I'd like to hear more impressions from this game. Normally I like playing challenging games, and parts of this seems like a lot of fun, but I also sometimes get the impression it's artificially challenging, or how I should put it. That it's more trial-and-error than skills and quick reflexes, and that's not good design in my book.

Oh yeah, it's definitely trail-and-error. Stage memorization is key here. There are traps and spikes and enemy projectiles that you literally CAN NOT SEE until it's too late. There *are* sometimes tell-tale signs that will clue you in when there is danger nearby, but sometimes things can just sneak up on you and take you completely by surprise. And then you just have to remember where that danger is for the next time you try that stage.

Ah, I see, thanks for clearing that up for me. Guess this won't be a game for me then.

Does it feel "fair"? (If that makes sense.) I feel like a lot of games tried to do the Super Meat Boy thing but many just end up tough because well... the design is kind of bad and the controls aren't so great either, so of course a game will be tough if it's sloppy.

@Zero
Yeah, it's not hard to make a hard game for the sake of it. Making it hard while still maintaining quality gameplay is totally different. I mean, one of the big reasons why we remember 8-bit games as being difficult (apart from being inexperienced kids) was that the same people who developed the games were the same to play test it. As development went on and they polished up the core gameplay they got better and better at playing their own game, and gradually felt the game was getting too easy. They didn't necessarily sit down and actively try to make a hard ass game as their primary priority, like it seems some devs do today.

EDIT: Not saying that's the case here, obviously, since I haven't played 1001 Spikes.

@Zero

Um...sometimes, but not always. There are some spikes that will come out of nowhere and kill you instantly.

Other times, there are clear clues to show you what dangers lie ahead, and it's up to you to notice and take caution.

I guess I meant more controlwise? I've played a lot of indie games that try to do the whole TRAPS EVERYWHERE, NEED PIXEL PERFECT DODGING SKILLS thing but the controls just... aren't good enough to make it work.

I always have been interested in this game. I just don't have the amount of time it takes for these hard games. Even DKC TF, is more challenging than what I want out of a game. I only kept playing cause I love the series and I loved the graphical presentation . Also, the sondtrack was wonderful as well.

@Zero

Oh, yeah...controls work fine. Which is a huge relief because I don't think I'd make it as far as I have if they weren't precise.

I've played through the first three worlds. Sometimes it does feel like a "masacore" game that's just plain unfair, but as you play more and begin to learn the levels you realize that there's a logic behind everything. The game has no problem with screwing you over, but the trick is that you already know the game is going to screw you over, so you should be paying better attention.

Example: there's one level I played where, towards the end, there's a turret to your left firing bullets at you as you travel to the right. Your attention is drawn to the turret and you're focusing on jumping over the bullets, so you probably won't see the flamethrower trap that's on the right side of the screen. You have ample opportunity to potentially see it, but your first time through the level you probably won't be paying attention., so you'll run right into it.

Basically, it's a game about never letting your guard down and anticipating the traps. There's never anything like in I Wanna Be the Guy where a supposedly harmless tree (or whatever) kills you.

And the controls are good.

This game gets downright insidious in later levels. Especially if you go after those Gold Skulls. I'm trying to get each of them in every stage, what about you guys?

@GameDadGrant

I'm playing through without trying to get them, and then I'll go back and replay the levels to pick them up. I've heard it's worth it.

Also, I found that the game's intro cutscene added a lot to it for me. It was smart to put that after the first world so the player can jump right in and start playing and THEN sit through the story.

@Secret_Tunnel

Yeah, putting the intro after being able to play for a bit was a nice touch.

I'm finding that I'm going to HAVE to go back and get all those Golden Skulls, because they also give you a 1up. And even though they give you 1001 lives, I'm burning through them at an astonishing rate.

@GameDadGrant

I'm sitting at 1022 after beating World 3 just from the end-of-world 1ups.

Beat World 4 tonight! I'm really loving this game. Reminds me a lot of Spelunky, thematically. A treasure hunter with a past that's only hinted at at the beginning of the game enters a deathly world, where you take control and face impossible odds to reach the end and make it out alive. The small bits of story that go along with these games give the gameplay so much more context, which I love. Knowing that 99% of the people who play these games aren't going to beat them makes the allure of the treasure at the end seem that much more rewarding. I'm right there with Aban Hawkins in wanting to get through this temple.

@Secret_Tunnel

Whoa! Impressive! I'm somewhere in the 900s right now. I'm not that great at this game, ha ha.

Actually, can you go back to earlier stages and just grind for Gold Skulls? Like, keep doing stage 1-3 over and over again, and just keep collecting 1ups?

I gotta try that, I'm gonna need all the lives I can get.

Secret_Tunnel said:

A treasure hunter with a past that's only hinted at at the beginning of the game enters a deathly world.

Muwhahaha, no one makes it out alive!

Did some grinding for lives today. I need that safety net!

Just got to the credits and had to skip them due to an audio glitch that caused a high-pitched note to play on loop instead of just playing the song. Blech.

Polygon said:

Nicalis also admitted that late in development, "a few issues were discovered in the game which left us with two options. One being we push back the release date on Nintendo consoles or put it out as is with those issues."

Ultimately, Nicalis chose to release the game as is, under assurances from Nintendo that an update could be issued "within a couple days of release to knock out those bugs.

Still waiting.

Nicalis seems to have a recurring problem with releasing games with lots of bugs.