You may have already heard of Spelunky, by suspected secret superhero and game designer extraordinaire Derek Yu, either because it was briefly featured in a Weekend Download, or because you're one of the many, many (many!) people who have suggested it to us recently. 
If you've never heard of it, you should know Spelunky is a roguelike game of cave exploration. Except, hey! You got your platformer in my roguelike! Rather than taking the traditional route of turn-based combat, Spelunky is a game where you'll have to run, jump, whip, and bomb your way out of sticky situations. Oh, and did we mention it's completely free? Mmmm.
You play an unnamed little spelunker, descending into the depths of the Colossal Cave alone. Are you searching for treasure? Adventure? Or are you just trying to stay alive? Each adventure is different since Spelunky's random level generator means the cave never presents the same layout twice.
Spelunky's keyboard controls are completely customizable to your preferences by running the Config file included in the download. Or, you can play my favourite way, and use a controller. Spelunky lends itself extremely well to it, and the running and jumping feels much more smooth and natural. Although you start off with only a whip as your primary weapon, collecting all the treasure lying around will enable you to buy anything from guns to machetes from the randomly discovered stores. Or if the whip is working out for you, pick up a pair of climbing gloves, or a pitcher's mitt, or any of the other special items with unique abilities designed to make life a little easier for the intrepid explorer.
The bad news is that if you die, you have to start all over. No, not from the beginning of the level, but from the beginning of the game. While you do get several opportunities to fund shortcuts to certain levels, it does put that much more pressure on you to go slowly and watch your step. The only way to replenish your limited health, which is damaged by enemies or falling long distances, is to rescue a maiden and cart her to the exit of the level safely, or buy a kiss from one at a shop if you should be so lucky as to stumble across one. Who said you can't buy love? Or at least a heart or two. Of course, all the hearts in the world don't matter if you fall onto a bed of spikes. Or get impaled. Or... uh, well, let's just say there's a lot of fatalities waiting out there for you.
The thing to understand about Spelunky is you're going to die. Like, a lot. And in the beginning, it can be hard not to let that frustrate you. The sheer amount of tricks, traps, beasties, and pitfalls means you'll probably spend quite a bit of time watching your death count raise in the score menu. And yet despite this, Spelunky never stops being fun. The level generator is surprisingly intelligent about creating areas that have little-to-no pitfalls that would prevent you from conquering a level. Stuck in a hole? Bomb yourself out, or climb a rope to victory!... or to a speedy death at a trap you neglected to notice. But the more you play, the more you'll learn, and soon the ultimate treasure of the Colossal Cave will be in your grasp.
While Spelunky is currently Windows only, many people report success running it on Parallels.
Analysis: Spelunky winds up being one of those games where it either is your thing or it isn't. If it isn't, then all the tales in the world about robbing shopkeeps by bombing into their inventory from below or chasing down thieving monkeys in the dark won't convince you. The thing is, however, even fans of roguelikes may be taken aback by the platforming skills required to make it through the game. There's no real story to discover, and your reflexes will be put through the wringer.
But one of the things Spelunky does best is foster a sense of discovery. The tutorial will only teach you the basics of the game; how to run, jump, attack, and throw things. You'll have to find out the rest for yourself, including how to recognise traps and trigger them safely, the many uses of maidens, how to find buried treasure, and much more. While some people may seek out guides to find out all the game's tricks, dirty or otherwise, I found discovering them myself by trial-and-usually-fatal error to be incredibly fun and satisfying.
But to whet your appetite, you should know that once you finally make your way through the first few levels, whole new areas await you. Battle vampires in a subterranean jungle, or yetis in a slippery, bottomless icy cavern. Encounter giant piranha, or dig for hidden entrances to secret areas. Still not enough? How about grabbing priceless golden idols and narrowly escaping the trap, or defiling a sacrificial altar? Just don't spend too much time rooting out every last bit of treasure on a level, or you may find that the cave has even more unpleasant surprises in store for adventurers who drag their feet.
Despite being out for less than a year, Spelunky is rapidly becoming the little-game-that-could, with a new incarnation making its way to the X-Box Live Arcade in 2010, and a substantial fan base hungry for every bit of treasure and painful demise the game dishes out. While the somewhat steep difficulty may be discouraging to newcomers, those that stick with it will be rewarded with what I consider to be the most fun you'll have as a spelunker in a game, ever. Since Spelunky is free, you have nothing to lose except possibly hours of your time. Just remember, never leave your hat behind.
Thanks to Kyzak, Kasper, Nic, Kegluneq, Chris, Vanguard, John, Ed, Sockhands, Cory, Temposaur, PlasmaMan, and Purequestion for demanding, uh, suggesting this one.
Windows:
Download the free full version
Mac OS X:
Download the free full version
Walkthrough Guide
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Here's a short guide. It's still not complete, since I haven't finished the game myself, but it's got everything I've encountered so far:
Areas:
The game is divided into four areas: Dirt, Jungle, Ice and City. Every area has its own enemies, terrain types of twists.
Every area has a list of any special terrain types, enemies, the "boss" of the area and traps. Bosses do not appear sequentially; they appear randomly. If you are going to encounter a boss in the level, a line of text will appear at the bottom of the screen when the level begins. The Ice area has two bosses.
Dirt:
Terrain: Nothing special. Standard ground; Ladders; Blocks;
Enemies: Snakes; Spiders; Bats; Cavemen;
Boss: Giant Spider;
Traps: Arrow Traps; Spikes; Webs
Jungle:
Terrain: Standard ground; Blocks; Walls; Water; Vines; Trees;
Enemies: Frogs; Bats; Fire Frogs; Man-Eating Plants; Piranhas; Monkeys; Cavemen;
Boss: Giant Piranha;
Traps: Spikes; Totems;
Restless Dead Levels:
While you are in the jungle area, you may encounter a "Restless Dead" level. When this happens, you will see the words "THE DEAD ARE RESTLESS" at the bottom of the screen when you start the level.
Terrain: Same as Jungle above, with Gravestones;
Enemies: Genies; Vampires; Monkeys; Undead Piranha; More common Skeletons;
Boss: As in Jungle above;
Traps: As in Jungle above;
Note: In Restless Dead levels, you may find a Crypt. Be careful here, and don't try to steal the massive skull unless you are sure of your spelunking (And running) abilities. Also, watch out for the skeletons on the top and bottom levels; they will come alive when you come level with them.
Ice:
Terrain: Standard ground; Ice; Falling Platforms; Ice Platforms; Bounce Pads;
Enemies: Yetis; UFOs; Aliens; Cavemen (Technically);
Bosses: Giant Yeti; Giant Alien;
Traps: Ice Platforms;
Note: Ice levels consist of a few platforms scattered around the map. At the bottom of the map is an empty void. If you fall, you will die. Tread carefully.
City:
Terrain: Walls; Blocks; Ladders; Lava Pits;
Enemies: Cavemen; Gladiators;
Boss: Mummy;
Traps: Arrow Traps; Totems; Spike Boxes
Terrain:
Ground:
Normal dirt/rock. Can be blown up and mined with a pick. May contain gold or gems.
Ladders:
Climb with the Up and Down keys.
Blocks:
Carved stone blocks. Can be blown up. Some can be pushed. Can be mined, but will damage the pick.
Walls:
Walls made of bricks. May be blown up or mined with a pick.
Water:
Objects and the player will float in it. Can flow out of an area if a piece of one or more of the blocks holding it in are destroyed.
Vines:
Act like ladders. Climb with Up and Down keys.
Trees:
The sides are rough and can be grabbed onto (Like ledges) by moving towards them in the air. Leaves and branches can be fallen through by holding Down. If a segment of the tree is destroyed, all segments above it are destroyed as well.
Ice:
Slippery, unless you have Spiked Shoes.
Falling Platforms:
Thin pieces of rock. Will fall if you stand on them for too long. Can be used to go down great distances, as, if something is underneath them, they will shatter when they hit it and you will survive the fall.
Ice Platforms:
Thin sheets of ice. Will melt as you stand on them. Very dangerous.
Bounce Pads:
Small navy blue rectangles on top of normal ground. Launch you (And everything else) into the air when you step or land on them.
Lava:
Orange liquid. Found in pits in City levels. Dissolves objects that fall in it and kills you (As well as enemies).
Enemies:
Every entry contains a description, a difficulty rating out of five stars, where the enemy is found, tips on defeating them and any extra notes.
Snakes:
Description: Green snakes. They move back and forth along flat areas of ground. They only take one hit to kill.
Difficulty: *----
Location: Dirt levels; Small chance to pop out of a broken Urn in any area;
Tips: These are probably the easiest enemies in the game. Simply stand across from the and hit them with your whip, or jump on them.
Bats:
Description: Purple bats. They hang on the roofs of caverns, then come down and chase after you when you pass in a cone beneath them.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Dirt and Jungle levels;
Tips: Relatively easy to defeat. The only problem comes when they come from directly above you, where you can't hit them with your whip. When you wake one up, it's normally best to retreat a bit to high ground, where you will be level with it once it catches up.
Spiders:
Description: Black and red spiders. Hang on the roof of caverns, then jump down at you when you pass directly underneath them. Move and attack by jumping about.
Difficulty: ***--
Location: Dirt levels; Small chance to pop out of a broken Urn in any area;
Tips: These are surprisingly hard to defeat, once they start jumping around. If you can, run underneath them, move a bit to one side and then time a whip strike so it hits them as they land. If you get one after you, run into a small tunnel (One block high) and hit it as it comes down after you; the small tunnel will stop it from jumping around and dodging.
Cavemen:
Description: Bearded cavemen wearing loincloths. Wander around aimlessly until they see you, whereupon they will try to run at you, and, failing this, with run around madly.
Difficulty:**---
Location: Dirt, Jungle and City levels; Can be found trapped in ice blocks in Ice levels. If you destroy the ice block somehow, they will fall out unharmed;
Tips: These are relatively easy to defeat; just get down to the same level as them and hit them with your whip (Preferably from behind, though; once they see you, it can be hard to hit them before they hit you). They will take a couple of hits to defeat, however, so it's normally better to hit them once, thus knocking them out for a while, then just carry on past.
Notes: You can feed their lifeless corpses (Or unconscious bodies) to Man-Eating Plants to knock them out for a bit.
Frogs:
Description: Blue frogs. Jump at you when you come within a certain radius of them.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Jungle levels;
Tips: Once they jump at you, figure out where they are going to land, move just beyond that, and hit them with your whip as they touch down. Alternatively, it's relatively easy to jump on them, especially if you are coming from above them.
Fire Frogs:
Description: Orange-red frogs with obvious throat sacks. Move like Frogs. Don't disappear when dead, but start vibrating.
Difficulty: ***--
Location: Jungle levels;
Tips: Fight them as you would normal Frogs, but watch out; once they die, they will start vibrating, and, after a few seconds, will explode like a bomb. You can move them around while they are vibrating if you want to blow something up, but make sure you are well clear when they go off.
Notes: Get them to jump into water to turn them into normal Frogs.
Man-Eating Plants/Audrey IIs:
Description: Plants with green stems and heavily toothed red "flowers". Move around slowly on flat surfaces.
Difficulty: ***--
Location: Jungle levels;
Tips: Just stand next to them and hit them with your whip. DON'T try to jump on them; they will just eat you. They are difficult primarily because a) They're "one shot kill", since they'll eat you upon touching you, and b) They can't be killed by jumping on them.
Notes: You can feed dead/unconcious Cavemen and, if you're really desperate, Maidens to them to get them to fall asleep for fifteen-odd seconds, letting you walk past them.
Piranhas:
Description: Small black-and-red fish. Swim back and forth in water, and chase after you if you come near them.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Jungle levels;
Tips: You can normally avoid piranhas by simply jumping over the pools containing them. If you do fall in a pool, try to get out as quickly as you can, or else try to hit the piranhas with your whip. If you can't jump over a pool and there is no detour, plant a bomb so that all the water will drain out of the pool. The piranhas will then just die.
Notes: Undead piranhas can be found in Restless Dead levels. They work in exactly the same ways as normal piranhas, but look like fish skeletons.
Monkeys:
Description: Brown monkeys. Climb vines. Don't hurt you, but jump onto your back and steal your stuff.
Difficulty: *----
Location: Jungle levels;
Tips: Not really any. Try to hit them with you whip. Failing this, it's normally relatively easy to go pick up your stuff.
Notes: To put away a bomb or coil of rope after they throw it away, pick it up and press C.
Genies:
Description: Blue humanoid shapes in plush robes. Work exactly like Frogs.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Restless Dead levels in the Jungle;
Tips: As with Frogs;
Vampires:
Description: White-skinned humanoids in black cloaks. They can walk on the ground, jump in the air and fly. Cannot be killed normally, only knocked out.
Difficulty:*****
Location: Restless Dead levels in the Jungle;
Tips: Avoid if at all possible. If you insist on trying to kill one, and are sure of your skills, you can either knock it out by jumping on it or hitting it with your whip, then throw it onto some spikes, or throw a bomb at it so that it and the bomb land close to each other, then wait for the ensuing explosion to kill it.
Notes: If you manage to kill it, it will drop a Cape, which you can pick up and wear.
Skeletons:
Description: During your adventures, you will encounter many skeletons in the caves. While most of these are harmless, a few will reanimate when you approach them, and the wander about aimlessly. The skeletons themselves, and the event of their reanimation, are much more common in Restless Dead levels.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Everywhere; More common in Restless Dead levels;
Tips: Jump on them or hit them with your whip. They shouldn't pose a problem. Be paranoid about going near skeletons on the ground if you find them dificult to defeat.
Yetis:
Description: Furry humanoids. Wander around slowly. Impervious to whip attacks. Take multiple hits to kill.
Difficulty: ****-
Location: Ice levels;
Tips: Jump on them to knock them out and get past, and don't even think about trying to kill them. Just move on. You can generally sneak around the awake ones.
Notes: If you do run into an awake one, it can knock you flying, and generally into the void, so be careful.
UFO:
Description: What it says on the tin. Fly around and shoot green, terrain-destroying lasers when you pass underneath them.
Difficulty: ****-
Location: Ice levels;
Tips: They're easy enough to avoid, and if you attack them, they will fall to the ground and explode on impact, meaning, unless you have a parachute or cape, or are very lucky, that you will be blown to pieces. If you have to blow one up, throw something at it.
Notes: Will sometimes produce an alien upon blowing up.
Aliens:
Description: Small, green and with a single bug eye. Stand around doing nothing.
Difficulty: **---
Location: Ice levels (Spawned from destroyed UFOs);
Tips: Jump on them or hit them with your whip.
Gladiators:
Description: Men wearing bird masks. Walk around aimlessly. When they see you, they start chasing you, running quickly and jumping up and down. Take many hits to kill.
Difficulty: *****
Location: City levels;
Tips: Hit them with your whip from behind, or jump on them, and then either throw them in a Lava Pit or move on.
Bosses:
Every area has a boss, which may appear randomly in any of the levels in that area. You do not have to fight a boss, but defeating one will yield generous rewards, and you may have to fight one to reach the exit.
If you are going to encounter a boss in a level, a line of text will appear at the bottom of the screen when the level begins. The Ice area has two bosses.
Giant Spider:
Description: A larger version of the Spider, two blocks wide but still only one block tall. Found hanging on the roof of a cave, directly above two adjacent webs.
Location: Dirt levels;
Tagline (Appears at the beginning of the level): "I HEAR SNAKES. I HATE SNAKES!"
Attack: Will jump down from the cave roof when you pass directly underneath it. Then starts jumping around, doing 1 point of damage every time it touches you.
Hits to kill: 5
Tips: Rather than fight it directly, try tossing a bomb so it gets stuck in one of the two webs underneath the spider. When the bomb goes off, the blast should kill it.
Drops: A random collection of gems, and Bomb Paste.
Giant Piranha:
Description: A very large piranha. Can be found in the large underwater lake at the bottom of any levels in which it appears, along with several normal-sized piranhas.
Locations: Jungle levels;
Tagline: Tagline (Appears at the beginning of the level): "I CAN HEAR RUSHING WATER"
Attack: Bites you. Does 1 damage.
Hits to kill: A lot.
Tips: Using hit-and-run tactics, take out the smaller piranhas in the lake. Then, dive in, wait for it to come to you, hit it once with your whip, spam the jump key to get to the surface and out of the lake and wait for it to start moving around again. Repeat as needed.
Drops: A few supply crates (3-5 is the range that has appeared for me so far).
Giant Yeti:
Description: What it says on the tin.
Location: Ice levels;
Tagline (Appears at the beginning of the level): "IT SMELLS LIKE WET FUR IN HERE."
Attack: Roars and causes the ice in the cavern to fall on you. Also, if it walks into you, you take 1 point of damage.
Hits to kill: A lot.
Tips: String a rope to the top of the cavern the Yeti is in and climb up. As it passes underneath you, drop on it and start bouncing on its head. Repeat as necessary.
Drops: Random selection of gems and a few coils of rope.
Giant Alien:
Description: A large, green, one-eyed blob. Sits inside a high-tech looking area, guarded by a shield.
Location: Ice levels;
Tagline (Appears at the beginning of the level): "THERE IS A PSYCHIC PRESENCE IN THIS CAVE."
Attack: Shoots a purple circle at you. The circle tracks you, and does 1 damage every time it hits you. It dissipates after a few seconds.
Hits to kill: It is impossible to kill it by hitting it normally; its attack would obliterate you before you could get in more than 2 hits.
Tips: Get out onto the ceiling of its room and walk along it until you reach the alien's end, dodging its attacks as necessary. Plant a bomb (Hold Down and press A) so that it will blow up the shield projector (The thing shooting the purple ray of lightning). Once this is done, drop through the hole this makes and retreat to a safe distance. Throw a bomb so that it lands on the alien's podium and blows it up.
Drops: A random selection of gems and a teleporter OR jetpack.
Mummy:
Description: What it says on the tin.
Location: City levels;
Tagline: Varies.
Attack: It walks around, and if it runs into you it will do 1 damage. If it sees you, it will open its mouth and spit (Shoot? Yawn? Breath?) a swarm of flies at you. Each fly does 2 damage.
Hits to kill: A lot.
Tips: Sling a rope to the ceiling, climb up and jump on the mummy as it comes past. Repeat as necessary.
Drops: A random selection of gems and the Mummy's Staff.
Traps:
Arrow Trap:
Description: A one-block trap that looks like a carved animal head of some sort. Shoots a single arrow.
Location: Dirt and City levels;
Rating: ***--
Trigger: Any movement in a thin cone in front of it.
Attack: Shoots a single arrow in the general direction of the movement.
Damage: 2
Tips: Find a rock, pot or something else to throw in front of it to set it off. If you're really desperate, you can even use a bomb, or, if the trap is above you, a rope. You can even use an arrow from another sprung trap.
Notes: The arrows these traps fire can be picked up and either thrown at enemies or used to trigger other traps. If you have a bow, you can also use them as ammo.
Spikes:
Description: Curved white spikes found on the floor of some caves.
Location: Mainly Dirt and Jungle levels, but found sparingly in Ice levels;
Rating: **---
Trigger: None.
Attack: If you land on them from a height of more than one block above them, they will impale you.
Damage: Instant kill.
Tips: Just try not to land on them from a height. If you find yourself needing to get down from a pillar two blocks above the spikes, swing down onto the ledge and then drop. If you're clever, you can use the spikes to impale enemies.
In Jungle levels there are spike pits with vines across the top. Rather than climb across the vines, just swing down over the ledge of the pit and then drop into it. That way, you won't have to deal with those pesky monkeys (They'll be impaled on the spikes as they jump down at you), and there's no danger of missing a vine and falling.
Webs:
Description: White webs found in nooks and crannies. Prevent you from jumping and slow down movement.
Location: Dirt and Jungle levels;
Rating: **---
Trigger: None.
Attack: None. They slow you down and prevent you from jumping, but don't do any damage.
Damage: N/A
Tips: These are mostly fairly easy to deal with. The only problem, however, is when you get caught in one in a dip in the ground with something chasing you. You cannot jump to escape from the pit, and they can generally just keep on attacking you. You can mash Jump (Default Z) to clear the web. Enemies can also get caught in webs, and, unlike you, cannot escape. Use this to you advantage by leading them into webs (Remember, you can walk through without getting stuck, only slowed down) and trapping them, so that they become easy pickings for your whip.
Notes: You can use the Web Gun to shoot webs at enemies. These webs fade over time, though, so they're not a permanent solution.
Totems:
Description: Two-block high totem poles which project spikes from their sides when triggered.
Location: Jungle and City levels;
Rating: **---
Trigger: Any movement directly across from one of the totem's blocks, within a limited range, will trigger it. The presence of yourself or an enemy within the range will also set it off. It also seems that some items of treasure will set the thing off, but this effect seems to be either completely random or a bug.
Attack: Spikes slide out of the totem/block, impaling anything they hit.
Damage: Instant kill.
Tips: When the totem is triggered, the tips of the spikes will slide out (You can see these as grey dots on the side of the totem) and freeze for about a second before shooting out fully This gives you a moment to get out of range or jump on top of the totem.
If one totem block is destroyed, it takes the other one with it, so you can plant a bomb near the base of the totem and take the whole thing out if you can't manage to get past.
Ice Platforms:
Description: A thin sheet of blue-white ice. Melts as you stand or hang on it.
Location: Ice levels, and then only rarely.
Rating: ****-
Trigger: The player coming into contact with the platform will cause it to melt. The process takes a few seconds.
Attack: The platforms are always found over spikes or spike pits. Once they melt, you will fall down onto the spikes and die as normal.
Damage: See above.
Tips: These are only found in two places: Statuette traps and ice bridge map segments. The bridge segments have solid rock at either end, so you can sprint across (And back again, even) without too much trouble. For help with the statuette traps, see the Statuettes section below.
Spike Boxes:
Description: A block covered in spikes on all sides.
Location: City levels;
Rating: *****
Trigger: The player moving above, below or to the side of the block.
Attack: The block shoots towards you, running you down and impaling you.
Damage: Instant kill.
Tips: Jump over the blocks as they come for you, then run like hell. No easy way out.
Items:
Weapons:
Machete:
Description: A large knife.
Found: Supply Crates; Weapon Shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Press Use (Default X) to unleash a flurry of machete strokes upon whatever is in front of you.
Damage: High (Instant kill for most things).
Tips: Don't bother buying it, unless you plan on slaughtering Yetis, which is the only thing it's really useful for. Most other things, the whip works just as well.
Bow and Arrow:
Description: A bow that shoots arrows. D'oh.
Found: Supply Crates; Weapon shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Hold Use (Default X) to pull back on the bowstring and release to shoot an arrow.
Damage: 2
Tips: You can pick up arrows that missed their target, as well as those fired by Arrow Traps, to refill your stock of arrows. Your current inventory of arrows is shown in the top right-hand corner, next to the bow. The bow comes with 6 arrows.
Pistol:
Description: A small pistol that fires a single shot.
Found: Supply Crates; Weapon shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Press Use (Default X) to fire. Takes a few seconds to reload.
Damage: 2
Tips: You have infinite ammo, so don't be afraid to just fire away. Unfortunately, you can only fire straight ahead, not up or down.
Shotgun:
Description: A massive shotgun that fires a spray of bullets ahead of you.
Found: Supply Crates; Weapon shops; Dropped by shopkeepers;
Rating: ****-
Use: Press Use (Default X) to fire. Takes a few seconds to reload.
Damage: Unknown, because the spray of bullets is always enough to kill anything.
Tips: The best weapon to use against bosses. Also undoubtedly the most powerful weapon in the game.
Web Gun:
Description: A sky-blue gun that shoots spider webs.
Found: Supply Crates; Weapon shops; Speciality shops;
Rating: ****-
Use: Press Use (Default X) to fire a web in the direction you are facing. This web will immobilise any enemies who get stuck in it.
Damage: N/A (See above).
Tips: Can be used to immobilise even the toughest of enemies and take them out. Doesn't work on bosses. The webs will fade eventually, releasing anything trapped in them. You can also clear them yourself as you would normal webs (Mashing the Jump key).
Clothing:
Pitcher's Mitt:
Description: A brown pitcher's mitt.
Found: Supply Crates; Clothing Shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Once you have it in your inventory, it allows you to throw objects farther.
Climbing Gloves:
Description: Green gloves.
Found: Supply Crates; Clothing shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Allow you to grab on to any part of a rockface as if it were a ledge.
Springy Boots:
Description: Boots with small springs underneath.
Found: Supply Crates; Clothing shops;
Rating: **---
Use: Allow you to jump higher.
Spiked Shoes:
Description: Boots with a row of spikes underneath.
Found: Supply Crates; Clothing shops;
Use: Let you walk on ice blocks without sliding.
Spectacles:
Description: Golden glasses.
Found: Supply Crates; Clothing shops;
Use: Lets you see gems hidden in rocks.
Cape:
Description: A golden cape.
Found: Clothing shops; Dropped by Vampires;
Use: Press Use (Default X) while in air to slow your descent.
Containers:
Supply Crates:
Description: Light-coloured crates.
Drops: Anything on this item list, except other containers, the Mummy's Staff and the Key.
Chest:
Description: Brown chest.
Drops: A random selection a gems (Normally small), or a set bomb.
Locked Chest:
Description: Dark brown chest with a gold latch.
Drops: The Eye of Udjat.
Notes: To unlock the chest, step close to it while carrying the Key.
Other:
Teleporter:
Description: A blue remote.
Found: Supply Crates; Speciality shops; Dropped by Giant Alien;
Rating: ***--
Use: Press Use (Default X) to teleport yourself a short distance in the direction you're facing, or while holding Up to teleport yourself skywards.
Tips: The device will compensate for small bumps in the ground, so you can't teleport yourself into them, but if you use it too close to the edge of the map, you could find yourself rapidly fossilized.
Jetpack:
Description: A pair of blue fuel tanks.
Found: Supply Crates; Speciality shops; Dropped by Giant Alien;
Rating: ****-
Use: Press Use (Default X) to blast you upwards and it the direction you're moving.
Tips: -
Bomb Paste:
Description: A jar of white paste with a red P emblazoned on it.
Found: Bomb shops; Dropped by Giant Spider.
Rating: **---
Use: Once you pick it up, your bombs will stick to any surface they touch.
Tips: This can be useful for precision bomb placement, but can be annoying in situations where rebound is necessary to get the bomb to where you want it.
Parachute:
Description: A brownish package tie with white rope.
Found: Shops; Supply Crates;
Rating: ****-
Use: If you have fallen far enough to hurt yourself when you hit the ground, the parachute opens automatically, slowing your descent. You can steer the parachute. One use only.
Tips: Very useful in Ice levels, where you can jump of a ledge and then just drift to the exit.
Compass:
Description: A greenish compass with a white background and red needle.
Found: Supply Crates; Supply shops; Speciality shops;
Rating: *----
Use: While you have the Compass, an arrow on the screen points to the level exit.
Pick:
Description: A pickaxe.
Found: Supply Crates; Supply shops; Speciality shops;
Rating: ***--
Use: Press Use (Default X) to mine the rock in front of or diagonally below you. Be careful, though; mining stone blocks may damage the pick.
Key:
Description: A golden key.
Found: Anywhere on any map.
Use: Approach a Locked Chest while carrying it to open the chest and reveal the Udjat Eye.
Artefacts:
The Udjat Eye:
Description: A golden sculpture of an eye.
Found: Locked Chests;
Use: Allows you to see gems in the rocks.
The Mummy's Staff:
Description: A golden, hooked staff.
Found: Dropped by the Mummy;
Use: Press Use (Default X) to fire a purple circle that tracks the nearest enemy and kills them on contact.
Maidens:
Throughout the game you will encounter damsels in distress. They have many uses, as outlined below.
WARNING: It is a lot more fun and rewarding to discover these yourself.
- Pick them up as you would an item and carry them to the level exit. During the between-levels score screen display you will receive a kiss and an extra life.
- Dump them on one of the blood-stained altars you may find throughout the game to receive a reward.
- Throw them at enemies as you would a stone or pot.
- Feed them to Man-Eating Plants to knock them (The plants) out for a while.
Statuettes:
Throughout the game you will find small statuettes. Delivering these to the level exit will net you a significant reward. Every area has its own statuette "trap", which you set off by picking up the statuette from its resting place.
Dirt:
Trap: A carved slab on the ground, underneath a carving of some god.
Attack: A few seconds after the trap is triggered, the carving's head will burst apart and reveal a massive stone, which will roll in the same direction you originally travelled, destroying everything in its path (Including you).
Tips: It's easy enough to avoid the stone with a bit of planning. Jump onto a platform out of its reach, climb a rope that you've slung to the ceiling, or drop down a nearby hole and double back in the direction you came from.
Jungle:
Trap: A layer of carved slabs (On which the statuette rests) over a pool of water.
Attack: When you pick up the statuette, the slabs start collapsing from the outside in.
Tips: A quick sprint and jump can get you to the exit of the trapped area before you fall, and if you do you can always blow yourself out or sling a rope up to the exit.
Ice:
Trap: The statuette rests on two Ice Platforms. The platforms are high above a spike pit.
Attack: When you touch the platforms, they start to melt. After a few seconds, they're completely gone and you fall to your death, either on the spikes or into the endless void at the bottom of the map.
Tip: Try to sling a rope up beside the platforms, which you can jump back onto before the ice melts. If this is not possible, just don't go for the statuette.
City:
Trap: The statuette rests in a room with a spiked ceiling.
Attack: When you grab the statuette, the room is sealed off and the roof begins to come down on you.
Tip: Once you have the statuette, plant a bomb near one of the (Now sealed) doors into the room, get to the other end, and wait for it to explode. Then, retreat out of the newly-made hole. There will be plenty of time to do this before the ceiling arrives.
The Crypt/The Skull Artefact:
In the Restless Dead levels, you may encounter a crypt containing what looks like a huge skull and a number of skeletons. The crypt should look like a solid wall with a sideways "H" carved out of it, with the skull on the top. When you drop down to the bottom level, the skeletons there will reanimate; same with those on the top level. Once you grab the skull, a ghost will appear and start chasing you. One touch from it means death, but it's very much worth it; bring the skull to the level exit to earn $150000
General Hints & Tips:
- Take your time, but don't dawdle.
- Collect treasure that you can, but don't waste time trying to get to every last piece. Besides, you'll need the all the rope you can get your hands on later.
- Practise your jumping and ledge-hanging skills. You'll need them.
- Where possible, try to land on enemies when falling from a height. Not only will it kill them, but it will also break your fall.
- Learn to use the A and S keys (Bomb and Rope). They will seriously speed up the game for you once you learn to use them properly. Also, Crouch and A will let you plant a bomb a lot more precisely than normal.
- When you meet the Tunnel Man, give as much money to him as possible. It'll help you later on!
- Don't worry. The more you play, the better you'll get. I spent my first two weeks playing the game just trying to get past the first area. I can now do it without even thinking about it.
- Plan ahead, especially when trying to get a Statuette. Know what you're going to do.
- Don't panic. Think your situation through and you'll almost certainly find a solution.
Posted by: Watercleave
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November 29, 2009 3:20 AM