Spelunky-in’
So it turns out that I have been game-making…!
Spelunky is my latest game project, a hybrid of two genres of games that I enjoy - the roguelike and the platformer. The idea partly came from playing around with both genres separately. It was like I baked two different kinds of pies and then I stepped back and looked at them and finally just mashed them both together. Does it taste good? I leave that to the reader to decide.
Roguelikes tend to be rather difficult to get into… imagine playing games where the graphics are all represented by ASCII symbols and every key on the keyboard (including both lowercase and capital letters) performs a different action that you will probably need to survive. Yeah. But roguelikes have a kind of depth and replayability that make them extremely exciting. Because they’re so complex, there’s always new stuff to try and it’s very satisfying to learn how to play. Because the dungeons are randomized every time you venture in, the games age very slowly. And because death is permanent in a roguelike, the adventures feels weighty. As such, fans of the genre are pretty devoted. Some of the games even make it into the mainstream. There’s even a roguelike that came out last year that stars the Wu-Tang Clan.
I tried to instill in Spelunky what I thought were the best parts of roguelike games and platform games. My intention was to trade some of the less intellectually interesting challenges of the former (like memorization, micromanagement, etc.) for the more instantaneously-gratifying and easier-to-understand reflex-based challenges of the latter. I think it was a success overall. The game’s definitely been doing better than I thought it would: the Boing Boing-backed game blog Offworld said it could have been one of the “best indie games of 2008” had it been released properly, and there are quite a few videos of the game on YouTube now (these are a real hoot). I even got some fanart from El Nedroid! And a comic on EEGRA! Good gravy!
At the moment, I’m still polishing up the game (version 0.99.5), with the help of the many friendly players who are giving me feedback. But it’s stable enough that you can check it out here:
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=4017.0
I was going to wait until 1.0 to post it here, but since the game’s getting passed around like a drunken damsel already, it felt strange that it should be left off here. I’m still working on an official page for the game, though.
Plus, I cleaned up my real-life room like I said I would in my last post, and then cleaned up my virtual room (you’re sitting in it). And it would be so boring to update the blog just to tell you that! But how do you like it so far?
2009’s been pretty good so far, and I’ve got a lot more planned - keep a peeper peeled proper, y’hear? I’ll try to update here more regularly as well. Muchas gracias!
Also: The Electric Ant Blog. I just made my first post.
Also also: Obama’s inauguration, hurray! This Obamameter is a good way to keep track of what the newly-elected President of Fuck Yeah is up to.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Do you plan on selling it? If not, you should also upload it on the Yoyo Games website and on the GMC forum. It’s not that often that a game with great pixel art and made with Game Maker comes out.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
wow, i learned so much from this post. if i thrown around terms like “roguelike” i can totally feel good about myself. congrats on spelunky. site looks real tight and handsome. i like the new banner and typeface you’re using. i need to get the story behind cane.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:48 pm
My favorite line from mastatsan’s “Let’s Try Spelunky!” video: “oh god…falling too far, hurts, as you just witness there…this expedition’s off to a rocky start.”
I still marvel at the beauty you create, Derek. Permanent death, I wonder if my solitary life could be called “roguelike.” heh.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Derek Yu, why do the damsels run away? I like how you can throw them around the cavern! haha.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:23 am
The shop owner in this game is even crazier than the one in Link’s Awakening. I loved his reaction when I started throwing his stuff around.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
This game is addicting! Even with close to 100 plays I still haven’t been able to get very far, but it never gets old.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Fuck YES, Derek. I’ve been a fan for 10 years, glad to see you’re still making your own games.
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I wasn’t going to say it, since I felt everyone knew it anywhat, but here i go: Derek Rules!
February 4th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
So I was playing Spelunky, like my 80th try, and I was carrying around this rock. This rock had saved me from quite a few spiders and bats, and I was starting to feel a little safe with it in my hand.
Then I threw it and it landed near another rock. I picked up the other rock and started to keep going. Then I stopped. I put the rock down, and went back for MY rock.
I had actually become attached to a rock in the game world. I seriously had this kind of superstitious feeling that I needed the one rock over the other. Like it would be bad juju to leave the special rock behind. I think that speaks volumes about the kind of experience this game provides.
Awesome!
February 6th, 2009 at 7:14 am
266 hunters lost in the deeps and counting. Still a fresh breeze like the very first steps. Still happening strange, wonderful things, incredible tumblings, painful bytes and disastrous explosions. Stealing in the shop has NEVER been such a great temptation, and satisfaction. (Damn it’s a bit expensive, better go for a little bomb).
You are a genius, Aquaria was wonderful, but I adore Spelunky, starting form it’s name. I’d like to know better his protagonist and his world.
Thank you so much for this little miracle of a game !
February 6th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
This is one of the best games I have ever played. That’s all I have to say.
February 11th, 2009 at 3:28 am
Thanks, friends! Spelunky got popular enough that I had to upgrade my web hosting. I’m working on the next build and it should be out soon.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Ooooh my god! This is best game i’ve played in months! I must say that it got me even more excited than World of Goo or Multiwinia did. manz years I was waiting for some game feeling like rogulike but without thousands of commands. Great job man, great job.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:14 am
this game is driving me mad, friend recommended it to me, never thought i’d be so hooked. i’v died 140 something times now and not even that far in.
great job man, truly fantastic achievement!
February 24th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Possibly the most addictive game I’ve ever played. I totally see what masayume means. I was starting to get superstitious while playing this as well. I can start to see how people find meaning even in completely random things. This game is a lot like life.
Oh and my rock story: I had three rocks in front of me and there was two spiders. I picked up a rock and killed one spider. Then I put the rock down and picked up a different rock to kill the second rock. My justification was I didn’t want to mix their bloods because the spider might get infected– which is ridiculous because I’m killing him anyway.
February 28th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Derek your inspiration to all artists of our generation. And have been since the Klick community. If you’re ever in Portland Oregon please don’t hesitate to meet up for a pint or three and a night of dancing, karaoke and conversations about the possibility of greatness for one individual to inspire the many.
March 7th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
This game is seriously addicting. Been playing it non-stop.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:33 am
This is a fantastic game. I’ve long been a fan of platformers and roguelikes, and I was cautiously optimistic when you said you were mixing them. I haven’t been let down in the slightest. I have been playing it almost non-stop since downloading, and I can see no end in sight.
Overall, the cutest game I’ve played that lets you beat a woman to death with a caveman’s corpse
April 11th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Derek, this is a really superb piece of work. Would it be possible to get a ‘Family Friendly’ version, or at least a Family Friendly toggle switch? Minor adjustments would eliminate blood and make the damsels less vulnerable.
http://fessicsfavorites.wordpress.com/category/freeware-games/
June 30th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I am absolutely hooked on this game. if im bored, the first thing i do is come play it. i think i can hear my xbox crying right now “why dont you love me anymore :’(”
July 21st, 2009 at 7:25 am
loved this game since i started.i like the fact i can through a rock at a caveman and then use him to knock out another caveman and kill a spider, lol
August 6th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Derek, I just heard about this game the other day, downloaded it and gave it a go..
Man, you really ARE the guy with the golden touch! Aquaria (the demo at least) was pretty cool but this game is really something. If you could add a bunch more to it and distribute another version for $$ I’d actually buy it and I bet I’m not alone in that.
The only thing though: Is there a place that lists what all the special items do? I had the compass which was self-explanitory but the glasses and some other weird mask thing I couldn’t figure out before I died. And I hate those giant spiders but I also LOVE those giant spiders at the same time.
Kudos to you!
October 20th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Hey Derek, I just wanted to say that I played the game after it was featured in Play This Thing and I fell in love with it. The furthest I’ve gotten is level 13, and I must say that the degree of polish and the procedural level generation have kept me engaged more so than any other game this year. As a hobbyist game maker this is really inspiring work.
Thank you.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Ya know, ever since I got this game,(which was like, WEEKS ago)I haven’t been able to resist playing it when I am bored! Ive gotten all the way to the end(all the shortcuts too)but never managed to beat the final boss! could you give me any tips on how to beat him please?
A while ago I was fumbling around with random buttons to see if any activated a secret function(I know, call me a nerd) but I found out that F2 on the title screen brings up a map editor! And so lots of kudos for you! I absolutely ADORE any game that has an easy map creator, and that toppled on top of my original love for the game made it even MORE awesome!
And so my final note that I want to state is: EPIC! funnest indie/rougelike freeware game I have EVER played!