.

Speaking of which, a boulder managed to piss off one of the shopkeepers last night and I ran away from him instead of dealing with him. Next shop I found was already hostile with a "WANTED" poster of me on the wall, and there was yet another man with a shotgun waiting for me at the exit. So it seems that if you piss off a shopkeeper but don't finish him off, the game is essentially over?

Hey, pro-tip for anyone who hasn't noticed yet: you can walk through spikes. Just don't fall on them.

Downloaded this last night. I've been on vacation and it's been killing me not to be able to play.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Speaking of which, a boulder managed to piss off one of the shopkeepers last night and I ran away from him instead of dealing with him. Next shop I found was already hostile with a "WANTED" poster of me on the wall, and there was yet another man with a shotgun waiting for me at the exit. So it seems that if you piss off a shopkeeper but don't finish him off, the game is essentially over?

Annoying or killing a single shopkeeper makes all subsequent shopkeepers hostile AND places a hostile shopkeeper at each exit. If you've got a shotgun and a little skill then it's by no means game over. If you're going to make a shopkeeper hostile you have to make sure, your going to kill him and take his shotgun, if you're not going to fully commit to shopkeeper homicide then it is indeed game over.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Anyone know what the camera does, other than mildly annoy enemies? BTW, don't photograph the shopkeeper. He's murderously camera-shy.

The camera can stun and even kill enemies -- I think it kills bats. I find it impossibly awkward to use but a really good player might be able to make it work. A re-usable area-effect attack could be useful.

The Game is Fantastic though I think me and my friends suck because we played for two hours and never made it past the DEMO.

DanB wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

Speaking of which, a boulder managed to piss off one of the shopkeepers last night and I ran away from him instead of dealing with him. Next shop I found was already hostile with a "WANTED" poster of me on the wall, and there was yet another man with a shotgun waiting for me at the exit. So it seems that if you piss off a shopkeeper but don't finish him off, the game is essentially over?

Annoying or killing a single shopkeeper makes all subsequent shopkeepers hostile AND places a hostile shopkeeper at each exit. If you've got a shotgun and a little skill then it's by no means game over. If you're going to make a shopkeeper hostile you have to make sure, your going to kill him and take his shotgun, if you're not going to fully commit to shopkeeper homicide then it is indeed game over.

I think if you kill them quickly it doesn't alert the others. Either way, it wasn't like I'd planned it. They ought to put out a hit on boulders, not me.

LobsterMobster wrote:
DanB wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

Speaking of which, a boulder managed to piss off one of the shopkeepers last night and I ran away from him instead of dealing with him. Next shop I found was already hostile with a "WANTED" poster of me on the wall, and there was yet another man with a shotgun waiting for me at the exit. So it seems that if you piss off a shopkeeper but don't finish him off, the game is essentially over?

Annoying or killing a single shopkeeper makes all subsequent shopkeepers hostile AND places a hostile shopkeeper at each exit. If you've got a shotgun and a little skill then it's by no means game over. If you're going to make a shopkeeper hostile you have to make sure, your going to kill him and take his shotgun, if you're not going to fully commit to shopkeeper homicide then it is indeed game over.

I think if you kill them quickly it doesn't alert the others.

It doesn't put a hostile shopkeeper at the exit of the level you've killed your first shopkeeper in. I've not personally noticed that timing is involved.

There's actually a simple "wanted level" (ala GTA) mechanic in place with Shopkeepers.

First things first - if you murder a shopkeeper every single shop keeper in the game will want to murder you and there will be one at the end of every level. (for extra fun, attack a shop keeper in the Black Market!) This rule has only one exception - and that's murdering shop keepers that wait for you at the end of the level. I BELIEVE you can kill them without causing a ruckus.

So, every time you do a non murder action to a shop keeper that causes him to get angry, including stealing items, hitting his damsel, hitting the shopkeeper (without killing him) or bombing his shop in any way. (or if something in the environment or an NPC does this it counts too) he raises his wanted level. (and immediately making him attempt to kill you.)

The first offense gives you 2 wanted points, every additional offense will net you 3 wanted points. While you are wanted, Shop Keepers will be aggressive towards you and they will wait for you at the end of the level. Every level you complete, the wanted level drops by 1. When it hits zero, shopkeepers will act like nothing every happened and they will stop trying to ambush you.

So go ahead, if you find a weapon shop and find a shotgun, take it and run like mad. Then hope the shopkeep doesn't kill himself in the level on his own. And feel free to murder the ones waiting in ambush at the end of a level.

TheTino wrote:

There's actually a simple "wanted level" (ala GTA) mechanic in place with Shopkeepers.

First things first - if you murder a shopkeeper every single shop keeper in the game will want to murder you and there will be one at the end of every level. (for extra fun, attack a shop keeper in the Black Market!) This rule has only one exception - and that's murdering shop keepers that wait for you at the end of the level. I BELIEVE you can kill them without causing a ruckus.

So, every time you do a non murder action to a shop keeper that causes him to get angry, including stealing items, hitting his damsel, hitting the shopkeeper (without killing him) or bombing his shop in any way. (or if something in the environment or an NPC does this it counts too) he raises his wanted level. (and immediately making him attempt to kill you.)

The first offense gives you 2 wanted points, every additional offense will net you 3 wanted points. While you are wanted, Shop Keepers will be aggressive towards you and they will wait for you at the end of the level. Every level you complete, the wanted level drops by 1. When it hits zero, shopkeepers will act like nothing every happened and they will stop trying to ambush you.

So go ahead, if you find a weapon shop and find a shotgun, take it and run like mad. Then hope the shopkeep doesn't kill himself in the level on his own. And feel free to murder the ones waiting in ambush at the end of a level.

That is quite a useful tip, I usually just kill any shopkeep that comes in my way once I've gotten 'heat'. I might actually buy a webgun now. Stick, steal, run. Or perhaps in another order. Whatever.

I expect I am the only one still playing this game, but I just completed my mine key run and needed someplace to celebrate! This is to open up the shortcut to the 4th level (Temple), where you have to carry the key from the mines all the way down to the end of the ice caves. It's made a little hard by the fact that the key is a held item, rather than just going into your inventory.

Hilariously enough, I found two crate shotguns on this run, and of course couldn't pick up either one.

On to the final stage!