The original that launched the platforming roguelite, still merciless and still fair. Every death teaches something, every cave reads like a puzzle. The Switch version holds up perfectly with a controller in hand.
Your verdict
Category
Roguelike4 players7+
Co-op
Description
An explorer descends into randomly generated caverns, dodging traps and creatures to gather treasure before death sends them back to the start. Published by Mossmouth, released worldwide in 2021. Ephemeral stages, whip and bombs, hidden secrets, ruthless permanent death and four-player co-op.
Spelunky review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Every death stems from a readable mistake, never a cheap shot: that is where the platforming roguelite that started it all earns its greatness. Whip, bombs, generated stages and secrets form a system of flawless consistency you decode across hundreds of runs. Merciless to newcomers, yet its precision hasn't slipped an inch.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
No two runs are ever alike: generated caves, shopkeepers, traps and creatures all react to one another in an unpredictable physics ballet where one stray bomb can flip everything. Death is brutal but fair, and in co-op the chaos hits gleeful peaks of hilarity and accidental betrayals.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Every cavern is randomly regenerated, so no descent resembles the last: you learn the rules, not a route. Bombs, ropes, items and shopkeepers open a thousand ways to improvise, and a brutal death instantly makes you want to play the next attempt better. Restarting is instant, and the depth of the interactions feeds curiosity run after run. That balance of mastery and chance remains a benchmark for the genre. The flip side: sharp difficulty and sudden deaths can chain attempts well past the hour you'd planned.
A roguelike of unforgiving rigor, the game hides behind its generated caverns a few bosses that crown the descent. Olmec and the Queen Ant forgive no mistake: a miscalculated jump, a misplaced bomb and everything collapses. Reading the environment, exploiting ropes and explosives, turning the scenery into a weapon: each clash becomes a deadly puzzle where improvisation makes the legend.
An underrated gem
No passing Spelunky off as some obscure unknown: it's a founding pillar of the modern roguelike, beloved by speedrunners. But many Switch players still don't realize they can carry it in their hands, and its rustic surface hides fathomless depth. Each generated cave blends platforming, traps and item alchemy under merciless permadeath. The curve is brutal, yet mastery delivers a rare high. Essential for anyone who wants to understand where a whole genre came from.
Better with friends
A co-op descent quickly becomes a theater of chaos: a teammate sets off a trap, friendly fire does the rest, and the run collapses into shared laughter. The deathmatch arena, meanwhile, stokes pure betrayal and biting rivalries. Between fragile teamwork and hilarious dirty tricks, every game spawns a brand-new story. Merciless yet addictive, it's perfect for unpredictable nights you'll relaunch again and again.
Is Spelunky still worth playing in 2026?
The roguelike that laid the foundations of the modern genre is still among the hardest and the fairest. Spelunky punishes recklessness without cheating, every death comes from a readable mistake, and that is its greatness. The generated levels, the whip, the bombs, the hidden secrets form a system of perfect coherence you decode across hundreds of runs. Four-player co-op adds gleeful chaos. Merciless to the beginner, it is a monument of game design whose precision has not aged a day.
