Spelunky (2013)

Developer: Mossmouth
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Indie
Rating: 4.6 of 5, 16,620 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 12 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a tense and rewarding platforming crawl where each run is a fresh, unpredictable puzzle of traps and treasures

punishingaddictiveunpredictableexplorativetacticalretrochaoticpermadeath

What players say

Players say the platforming is tight and the skill ceiling is enormous, but luck and randomness can make or break runs, especially when trying to reach secret areas. Some call it beautiful chaos, others complain that unreasonable RNG ruins attempts. Co-op is fun but does not make the game easier.

Screenshots

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More by Mossmouth

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.