

With the blessing of Spelunky developer Derek Yu, we’ve prepared a list of games like Spelunky for people to play, in celebration of its XBLA release.

Of course, those who have an Xbox 360 should purchase and play Spelunky. Those who have friends with an Xbox 360 should be communing to enjoy its local multiplayer. However, these prescriptions help anyone without an Xbox 360 nearby. So, here’s a list of 10 Spelunky-like titles, and even some semi-Spelunkies, to consider:



Rick Dangerous (browser): “It is quite Spelunky-ish though far more ancient.” – Gnome

Platformines (free beta, Windows): “Spelunky with guns!” – John Polson

House of Dead Ninjas (browser): procedural-generated assassin game. – picked by Matt Thorson

Super Meat Boy (Windows, Mac): “The perfection of the classic platformer that Spelunky spins off from. Desktop Dungeons and Dungeons of Dredmor as more classic modern takes on the ideas in Rogue.” – Colin Northway

Binding of Isaac (PC and Mac): “The first thing that comes to mind, given the mix of nostalgic gameplay and procedurally generated dungeons.” – Adam Saltsman

Because it’s fun, Fay (Windows and Mac freeware): A procedurally generated platformer with lock and key obstacles. -from Terry Cavanagh’s blog

Polychromatic Funk Monkey (freeware, multiplatform): a tile based platforming game about building maps – picked by Terry Cavanath

Red Rogue (browser, beta build available) platformer Roguelike – picked by Terry Cavanagh

TowerClimb (Windows, pre-order and get first half now): A difficult and rewarding procedurally generated platformer. – picked by Derek Yu, who also says to watch for Catacomb Kids

Tastes Like Spelunky (Windows, freeware): “A Spelunky mod where you assume the roll of the man-eating plant from the original Spelunky.” – John Polson

Honorable, non-procedural mentions:

La-Mulana (Windows freeware): “Iconic platformer with multiple death traps.” – John Polson

Tiny and Big (Windows and Mac): “A tiny guy with a platform-carving laser, often spelunking in big areas.” – John Polson

Non-indie picks for fun:

Pole Position (arcade edition): “It is such a pure example of the strength of randomised elements. Randomly placed cars make a very simple game playable over and over because they always make you “solve” the corners in slightly different ways.” – Colin Northway

Super Mario World (Super Nintendo): “When you’re running along as that little big-headed sprite, holding a dead enemy in your hands, and jump-throw it at an angle to nail another enemy in the air, you feel pretty bad ass, and other than SMW, Spelunky is the only game I know that pulls this off so well.” – Chevy Ray Johnston

Team Fortress 2 (free-to-play on Windows and Mac): “[TF2 and Spelunky] have so many things that all interact in mechanically interesting ways that you’re constantly surprised.” – Matt Thorson

Spelunker (NES): “The difficulty is harsh, but it’s full of secrets and it’s satisfying to play once you grasp the controls. The randomly awarded miracle items can either make or break your playthrough.” – Danny Cowan

ToeJam and Earl (Sega Genesis) – Andy Hull, Spelunky XBLA developer