Skip to main content

Inside the world of the Spelunky record-chasers

Everyday they're spelunking.

Sometimes the Spelunky world record hunters seem to speak in another language. They enthuse about eggplants and Udjat Eyes, Hell runs and Olmec, a vocabulary incomprehensible to outsiders.

It's all testament to the depth of a game that has inspired a devout community to try and conquer all its wiles. Leading the charge are the world record hunters, unfathomably dedicated players collaborating and competing to become the best spelunker on the planet.

Spelunky is a procedurally generated platformer that delights in killing you at every opportunity. The aim is to explore its levels that are never the same twice and collect as much loot as possible along the way. One wrong move - activate a trap, tumble into piranha-infested water, rile a shotgun-wielding shopkeeper - will bring a premature end to any promising run. It's this unpredictability that attracted players upon the game's release in 2012, and that has kept them coming back for further punishment.

"I played the arcade version on Xbox [360]. I didn't really take it all that seriously," says prolific Spelunky streamer YamaYamaDingDong, otherwise known as Ryan. "I basically just played it whenever I rage-quit Call of Duty."

The game was subsequently released on PC, and the ability to stream his efforts made Ryan take it more seriously. He's now played for around 1200 hours. "It just kind of happened," says Ryan. "I don't play any other games. Only Spelunky."

YamaYamaDingDong's record stood for less than a week.

The bulk of that playtime has been poured into claiming one of the game's world records. These come in two main variants: the high score record charges players with gathering as much loot as possible in a single life. A fruitful run takes hours and requires expert patience and resource management.

"There's always suspense on a score run," says high score chaser Buddy7heElf, commonly known as John. "You need great luck, but it's kind of exciting entering a new level hoping for it to be filled with gems or resources you may be short on."

The other variant is speedrunning, where the player makes it from beginning to end in as short a time as possible, hoping their efforts aren't thwarted by the game's procedural generation.

Pibonacci is one of the Spelunky community's best-known speedrunners. "I always had a competitive personality in sports," he says. "Once I realised I could compete at the very top, I got a huge adrenaline kick out of [speedrunning]."

Although the goal of each discipline is markedly different, success often relies on the same thing: a favourable seed. The random generation needs to have been sympathetic to their cause. For speedrunning, Pibonacci generally hopes for levels where the door is immediately downwards from the starting point. "A straight down level, without getting into details, takes like seven seconds if done well," he says. "A level's natural path can zigzag from left to right, and you can lose 10 seconds just because of that."

He slips back into Spelunky-speak to explain the criteria for different strands of speedrunning. Most compelling is what's called 'Low%', which dictates that the player uses only their starting resources (bombs and ropes) and collect nothing extra along the way. The world record in this class stands at two minutes and 54 seconds, set by Spelunky speedrunning extraordinaire Latedog. Pibonacci's personal best time is only six seconds shy of this mark. The video evidence seems to show a player operating on pure instinct.

Watch on YouTube

"Remember, you saw the one that worked out!" he says. "But there is a natural path to the exit on every single level. Certain patterns reoccur. For example, if you start on the very right side of a Mines level, and to your left is a snake pit, the exit has to be straight down. That's how the levels are generated."

This is the kind of knowledge that only comes with over a thousand hours of playtime. "There are a lot of other little things you just have to process fast," he says.

The time required for a high score run means this level of improvisation is undesirable. Players will restart over and over to get a favourable seed, which can usually be recognised by the (random) contents of the shop on the second level. "I'm looking for a jetpack, mattock, bombs and Udjat Eye [an item that reveals secrets and gems within the level]," says John. "If you don't get what you're looking for on level 1-2, you start over and repeat the process. Sometimes it takes a few minutes where you get really lucky, other times you can go for hours and get no luck at all."

While a skilled score runner still has to roll with the punches, it's caution that leads to success, a lengthy game of brinkmanship that can be frustrating for cavalier speedrunners. "Even if a speedrun ends pretty late, it's only a few minutes in," says Pibonacci. "On score runs it's a few hours. One random event you may not even be able to control and it's over."

It was no small feat, then, when popular Spelunky streamer Bananasaurus_Rex became the first player to score over $3 million, holding his nerve for seven hours to set the bar at $3,105,850. Ryan immediately set his mind on beating it.

"I was going so hard for it for a couple of months. A few hours every day, resetting and trying to get a good seed," he says. "I knew that I could totally do it because I'd come within $25,000 of Rex's record before."

A little less than two months and many failed attempts later, Ryan found himself neck-and-neck with the record as he neared the end of a run. "It was really down to the wire. People in chat were telling me that I needed this much or that much to beat the record," he says. "There was a lot of confusion, a lot of hype. I was just trying not to die."

He beat the record by just $3975 in a time of just over four hours. "Oh my goodness," he says of finally doing it. "It was just so much work paid off."

Yeti another death.

It didn't last. New on the Spelunky scene, John had riled the community at large by making boastful declarations. "Oh, I knew I would do it no problem," he says. "I came to the community and told everybody I'd get the record within a month. They probably scoffed at me. But it only took a week."

John had already gained attention by seemingly questioning the validity of Bananasaurus_Rex's record run, wherein he had beaten enormous odds to get a plasma cannon, a crucial tool for mining gems, on the first level. "There was a misunderstanding where I said his run seems fishy, as a joke," says John. "I didn't know how popular he was. So I became known as the guy that called him a cheater."

It's a rare instance of friction in a community built on collaboration and friendly competition. "A lot of MMOs and FPSs and stuff, there's a really toxic community because they're all playing against each other," says Ryan. "We're all doing our own thing, and it's like, 'Hey, look what I did, this is cool!' It's everyone together versus the game instead of people versus each other."

So John's swaggering introduction was never going to make him too many friends. "It just got off on the wrong foot, I think," says Ryan tactfully. Most of the community has now reconciled with John, with one notable exception. "He and B-Rex are still not on good terms."

John set a new record of $3,140,850 which, at time of writing, still stands. "I got super lucky a few times, especially getting an altar on 5-3, which allowed me to get an extra $80,000 by bringing the ghost into Yama's throne," he says, slipping into Spelunky-speak.

For some, John's reputation tarnishes the achievement. "People didn't like some guy they label as cocky coming in and beating the record," he says. "I've been told that someone called me scum."

That person was not Ryan. He admits his disappointment at his record being so short-lived, but is glad for a reason to keep playing. "I had my moment of fame. Now there's a new mark to hit. This just motivates me to go for it again," he says. "I just need the right seed."


Watch live video from Pibonacci on TwitchTV

The idea of a perfect seed seems to be a prevailing dream. The ranks of expert Spelunky players are only growing. For both the high score and speedrun records, will the procedurally generated stars eventually align and offer up the ideal circumstances for an unbeatable run?

"Yes and no. I mean, it's possible," says Ryan. "The score record can almost always be beaten. Almost. I'm excited to see how far we can push it. I think $3.25 million is not unreasonable at all."

John estimates higher. "B-Rex or Yama are capable of beating my record whenever they want. I'm thinking $3.4 or $3.5 million will be reached. When it gets that high, it'll be hopeless to play for a score like that."

Records or no, these players will keep returning to the death-laden caverns of Spelunky, where the thrill of the challenge trumps the end result. After all, you don't play for this long if your heart isn't in it.

"It's way more satisfying to have to actually play a level amazingly well compared to just getting the gift of easy levels, so I'm fine with that [perfect seed] never going to happen," says Pibonacci. Still, for every new player, every reset, every near-miss, the odds of a perfect seed and untouchable record shorten. Pibonacci takes a moment to reconsider.

"Well, obviously I wouldn't mind if it happened to me."

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com