For those of you repeating a never-ending cycle of adventure and death in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Spelunky, you will be happy to know that those versions of the game will finally be brought on level with the PC version as “Daily Challenges” are made available in a brand-spanking-new update.
A month or so ago, PlayStation gamers of both the home and portable console variety got in on the masochistic fun that is Spelunky/i>, the simple-yet-challenging roguelike that sees players diving as deep as possible into a grand adventure crawling deep underground, up to snow-covered peaks and beyond.
The trick to Spelunky is that you only have one life to live in order to make it as far into the game as humanly possible. At your disposal are a collection of bombs and ropes, used to blow up bits of wall and climb up/down safely, respectively. You’ll also have access to some additional gear, altering the way you can traverse and interact with the world around you.
But if the giant drops or pointy spikes don’t get you, there’s a pretty good chance that any number of the game’s clever baddies or devious booby-traps will. Everything behaves in a unique manner, something you usually discover at the cost of life. But with each death comes a bit of new information which can then be applied to dive even further the next time.
That would all be a little less appealing if it wasn’t for the fact that, each time you dive into the world of Spelunky, the maps are randomly generated. In other words, you’re looking at a tough-as-nails, yet ultimately rewarding game that never plays the same way twice.
And, according to Mossmouth’s Derek Yu, quite a few PS3/Vita gamers out there have already discovered these joys for themselves. While no figures were given, Yu makes it clear in a recent PlayStation Blog post that both the PS3 and Vita versions of Spelunky have done quite well.
It’s always great to hear that an indie darling is doing well on as many platforms as possible, but it turns out Yu’s real reason for taking to the interwebs was to let gamers know that the PS3 and Vita versions of the game were being updated to include “Daily Challenges.”
“…Each day, a set of levels is generated that has the same seed for everyone playing it,” Yu explained. “If you get a high score on the Daily Challenge, you can really attribute it to your skill and knowledge of the game, rather than the luck of the draw.”
In other words, while the rest of the game is randomly generated, the Daily Challenge levels are set in stone for everyone, meaning that your score for the day is stacked evenly against everyone else who has played the challenge that day.
And, in true Spelunky fashion, you only get one crack at the Daily Challenge each day, meaning you’ll probably want to get in a few practice runs before jumping in, just to make sure your reflexes are as sharp as possible for the big dive. Also, these tips might come in handy, too.
The update is available now for those who already own Spelunky on the PS3 or Vita, and will be included in the regular download for those who feel like finally taking the plunge.
