After 16 years, Spelunky has been released in its definitive version, but it’s not like you think

In the first stage of glory of indie games, we all remember those games that showed us that there was a world beyond the mainstream: Braid, Hotline Miami, Cave Story, Limbo, Papers Please and, of course, Spelunky. Derek Yu, in 2008, released it for free for Windows, and later made a remake for Xbox 360 where it became immensely famous. Today, not only is it still being played, but it has just received its definitive version.

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To the caves!

It is worth remembering that the caves of Spelunky in which the character had to explore to find treasures and save damsels in distress were randomly generated, something that we are now accustomed to but that completely broke gamers’ perspectives at the time. And now, finally, the game has reached where, deep down, it always should have: Spelunky64.

No, the “64” is not from Nintendo 64, but from Commodore 64, the 8-bit computer that was released in 1982. And if you think it’s just a visual de-make, think again: the team has made it run on real Commodore 64 hardware, either on the original device or on an emulator. Paul Koller, its developer, had created demakes before, but none as complex as this one.

And, truth be told, it does a very good job of recreating its mechanics, including procedural levels and the different objects that can be obtained, to a point that in the 80s would have been considered magic. Obviously it has limitations – especially in terms of graphics – but frankly, it could – and, on paper, should – have been much worse. The price? Just a little more expensive than free: $2.99 on itch.io. You decide if you can resist.

Spelunky DOWNLOAD