Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 87 | 8 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 83 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 77 | 7 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 87 | 14 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 38 reviews sampled · 41 total reviews in window · weighted 29.4 up / 2.5 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (72)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Nearly a decade on, Spelunky still has all the fundamentals in place and remains a great entry in the roguelike genre. Solid gameplay, plenty of secrets, and an addictive gameplay loop make for an easy game to recommend, though we’d say you should come into this one prepared to die a lot before you really ‘get it’. Whatever your tolerance for difficulty may be, Spelunky proves to be a nice fit for the Switch; it’s certainly worth your time if you never tried it before.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Spelunky is probably not for everyone. For all my attempts to romanticize the game's difficulty, it still demands patience from its players, and that might be too much for some. Those that stick it out though, or have an affinity for similar punishing trials like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy, will find a game that rewards the time you spend with it with nearly infinite amounts of replayability. It all adds up to make Spelunky the best port of a mining related indie PC game to hit the Xbox.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Based on its initial look and feel, Spelunky is a whimsical adventure. It's adorable and exciting, but it's true, underlying plot to destroy your soul is what will keep you coming back. It offers a randomly generated world of fantastic possibilities, though all of them amount to what is essentially an infinite, irresistible quagmire. You'll love it while you hate it.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“One of the last OG indie titles to finally come to Switch, Spelunky promptly gave me a nice slap in the face to remind me of just how quickly I could utterly fail in a game...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Vita plays the perfect host to Spelunky. Its intense, fast-paced gameplay feels right at home on the portable device, where quick stints of gameplay can help to alleviate the frustration that the title's unforgiving difficulty inevitably unearths. If you're fortunate enough to dig your way past the rock-solid opening hours, a never-ending supply of treasure eagerly awaits your discovery.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“This is still a perfectly playable game, which is a strong compliment for a remake of a freeware 2009 release. The concept of Spelunky is timeless, even if the game itself is not. I just think that recently developed roguelikes will give players more.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Fans of torture games such as Super Meat Boy and Trials will undoubtedly find a lot to love about Spelunky. It is brutally difficult, but never unfair. You will spend so much time replaying the first set of levels that, in theory, it sounds like it would get boring. But after hundreds of deaths I am still coming back for more. That speaks volumes about the game's design. If you want a challenge and enjoy the harsh consequences for your actions, then Spelunky is your game.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Two-dimensional Indiana Jones, who fell in love with Dark Souls. Randomly generated top-class boards and fun for months to come.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Spelunky is designed to be played repeatedly, a randomly generated battle of human versus machine. Its goal is to challenge the player in a way that is seemingly impossible, but ultimately surmountable given the proper amount of training and skill. I can't recall another game that achieves that delicate balance as well as Spelunky. Its randomly generated nature and ecosystem of interactive elements challenges your decision-making abilities in a way that's nothing short of awe-inspiring.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Spelunky is one true old-school platformer and worth a try for true fans of those hard retro games like Battletoads, but not quite as unforgiving.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you're easily frustrated, you might want to pass on Spelunky, but anyone who loves a challenge is going to find hours of enjoyment buried within. Learning how to effectively use every tool in the game, fighting off hordes of enemies and rescuing damsels in distress may sound repetitive, but if there is one thing that Spelunky can guarantee, it's that no two games will ever be alike.”
read full review ↗ - 85
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Worth Playing…and 60 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- 1.47 Update!Sep 30, 2021