Everyday Spelunker Walkthrough [Guide]

Retro games hold a special place in our heart, and it’s always a pleasure to see a classic game come back from the virtual dead. The latest to rear its head once again is Everyday Spelunker, a game that is actually celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. Now, new generations of players can get introduced to the challenges and glory of old school gaming, and older gamers can show the younger ones how we used to do it in our time.

Gameplay
Everyday Spelunker is a platforming game where players are required to reach the bottom of the cave, all the while avoiding creatures such as spiders, bats, snakes, and even ghosts. There are also traps and ledges that will make traversing a very dangerous endeavour. Everyday Spelunker for the iOS is more or less a loyal interpretation of the original game, with a few additions here and there such as the rope assist function as well as the ability to activate endless lives.

Keys
Keys are an important part of the game, as this is required in order to complete the stage. There are a total of three keys for each level, and some of these are either hidden or well guarded by enemies. Regardless of where players have reach down the stage, they will not be able to advance further without these items.

Endless Lives
Endless Lives is a feature that can be turned on so that players can have an easier time beating the game. With the Endless Lives feature turned on, players will regenerate at the last checkpoint upon death, as compared to have to begin at the very beginning of the stage if it is turned off.

Items
When going down the shaft, players will be faced with different enemies and other obstacles. Fortunately, there are various items that can be picked up and used against them. These include the dispersal gun, which is the only weapon effective against ghosts, and bombs that will be able to destroy walls that are blocking your way. Flares are also available, and these can be used to scare away bats.

Most of these items are available as pickups, and these must be used wisely. There’s also an inherent danger of players losing lives due to misuse of these items, such as being caught in a bomb’s blast or getting burned by a lit flare.

Oxygen
Oxygen is a very important resource in Everyday Spelunker. Oxygen is required for players to continue, and they are supplied with a limited amount which will force players to speed up their descent for fear of running out of air. Players must also use oxygen for other purposes at times, which makes it especially essential to use this resource optimally.

Rope Assist
Rope Assist is another additional feature that provides new players with ease especially with regards to latching onto ladders or ropes. A word of caution, however, is that players who have Rope Assist turned on will not have their high scores posted on leaderboards. Also, even with this feature, players must exercise caution as jumping too soon or too late as well as hitting your head on ceilings will not help you in your navigation.

Additional Content
Aside from the content loyal to the original game, Everyday Spelunker also offers two new episodes that will add variety to the playing experience. These new episodes, namely Episode 2: Deep Into Another Mine, and Episode 3: New Challenges, will have to be purchased at the iTunes Store before they can be unlocked and played.

Tips and Tricks
Despite having limited oxygen, that’s really no reason to be sloppy with your actions. Make sure to properly time and gauge your jumps, and try to look at where you’ll be landing as there might be hazards such as bats or traps in the way. Additionally, make sure to look at your surroundings, as these can pose as much of a danger than any other creature that you’ll face. These include crumbling ledges, moving platforms, or narrow ledges that will require precise jumping skills.

Also, don’t be afraid to turn on Rope Assists or Endless Continues. These are features that will allow players to see further stages that they have never seen before, and will provide some ease for players that find the game too difficult or the virtual controls too unresponsive for their tastes. Of course, there are pros and cons to having these features turned on, so it would be best to just master the game with these assist features, and then turn them off once you’ve gotten the hang of it.

Lastly, don’t get frustrated! You are very likely to lose lives a lot, but that’s the nature of the game. Use your deaths as lessons that you can take into consideration the next time you make your descent, and soon you will be able to go farther down into the caverns, even more so than when you were playing with it on your old NES.