Part 1 (Sep 2023) · #2 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (2:37:06)
Spelunky
- Developed by
- Mossmouth
- Published by
- Mossmouth
$14.99
Spelunky is a unique platformer with randomized levels that offer a challenging new experience each time you play. Journey deep underground and explore fantastic places filled with all manner of monsters, traps, and treasure.
Consensus
A80.4/100
Steam players92.2% positiveVery Positive16,681 reviews
Metacritic ↗90/100Users: 7.4/10
VG Insights estimate ↗≈1.4M copies · ≈$12.5M gross
What creators say
Ranked Aug 2024 · #6 of 7 in that tierWatch the moment (0:53:42)
Ranked Aug 2025 · #24 of 48 in that tierListen to the episode
Scored 6.85/10 · tier derived from the score
Ranked Dec 2019 · #1 of 3 in that tierWatch the moment (0:28:18)
Ranked Apr 2023 · #4 of 15 in that tierWatch the moment (2:03:54)
Ranked Jan 2026 · #1 of 9 in that tierListen to the episode
What players say
A procedurally generated 2D platformer by Derek Yu (freeware 2008, HD remake 2012 on Xbox 360 and 2013 on PC) in which you descend cave levels collecting treasure and rescuing damsels, with permadeath and no persistent upgrades, widely credited as a foundational roguelike-platformer.
Critics and players treat Spelunky as a landmark of design. The HD version carries a Metacritic PC score of 90 (as listed by Steam), and the Metacritic Xbox 360 page shows 87 from 54 critics; Wikipedia also lists Vita 88 and PS3 83. Steam users are Very Positive at about 92 percent of roughly 16.7k reviews. Praise centres on tight controls, systemic interactions, fairness of the core rules, and extremely high replay value (Daily Challenge, co-op, deathmatch). The recurring complaint is brutal, instant-death difficulty with no difficulty options, plus RNG-dependent bad runs. It is not early access and is not abandoned, but the PC port is old: recent Steam reviews report launch trouble on Windows 11, no Steam Cloud, and a few reports of lost saves. Many players now suggest Spelunky 2 as the next step, though some Steam reviewers prefer the original.
Players love
- Tight, responsive movement and a huge skill ceiling; players describe moves becoming muscle memory and runs feeling earned
- Systemic, emergent chaos: enemies, shopkeepers, damsels, bombs and traps all interact, producing memorable stories (for example an angry shopkeeper or an exploding frog wrecking a run)
- Short runs (typically 30 to 45 minutes) with no meta-progression, so skill and knowledge are the only progression
- Daily Challenge gives a shared seed and leaderboard that some players have used as a nightly ritual for over a thousand hours
- Lots of hidden secrets, items and areas (Black Market, hell/Yama run, journal, skins) that reward curiosity and experimentation
- Fun local co-op and deathmatch; co-op revives via coffins add social chaos
- Strong audio-visual charm: cute art and music contrasting with a ruthless game
- Critics compared it to a manual of game design; GamesRadar gave it 5/5 and IGN gave 9.0 with an Editor's Choice
Common complaints
- Many threats kill or stunlock instantly (spikes, ghost, mantrap, black knight, UFO, shopkeepers, yetis, explosions), so one small mistake can send you back to the Mines
- Some runs are decided by RNG rather than skill, for example a Black Market entrance next to a shopkeeper or no bomb merchant when a golden chest is walled in
- No difficulty setting or assist options; newcomers find it punishing with little on-ramp
- PC port technical problems: crashes when changing resolution, needing multiple launches on Windows 11, and Windows-only (no Mac or Linux)
- No Steam Cloud support; a few reviewers report losing progress after a failed launch and reinstall
- Controls can feel cramped or quirky to some (complaints about no auto-run toggle, cramped hands); critics also flagged control quirks and a throwaway multiplayer
- Some reviewers with mixed feelings called the game a poor grind because one death costs 15 or more minutes of progress
Can feel tedious
- Dying to a trivial mistake late in a long run, then restarting from the Mines
- Stunlock chains from arrow traps, tiki men, boomerang throwers and shopkeepers that feel unfair even to experienced players
- Unlocking the secret path (shortcuts, Black Market, City of Gold, Yama) is obscure and convoluted when playing blind, which some compare to The Binding of Isaac
- Completing all achievements and journal entries can take hundreds of runs (one reviewer was at 920 runs), which some see as a grind
- Jank on modern PCs: needing relaunches, resolution crashes, missing cloud sync
- Co-op and multiplayer can be frustrating if friends are not on the same skill level (one reviewer called it not fun with friends)
What's unique
- Permadeath with literally no persistent power-ups: the only thing that carries over is player knowledge and unlocked shortcuts
- A platformer built on roguelike principles, inspired by Rogue and Super Mario-style movement, which helped define the roguelike-platformer subgenre
- Levels assembled from hand-designed room templates in a 4x4 grid that guarantee a path, so generation feels authored rather than random
- Fully simulated world where shopkeepers, damsels, and even you can be killed or turned against you; killing or robbing a shopkeeper has lasting consequences in that run
- A time-limit ghost that punishes slow play, pushing players between careful and fast styles
- Daily Challenge with a global seed, and deep speedrun/score-chasing culture (hell runs, 'no gold' and speedrun achievements)
Players want
- Steam Cloud saves and more robust save handling, given reports of deleted progress
- Better compatibility and stability on modern Windows (Windows 11 launch failures, resolution-change crashes)
- Optional difficulty or assist features, or a gentler on-ramp for first-time players
- Safeguards against the most unfair RNG placements (Black Market entrance near a shopkeeper, bomb scarcity) without removing the challenge
- Mac and Linux builds, or official ports to more current platforms (a Switch version exists per Wikipedia, but not on PC storefronts)
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
PlatformerRogue-likeAction RoguelikeIndieDifficult2DLocal Co-OpReplay ValueProcedural GenerationArcade
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Tier list Part 1 (2023)
Spelunky (2008) is the classic exploration-focused roguelike credited with helping revive the genre in the modern era. PepperHead openly admits this is a controversial take: he is not a fan. He wants meaningful variation between runs, and feels every Spelunky run plays similarly. He respects the game and its legacy but finds the brutal one-shot deaths and style of play not to his taste, and places it in C tier.
Liked
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