Tokyo Game Show 08 : Spelunker (PSN)
TGS 08 hands-on: Spelunker (Play Station Networks)
Wander through miles of uncharted caves in search of the legendary underground pyramid and its vast treasures. To complete your adventure, you will swing from ropes and ladders, run across unstable terrain and down ravines, as well as operate elevators, mining carts, and rafts.
Does it look familiar to you? Do you remember the game from way back in the day, 20 years ago? If you do, it's probably because the aesthetics haven't changed much. Though boasting updated, modern graphics, the game's visuals retain a retro-stylized feel. The 2D characters are still there. The lifts and ladders are still in the places they would've been. Overall, it looks like an interesting title for those old-school gamers looking for a blast from the past.
The game can be unforgiving at times; perhaps because the design incorporates not only a retro look and structure, but many archaic and rigid design mechanics of days gone by. Think of this title as presenting another old-school mechanics revival a la Mega Man 9. The controls seem rather broken, unfortunately, as it's easy to overshoot jumps towards ladders simply by accidentally tapping a directional button after latching on. Death occurs frequently if you forget that you can't drop down the seemingly shallow pits – remember, we are back to instant-death traps with this one.
