Post by N3B on Jan 2, 2010 0:51:33 GMT -5
Here's a fun little game. Arcade-style platforming reminiscent of old-school Marios, mixed with roguelikes (if you're at all familiar with those). The difficulty is satisfyingly difficult; it provides a lot of challenge that compels you try harder while making your successes feel well-earned. There's a lot of variety with random level generation, items, enemies, new stages as you go further, and best of all, it's FREE.
You play as a treasure seeking spelunker; the gameplay revolves around collecting loot and making it to the bottom of each cave to progress to the next level. The caves are littered with traps and enemies that you have to evade/fight in order to progress safely. Enemies can be taken out Mario-style by jumping on them, but you also have a whip which you can attack with at close range, bombs to blow up wide areas (and also to destroy the terrain to access new areas and to take shortcuts), as well as rocks and pots which you can pick up and throw. Every so often you may find (or purchase) weapons like pistols, shotguns, bows and arrows, and so forth, to fight foes at longer ranges.
Each level is randomly generated based on certain rules so that each time you play it will be completely different. Aside from level structures, there are different enemies, traps, treasures, items, and other surprises. Sometimes the level is generated with a unique event that dramatically changes its structure and gives you new opportunities for wealth and danger. This is pretty crucial given the intense difficulty -- you die a lot and spend a lot of time restarting the game. You're given 4 hearts which deplete each time you're hit, and it's game over when you reach zero. You can gain 1 heart each time you rescue a damsel from a level, but these are difficult to come by and survive on.
You start with only bombs and ropes to get through the caves. They're generally not essential, but you can get extra loot or bypass traps by using them. You also come by shops, which you can spend your money on to buy items and upgrades which make everything much easier. This includes things like spring shoes, parachutes, extra bombs and ropes, glasses to allow you to see gems in the terrain, pick-axes, climbing gloves, a teleporter ray, flares to see in the dark, machetes, bows and arrows, the list goes on. You can also come by some of these items by opening treasure chests and crates within the level. You also sometimes come by gambling shops that let you roll a pair of dice and double your bet if you get a certain number; other times you find shops where the shopkeep is selling kisses from a damsel to heal you.
There's also a bonus Indiana Jones-style loot idol which you have to manually carry to the exit. Once you pick it up, a giant boulder spawns and tries to take you out (at least in the first set of stages), so you have to be nimble to avoid it. With the idol in your hand (likewise with a damsel, or a key to a chest, or various items) you're limited with what you can do, so it's sometimes extra challenging to carry it around and keep all of the items you want. Every so often you get random events like the music will go down a key, you'll get a chill down your spine, and have a certain amount of time to get through the level before a ghost spawns and chases you; sometimes the level will be pitch black and you'll have to carry flares around in order to see. Sometimes there will be rushing water at the bottom of the cave filled with piranhas and large, dangerous fish; othertimes the level might spawn a snake pit that houses extra loot as long as you can get in and escape it.
Approximately every 5 levels you get access to a new area. For example, level 5 or 6 is a jungle area, instead of the mountainous caverns, level 9 is a frigid cave with ice and lots of cliffs, and level 12 or 13 is like an Egyptian pyramid. Each "stage" has different enemies, traps, special events, and so forth, and you can donate money to build a shortcut to that particular section. I'd be surprised if I ever actually beat the game (I keep making stupid mistakes and my ability to manipulate the controls isn't up to snuff yet), but there's still a certain level of satisfaction to be had, and the randomness makes each attempt a fresh and exciting experience. It's highly addictive and keeps making me want to give it "one more try" and to take extra risks and things like that.
Below is a video to see it in action. The guy makes some good comments and shows extra stuff that I couldn't get shots of.
To download, click here.
You play as a treasure seeking spelunker; the gameplay revolves around collecting loot and making it to the bottom of each cave to progress to the next level. The caves are littered with traps and enemies that you have to evade/fight in order to progress safely. Enemies can be taken out Mario-style by jumping on them, but you also have a whip which you can attack with at close range, bombs to blow up wide areas (and also to destroy the terrain to access new areas and to take shortcuts), as well as rocks and pots which you can pick up and throw. Every so often you may find (or purchase) weapons like pistols, shotguns, bows and arrows, and so forth, to fight foes at longer ranges.
Each level is randomly generated based on certain rules so that each time you play it will be completely different. Aside from level structures, there are different enemies, traps, treasures, items, and other surprises. Sometimes the level is generated with a unique event that dramatically changes its structure and gives you new opportunities for wealth and danger. This is pretty crucial given the intense difficulty -- you die a lot and spend a lot of time restarting the game. You're given 4 hearts which deplete each time you're hit, and it's game over when you reach zero. You can gain 1 heart each time you rescue a damsel from a level, but these are difficult to come by and survive on.
You start with only bombs and ropes to get through the caves. They're generally not essential, but you can get extra loot or bypass traps by using them. You also come by shops, which you can spend your money on to buy items and upgrades which make everything much easier. This includes things like spring shoes, parachutes, extra bombs and ropes, glasses to allow you to see gems in the terrain, pick-axes, climbing gloves, a teleporter ray, flares to see in the dark, machetes, bows and arrows, the list goes on. You can also come by some of these items by opening treasure chests and crates within the level. You also sometimes come by gambling shops that let you roll a pair of dice and double your bet if you get a certain number; other times you find shops where the shopkeep is selling kisses from a damsel to heal you.
There's also a bonus Indiana Jones-style loot idol which you have to manually carry to the exit. Once you pick it up, a giant boulder spawns and tries to take you out (at least in the first set of stages), so you have to be nimble to avoid it. With the idol in your hand (likewise with a damsel, or a key to a chest, or various items) you're limited with what you can do, so it's sometimes extra challenging to carry it around and keep all of the items you want. Every so often you get random events like the music will go down a key, you'll get a chill down your spine, and have a certain amount of time to get through the level before a ghost spawns and chases you; sometimes the level will be pitch black and you'll have to carry flares around in order to see. Sometimes there will be rushing water at the bottom of the cave filled with piranhas and large, dangerous fish; othertimes the level might spawn a snake pit that houses extra loot as long as you can get in and escape it.
Approximately every 5 levels you get access to a new area. For example, level 5 or 6 is a jungle area, instead of the mountainous caverns, level 9 is a frigid cave with ice and lots of cliffs, and level 12 or 13 is like an Egyptian pyramid. Each "stage" has different enemies, traps, special events, and so forth, and you can donate money to build a shortcut to that particular section. I'd be surprised if I ever actually beat the game (I keep making stupid mistakes and my ability to manipulate the controls isn't up to snuff yet), but there's still a certain level of satisfaction to be had, and the randomness makes each attempt a fresh and exciting experience. It's highly addictive and keeps making me want to give it "one more try" and to take extra risks and things like that.
Below is a video to see it in action. The guy makes some good comments and shows extra stuff that I couldn't get shots of.
To download, click here.
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