Brought to you by ININ Games and developer TOZAI, Spelunker HD Deluxe is the definitive remake of the legendary classic. The original Spelunker was on the the earliest cave exploration adventures and now it’s back with a fresh new coat of paint, new game modes, and both online and local multiplayer. Not only that, fans of the original game can even play Spelunker HD Deluxe with the original 8-bit graphics and audio for the classic experience.

Spelunker HD Deluxe doesn’t really have much of a story. This is pretty much a straight up action platformer where you as the player mush explore a cave and see how far and how deep you can get while collecting treasure, avoiding traps, various creatures, and even ghosts. Use items like bombs, flares, and fans to survive. While the game has been remade, the gameplay stays relatively much the same. There’s really no difference in gameplay between the new modes and the classic mode other than the looks. The platforming elements can be pretty unforgiving as you’ll die from things you wouldn’t die from these days. For instance, if there’s a ladder in front of a ledge, if you don’t jump to the ladder and just walk off the ledge instead, you’ll die. You’ll get used to these things quickly though, but it can be jarring for those who have never played a retro platformer before.

Basically, you’ll need to remember to jump from platform to platform and holes are not your friend. You won’t be able to survive even the smallest of drops so don’t try. Rocks can be blown up with bombs and ghosts can be killed with your fan. Most other creatures need to be avoided or jumped over. It’s really not that difficult once you get the hang of everything.

Most of the modes play exactly like this regardless if you’re playing on your own or with friends. The new Endless Cave NEO mode however is a bit different. While the core game is the same, each time you play, the cave is randomly generated. Not only that, but the cave moves downwards on its so you can’t just sit there and take your time. You have to keep moving and finding a path down. This keeps the gameplay moving along which is different than in the normal modes.

Speaking of which, there are four different modes included with the Spelunker HD Deluxe. They are the following:

• ADVENTURE: Explore the expansive cave by fighting and jumping your way through 100 stages.
• COMPETITION: Compete against your friends to become the best cave explorer.
• CHAMPIONSHIP: 100 super-difficult, challenging stages for the real cave exploring experts.
• ENDLESS CAVE NEO: players can see how far they can get in deep, endless, randomly generated caves.

Is Spelunker HD Deluxe worth a buy? If you’re a fan of the original game, I would say so. It’s very nostalgic, especially if you play with the classic graphics and audio. The updated graphics pack and audio aren’t too shabby either, though there will probably be a special place for most of you for the original. While there aren’t too many new modes, Endless Cave NEO is neat since the levels are always randomly generated so you aren’t playing the same caves over and over again. Also the inclusion of a ranking system means you can also compete against other from around the world based on your scoring.

The inclusion of multiplayer is also neat as you can enjoy the game with friends or compete against others. With that said, Spelunker HD Deluxe is a solid remake of a classic game that doesn’t mess with a working formula.

Spelunker HD Deluxe is available now on the Nintendo eShop.

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Received game from developer and/or publisher for coverage purposes.
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