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dubielzyk's review
4.0
Excellent read about the development of Spelunky. It gives you a fascinating insight into the process of creating and shipping that applies beyond game development. I doubt it would be super interesting if you’re not into game dev or have played the game but if you are, it’s an easy recommend.
sharkhorse's review
5.0
Read it through from beginning to end in one sitting, something I haven't done in about 15 years. Of course very much dependent on my current obsession with the game, but Yu very clearly and interestingly goes into the depths of his creative process. Hard to put down.
koreilly's review
4.0
An elucidating look into the creation of a video game classic, and also a deep dive into what it takes to get a large scale creative project done. Derek Yu's prose is workman-like and gets the job done as he communicates the struggles of pushing deadlines and overcoming creative hurdles in a simple, fun-to-read book.
I wouldn't suggest the book to anyone who hasn't spent a fair amount of time actually playing Spelunky but I feel like that's a given.
I wouldn't suggest the book to anyone who hasn't spent a fair amount of time actually playing Spelunky but I feel like that's a given.
helpfulsnowman's review
5.0
Such a great read!
Spelunky, if you haven't played it, is a roguelike platformer. Which means it's kinda like crossing The Legend of Zelda with Super Mario Bros. with D&D.
The gimmick is that the game randomly generates the levels. Which sounds like it totally shouldn't work, but it totally does. Through some clever coding, each level being made of tiles with certain rules, levels are always generated in such a way that the player can navigate from beginning to end using only movements that are built in to the game. You won't start in a walled-off room and just be screwed. It's clever that way.
Now, when playing, the randomness didn't impress me much. Because I'm not a programmer, and also because I like to use the phrase "That don't impress me much" whenever I can. Any chance I get to break into a Shania Twain song, I takes. But reading this book helped me understand the decision to make the levels randomly-generated wasn't just a hook. It was part of a whole philosophy of gameplay constructed by Derek Yu.
If you have any interest in gaming, game design, or the philosophy of fun, this is the book you need to read, the best book that'll come out on the topics in 2016, I promise you.
If you don't, I still recommend reading this book. There's a lot in here about turning a hobby into a career, how important it is to actually finish creative projects, and even some project management stuff from a surprising and really excellent source.
If you haven't played the game, I recommend that too.
I'll admit, I kinda hated it at first. It was so hard. And the objectives weren't clear to me. And it seemed so luck-based. The random generations could mean that you had an easy area to clear, or a very difficult one. That didn't seem fair to me.
But then I played it with my brother. And that was so much fun. When it was fun to die in the game, when we challenged each other to piss off berserk shopkeepers, when my brother showed me how to unlock some of the game's secrets, when we tested the boundaries of the game and each other, that's when I saw the real joy of the game. That's when I saw that it's not about luck. It's about playing often enough that your skill level allows you to navigate through any iteration of the terrain. The mastery is about skill-building, not treasure hunting or finishing levels. It's a really different idea of mastery, and I have a new appreciation for it after reading this book.
The game is also a really good answer to something that plagues modern games, the easy availability of walkthroughs. A walkthrough is nice when you're stuck, but it can be a crutch. And not the kind of crutch you use when your leg is hurt. The kind you use to reach across the coffee table and bring a bowl of Funyuns closer to your spot on the couch.
If no two levels look the same, what good would a walkthrough be?
So I'll admit, I needed a little guidance. I needed an experienced player to show me how things worked. To explain the rules to me a bit. What you can and can't get away with. And then? It was so fun. It was a blast. It took me back to the days when I played games with my brother all the time.
If you've played the game, read the book. Even if you didn't like the game, I think you'll like this book. If you haven't played the game, play a little or watch a little online, and then read the book. It's a really cool book.
Also, if you can get your hands on the print, do it. Boss Fight puts out some really kickass physical books. Totally worth the extra layout.
Spelunky, if you haven't played it, is a roguelike platformer. Which means it's kinda like crossing The Legend of Zelda with Super Mario Bros. with D&D.
The gimmick is that the game randomly generates the levels. Which sounds like it totally shouldn't work, but it totally does. Through some clever coding, each level being made of tiles with certain rules, levels are always generated in such a way that the player can navigate from beginning to end using only movements that are built in to the game. You won't start in a walled-off room and just be screwed. It's clever that way.
Now, when playing, the randomness didn't impress me much. Because I'm not a programmer, and also because I like to use the phrase "That don't impress me much" whenever I can. Any chance I get to break into a Shania Twain song, I takes. But reading this book helped me understand the decision to make the levels randomly-generated wasn't just a hook. It was part of a whole philosophy of gameplay constructed by Derek Yu.
If you have any interest in gaming, game design, or the philosophy of fun, this is the book you need to read, the best book that'll come out on the topics in 2016, I promise you.
If you don't, I still recommend reading this book. There's a lot in here about turning a hobby into a career, how important it is to actually finish creative projects, and even some project management stuff from a surprising and really excellent source.
If you haven't played the game, I recommend that too.
I'll admit, I kinda hated it at first. It was so hard. And the objectives weren't clear to me. And it seemed so luck-based. The random generations could mean that you had an easy area to clear, or a very difficult one. That didn't seem fair to me.
But then I played it with my brother. And that was so much fun. When it was fun to die in the game, when we challenged each other to piss off berserk shopkeepers, when my brother showed me how to unlock some of the game's secrets, when we tested the boundaries of the game and each other, that's when I saw the real joy of the game. That's when I saw that it's not about luck. It's about playing often enough that your skill level allows you to navigate through any iteration of the terrain. The mastery is about skill-building, not treasure hunting or finishing levels. It's a really different idea of mastery, and I have a new appreciation for it after reading this book.
The game is also a really good answer to something that plagues modern games, the easy availability of walkthroughs. A walkthrough is nice when you're stuck, but it can be a crutch. And not the kind of crutch you use when your leg is hurt. The kind you use to reach across the coffee table and bring a bowl of Funyuns closer to your spot on the couch.
If no two levels look the same, what good would a walkthrough be?
So I'll admit, I needed a little guidance. I needed an experienced player to show me how things worked. To explain the rules to me a bit. What you can and can't get away with. And then? It was so fun. It was a blast. It took me back to the days when I played games with my brother all the time.
If you've played the game, read the book. Even if you didn't like the game, I think you'll like this book. If you haven't played the game, play a little or watch a little online, and then read the book. It's a really cool book.
Also, if you can get your hands on the print, do it. Boss Fight puts out some really kickass physical books. Totally worth the extra layout.
themorsecode's review
4.0
Despite Spelunky being a masterpiece (as close as you can get to a literally perfect videogame), I knew very little before reading this about it's creator Derek Yu. I expected him to be some John Carmack style uber-geek who dreams in C++ but he's anything but really - remarkably down to earth and relatable. It's fascinating learning from the horse's mouth how the game's features and systems came to be as part of Spelunky's rather long-winded development.
Maybe not one to read if you're not a Spelunky player, but if you know your eggplant from your Ankh then this is a must-read.
Maybe not one to read if you're not a Spelunky player, but if you know your eggplant from your Ankh then this is a must-read.
asylumrunner's review
5.0
There aren't a lot of biographical stories in the world of game development. Of them, even fewer are from the current century, fewer yet aren't (admittedly) well-written autopsies of colossal fuck-ups, and fewer yet are autobiographical. Within that teeny tiny niche lies Spelunky, and it's absolutely a treat.
This is the kind of inside baseball I wish we had 10x more of in video games, stories about solving specific problems, clever design solutions and programming workarounds, married perfectly with personal biography and philosophizing about game design as an art. Genuinely a delight to read, and it inspired me to further work on my own games.
This is the kind of inside baseball I wish we had 10x more of in video games, stories about solving specific problems, clever design solutions and programming workarounds, married perfectly with personal biography and philosophizing about game design as an art. Genuinely a delight to read, and it inspired me to further work on my own games.
soulpopped's review
5.0
The creator of what may be my favorite game of all time writing a book about that game? It could never be long enough. Thank you for the hundreds of hours of entertainment and fun and frustration, Derek Yu.