Spelunky SD

Randomness is considered bad in most instances, but there are cases where it is desired and appreciated. Not all video games are better when everything changes between playthroughs, but some become a lot more entertaining when that happens. As such, randomly-generated levels are the rave lately in the industry, thanks in part to giants like Minecraft and similar titles.

Spelunky SD is not an original concept, but it adds a lot on the game it borrows most of its content and ideas from. In essence, this is a mod/remake for Spelunky Classic, and it adds a wide variety of bug fixes, as well as an entirely new co-op mode. The latter is actually the most attractive aspect of the game, because it allows you to enjoy the action together with a friend over the Internet.

In case you are not familiar with the concept, Spelunky SD is all about exploration, dealing with vicious enemies and collecting various items to help you in your journey. The goal is to find the door to the next level, but since the said levels are randomly generated, it can take a while to stumble into the exit. Along the way, you must also fend off enemies and beware of traps, which range from spikes, to spider webs and various other deadly contraptions designed to kill you.

As mentioned earlier, the co-op component is the defining characteristic of this remake, because it is entirely new. Only two players can participate in a game at the same time, but it should be enough to have a bit of fun with a friend. Nothing else changes about the gameplay, except for the fact that there are two characters on the map at the same time. You can even refuse to collaborate if you don’t wish to do so, but certain actions have been added to facilitate cooperation, such as the fact that players can throw one another and navigate the stages much more efficiently.

The visual component is mostly unchanged as well, although there have been a couple of improvements when it comes to performance and glitches. You are less likely to stumble into bugs and faulty terrain, which is obviously good news. Other than that, you are still greeted by the familiar 2D perspective, so you should have no problems figuring everything out from the first few minutes.

All things considered, Spelunky SD is a successful remake, and you can tell that the developer managed to improve almost every aspect of the original. The new co-op mode is exactly what the game needed to make it more appealing to the public, since you can now share the experience with a buddy.