Spelunky

Spelunky

140 ratings
Why do you fail in Spelunky ?
By TheLagbringer
Your skill may be enough, but what about the approach and mindset ?
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Intro
You are here because you ask Why I do fail in Spelunky ?. I want this to be a short guide of what mindset to keep for this game, not how to actually play it (only a little bit). I believe you can find many detailed guides to that already.
So to explain, I believe these are the three main reasons of failure among players. They are quite similar, but it is only logical:

1. You are impatient
2. You are used to intense action and rushing
3. You are a perfectionist
Impatience
Patience is a virtue and deep understanding and application of it may give you advantage not only in Spelunky. I dont want here to talk about meaning of life, but keep in mind that patience in general is an ultimate key to success in everything you put your hands into. This game is going to test you beyond measure of any game you have played before. First of all, you have to be willing to fail and keep going. Second, It is essential to learn from every single mistake and minimize it's probablity of occurence. Lastly, set your pace low and speed up as you progress through the game. If you dont want to go like this, or you think it's a stupid approach for a video game, then maybe Spelunky is not for you. This game is far from casual, it's a serious stuff for people who want to get better at what they do.
Rushing
This is very similar to impatience. I admit I still have big problems with this point. I prefer intense action and fast pace in computer games. That's why Super Meat Boy (SMB) and Dota 2 are on my favorites list. I actually played SMB a lot just before this game and it affected me so much. I did not value death at all and became a speed junkie. Spelunky will punish you extremely for that. You have to learn to let go of the "run" button. Ghost is coming indeed, but trust me you have enough time. Go slow, think ahead, look up and down to get an idea of your surroundings and most of all - plan strategies and timings before you jump into action. In time you will start to see strategy patterns and will use them with ease, however - avoid getting comfortable and stay attentive at all times.
Perfectionism
This is me. This word defines me. I get obsessed, I want to collect everything, I want to kill every enemy and check out every corner of map before going to the exit. Chances are you are like me when it comes to games. I apply this approach in all games with great satisfaction. Unfortunately, the guy who made this game does not like people like me. There is the ghost and your time is limited. You are not going to wipe clean the whole level and you are going to understand (after a part of your soul dies) that it is far from effective. You have to evaluate importance and probability of success before taking a path. Keep it simple and do not waste resources.
Summary
To sum up, this game is going to change you and your view on games (in this modern age of easily beatable games). It is going to teach you a thing or two. It is the main reason why people enjoy it so much and why it has such a high metascore. It definitely is not for everyone. I may have gone too far and made this game sound like a way of life. Well, what the hell, my another problem is I tend to take things too seriously. Good luck and stay sharp my friend. Peace.
42 Comments
スメラギ 30 Nov, 2024 @ 4:25am 
very unique game if it punishes both impatience and thouroughness
Did they put that ghost in the game to keep player from getting overpowered? guess so
opsyman 11 Aug, 2024 @ 3:57am 
Because I am noob :)
Djhatt0204 3 Jun, 2022 @ 9:06am 
"Why do we fall Bruce?"

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up"

-Thomas Wayne
KDUDE2704 8 Feb, 2021 @ 3:44pm 
Is this a good game guide in the traditional sense? Not really. Usually these things give you all the answers to what you have to do to win in a game. It is, however, a really good methodology for learning to deal with both Spelunky and real life. It's also a fairly entertaining read. For that, I'm glad I found it.
Myst3ry X 8 Feb, 2021 @ 12:59am 
Didn't Really help me a lot because this is uh... Common knowledge in spelunky but good guide i guess
Cool kid 11 Oct, 2020 @ 2:02am 
so because i mostly run thats why i slowed down and got killed by a bat and knocked into a pit of spikes?
mvemjsunp8 21 Sep, 2020 @ 10:35am 
overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer
shawarmasally 24 Aug, 2020 @ 12:43pm 
Im a fucking god I got speedlunky the first time I beat it
Squeaky 15 Aug, 2020 @ 2:03pm 
This game is weird because the better you get at it, the worse you play. You might run out of hearts simply because of how confident you get. Sometimes I don't even pay attention to my life meter because I basically never take damage and then some random thing in the Temple gets me.
Kumakor 10 Aug, 2020 @ 10:34am 
My brain powers off in later levels