Spelunker HD Deluxe

Fans of the original will love this updated classic and all of its new features. For those looking for a difficult but fun challenge that includes numerous single and multiplayer game modes, I highly recommend checking out Spelunker HD Deluxe.

Ultimately, Spelunker Deluxe HD is for those who have the time to memorise the level layout, can handle odd control lag and are “hardcore” in a way most people no longer recognise. This alone hugely limits the audience, but it’s a game likely to have an incredibly loyal fan base but a game that will struggle to attract more players.

Spelunker HD Deluxe completes everything it sets out to achieve, it is a faithful remaster of the 2010 version with enough additions (multiplayer) to feel warranted. The controls are tight enough that deaths don't feel too cheap and the depth of levels will keep you entertained for a lot longer than most remasters. My only real issues is I feel they could have done more to the 3D graphics to make it really feel like a remaster. Instead of just a port with additions.

Spelunker HD Deluxe rescues a title that was a pioneer for the genre and brings very cool game modes to the current context. However, its strange gameplay, its visual enhancement that omits traps and its somewhat aggressive learning curve can end up scaring off players who just want to spend a few hours having fun without compromise.

People like to call games the Dark Souls of whatever but Dark Souls is the Spelunker of action RPGs. With gratifying gameplay that constantly makes you stay on your toes, I'm very happy that this classic is back and it's more fully-featured than ever before.

Spelunker HD Deluxe is a re-release that doesn’t improve on old flaws. The game maintains its punishing aspects of a retro platformer. It is challenging, but not necessarily rewarding.

Spelunker HD Deluxe isn’t going to appeal to everyone. The game is unforgivingly difficult, and many of its more frustrating mechanics would have been better off left dead and buried in 1985. However, those who can look beyond these quirks will find there’s plenty of fun to be had deep underground. With clever stage designs and an addicting loop that will have you saying “just one more go,” it’s bound to appeal to fans of the series or players who just want a good challenge. If you don’t find yourself in either of those camps, you might just want to remain topside.

It looks a bit better and it does feature a few new modes that vastly improve its overall replayability. However, it is still infested with questionable design choices and intentionally clunky controls tailor-made to irritate players in the most frustrating of ways. I get what it was supposed to do, but there are countless difficult platformers out there that will provide you with the same level of anger and frustration, but with much better controls and physics.

Spelunker HD Deluxe doesn’t quite live up to its namesake, given how it is largely based on a release from over a decade ago, where the core game itself lacks the charm of the series by design. The awkward mechanics haven’t aged very well, but the premise of the level design and progression can be interesting and even rewarding at times. Unfortunately, the experience as a whole feels needlessly frustrating and dated, especially when you’re fighting against the controls for the most part.

Those fond of the Spelunker series will find plenty to like about Spelunker HD Deluxe, and those that enjoy challenging retro games will probably get a kick out of it too. It perhaps stays a little too close to its roots for the majority of modern audiences, and the new 3D visuals can make some of its pitfalls harder to spot, which is a nuisance, but for the most part this is a solid remake of a blast from the past.