Popmatters Review: Spelunky

Popmatters writes:

"The game begins with any number of random introductory lines before the little spelunker treks across the screen and down into a cave. Arrow keys move the character, the space bar causes him to jump, and there are several buttons used with the numerous items you'll be picking up. All of these can be remapped to suit your fancy. Bombs are key for removing walls and mining for gold since all of the terrain is destructible, while ropes are used to climb up to distant cliffs. Various complaints have been made about the controls but I get the impression while playing that Yu was trying to make a slightly slower paced platformer than the typical speedier ones.

Trying to dash away from traps or enemies rarely works out and typically the best play sessions are the ones where you pay attention to everything. The controls are only difficult if you try to rush around at breakneck speed. Although each level does have a time limit before a Ghost appears and begins to chase you, striking a balance between progress and pacing yourself is encouraged by the controls anti-twitch nature.