The holidays are a time for family gatherings, massive dinners, mildly disappointing presents, and visitations by ghosts who show you harrowing visions of what might have been. This year, the Ghost of Video Games Past showed me what the games of 2013 would have been like if graphics cards had never been invented! I have no idea why he did that. The Ghost of Video Games Past is a little weird.

Even with its improved graphics, the 2013 version of Spelunky retained both the charm and frustration of the original. Of course, improved graphics don t matter when you remove the graphics altogether. Let s unfurl a rope and descend into Spelunky: The Text Adventure!

Before running away for a few days of competitive eating and cooperative gaming, Evan, Cory, and Tyler gathered to reflect on the most memorable victories, losses, and stories they virtually experienced in 2013. Watch the whole five-video series on the PC Gamer YouTube channel, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more regular content, gameplay footage, and conversations.

Have you been playing a lot of Spelunky? Maybe even playing it every single day for the Daily Challenge? Do you feel that even though Spelunky is different every single time you play it, it s just not different enough? Do you promise not to hassle me about these not really being mods but just file replacements? Then read on!

Since this column will be covering a bunch of different unrelated "mods" I'm just going to talk about them first, and then below I'll give all the links and various installation instructions, which vary from "Piece of cake!" to "Why is this so f**king complicated? I JUST WANT TO PLAY SPELUNKY AS A PUG!"

Let s start with an aspect of Spelunky most would agree could use some changing: the soundtrack. I m not suggesting the new Spelunky s music is bad. It s fine. But the original music was better than fine, it was damn fine, and deserves to be heard by this new, young generation of Spelunky players who weren't around in the days of yore (2009). I mean, wouldn't you rather listen to something like this while playing? That's why you should install the Classic Music Pack: it replaces all the new music with all of the original music.

While we re getting all nostalgic for the original version of Spelunky, why not take the lovely, fancy new HD graphics and completely restore them to their old-timey pixelated glory? You can do that too, with the Pixel Mod. Not only does this turn back the clock on the visuals, but it does away with the new HUD which, while pleasantly attractive, is also frustratingly opaque and has been known to occasionally make a good hiding place for spiders.

It's like traveling back in time almost FOUR YEARS

Maybe going full-on pixel is a little too much of a commitment? You can plant a spiked boot in both worlds with the Classic Chaos mod. It gives you chunky graphics when it comes to most of the environment, gold, gems, and pots, but leaves your character, enemies, weapons, and certain surfaces in all their HD glory. It s a nice compromise for those who want to act retro but really aren't that retro, sort of like when I pretend I prefer the original Ocean's Eleven or Cape Fear to the remakes.

Something old, something new, something burrowed, something in a crate.
Even if you re not interested in changing the music or visuals, it s hard to resist playing as a different Spelunker once in a while. For instance, why not play as the Damsel for a change?


From dispensing kisses, to dispensing the kiss of death.
You've seen her standing around helplessly, handing out kisses to Spelunkers, the same Spelunkers who are just as likely to sacrifice her to Kali in exchange for some bomb paste, or throw her across a cave to set off a trap or open a crate, or simply leave her behind because they don t want to part with a rope. Now, finally, SHE can be the one treating Damsels horridly.


Hm. Rescue or sacrifice? Maybe things haven't changed for the Damsel at all.

You can also play as another helpless inhabitant of the game, the Pug!

Now PUG has the boomerang.
Once you ve had your fill as playing as the most abused characters in Spelunky, why not play as one of the bad guys? Vlad, the adorable little vampire with the nifty cape and useful amulet, has apparently decided to become a dapper little undead adventurer.


Oh hell yes. Vlad in the HOUSE.
What s more, rather than crouching like the other Spelunkers do, Vlad hides his face in his cape. It s super cute.


Daw.
And what would running, jumping, shooting, and climbing be without Mega Man? And you know, for all the different worlds Mega Man has fought his way through, dropping him into in Spelunky for a few minutes makes you realize he s actually had it pretty easy. Spelunky is just brutal.


Mega Man, probably wondering where Interior Worm Belly Man is.
Mods can do more than enhance games, they can also fix problems. I d say at least 311,784 of Skyrim s 948,672 mods fix issues and bugs with the game (the rest add naked boobs). Here s a Spelunky bug that s probably been bothering you since day one: there s a small, nearly invisible shadow that briefly appears above the spikes that you can see if you record the footage and zoom in and slow it down to a crawl and watch it repeatedly. Take a look here. Frankly, I never noticed and would never have noticed, but if you did notice, now there s a solution: the Lighting Normal Map Fix. Yay!
Okay, let's get some of these installed. First things first: find your Spelunky data folder (for the Steam version, it s in Steam > steamapps > common > Spelunky > Data). Make a copy of your Music and Texture folders. Put them somewhere safe: you re going to be overwriting some files, and you'll need these if you want to revert the game back to normal.
Classic Music Mod: Simply replace your Music folder with the one contained in the download, and enjoy the retro (and superior) tunes.
Pixel Mod: Take the contents of the download and drop them into your Textures folder, overwriting the originals.
Classic Chaos Mod: Same as with the Pixel mod, drop the two files into your Textures folder, replacing the originals.
The Damsel, Pug, Vlad, and Mega Man characters are .png files. Download 'em!
Next, download the Spelunky Mod Installer, and install it, and run it. You'll see a menu screen, and at the bottom you'll see a link to download Python 3. Download and install Python 3.
Now, take the .png file for the character you want, create a folder called "repack" and drop the png file into it. Then, zip up the repack folder. On the Installer menu screen, browse to your Spelunky folder, then browse to the location of the repack.zip folder you made, then choose Texture Mod from the little drop-down bar. Then click "Install Mod." Start up the game, and you should see your new character in the selection screen (typically replacing one of the default characters.)
There's also a tool for installing mods called Spelunktool that I didn't try because it involved launching things from command prompts and just thinking about that made me tired.
Finally, you can find the Lighting Normal Map Mod here. The final link is the rar with the fixed texture files. I personally did not install this one. And, if you want to poke around for some more mods, this is a good repository.

PC Gamer editors are prohibited from celebrating Christmas. For the team, the end of the year is marked by an event known as GOTY Sleepover, a time where we somewhat-voluntarily sequester ourselves away from our families and loved ones in the interest of a greater good: selecting the best PC games of the year. We gather in a room with a very heavy door and very little ventilation and stay there until we ve reached a unanimous decision on every award category. It s a lot like the Papal conclave, but with more Cheetos.

So far, this is what we ve got. These are games nominated for awards in general, not just our single Game of the Year. Consider this a short-list of the games our team loved in 2013, one we ll whittle down into proper, named awards in the coming days.


Dota 2
Arma 3
Spelunky
Battlefield 4
Gone Home
Tomb Raider
Rising Storm
Saints Row IV
Papers, Please
BioShock Infinite
Total War: Rome II
The Stanley Parable
XCOM: Enemy Within

Check in each day over the holiday break to see who's victorious. In the meantime, here's our 2012 winners and some lively year-end video conversations about our best PC gaming experiences in 2013.

Before running away for a few days of holiday revelry and hardcore gaming, Evan, Cory, and Tyler gathered to reflect on the games they put the most time into in 2013. Watch the whole five-video series on the PC Gamer YouTube channel, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more regular content, gameplay footage, and conversations.

If you’re not plugged into the wider world of non-PC gaming, you might have completely missed the release and positive reception for the Nintendo 3DS title SteamWorld Dig. It looks a bit like a steampunk, Wild West Spelunky, with randomly generated levels and blocky, destructible terrain. It's also got a new trailer that shows off the game’s locations and self-aware humor.



SteamWorld Dig certainly comes with the baggage of high expectations. The 3DS version landed a ton of high-scoring reviews, and according to developer Image & Form’s CEO, there’s some debate over whether it could be a contender for Game of the Year. Phrases like “the best 3DS game ever made” are being bandied about.

That’s all hearsay, though. What I see so far is a clever platformer with the potential to push that genre in unexpected ways, and the rest will be decided after the PC port is finished and we can get our hands on it. SteamWorld Dig hits Steam on December 5, so we won’t have to wait long to see how well it survives translation from the handheld universe.

Written by Angus Morrison

It is done. In a heart-stopping descent, Spelunky caster Bananasaurus Rex completed a world-first solo eggplant run. The eggplant's purpose was one of Spelunky’s best-kept secrets, discovered only once hackers started digging through the HD PC release. But knowing its power and using it are two different things. One slip, one rogue bat, one angry shopkeeper and your precious cargo is purple goo.

Hurling it at the face of King Yama, the final boss, transmogrifies him into a colossal eggplant with a single point of health. Compared to the effort required, it's barely worth the bother, but for some, the allure of the aubergine was too much to resist. The first co-op eggplant run fell to Avih20 in October, with Banasaurus achieving the unthinkable just one month later.

The video is an hour and 22 minutes long, but it’s an hour and 22 minutes of near misses, improbable saves, unbearable tension, and, of course, spoilers.



All hail the eggplant champion!

Thanks, RPS!

Despite its childish name and the youth of its protagonists, Catacomb Kids looks seriously brutal. It's a new platformer with randomly generated levels in the flavor of Spelunky, but it adds offensive magic and a delightfully retro art style to the mix. Now that the game, developed entirely by solo developer Tyriq Plummer, has been sent to IGF 2014, we can bask in the warm glow of its submission trailer.



Was that a blast of chain lightning frying two bad guys in a pool of water at 0:24? Yowza.

After an evil sorceress conquered the world, she was ultimately defeated and sealed in a dungeon to be dealt with later. This seems incredibly irresponsible to me, but I’m not a war hero fresh from the campaign against the undead, so what do I know? Now it’s time to actually finish off the evil sorceress, and it’s up to you to do the deed.



Catacomb Kids is planned for a 2014 release, and by then our Spelunky-plagued fingers will be ready for a new roguelike to latch onto. Keep an eye on the game’s website to keep up with developments.

It’s no secret around here that we love playing Spelunky, and we love watching other people play Spelunky almost as much. If you fancy yourself a good predictor of how other explorers will kick the bucket (spikes, it’s always spikes), you can now put (virtual) money where your mouth is with Spelunky Death Roulette.

Spelunky Death Roulette is a clever construct that pulls in Twitch.tv streams of people playing Spelunky and lets viewers place bets on how the player will die. To help keep things honest, the streamer is forced to bet on “old age,” that is, they have to bet on their continued survival and success to keep them from throwing the game. Given the brutal nature of Spelunky, of course, betting on a successful run is pretty foolhardy, but I guess that’s why we’re not playing for real money.

If you’re new to Spelunky, it’s a roguelike exploration game with randomly generated cave complexes full of traps and dumb ways to kill yourself. Even if you’re not the betting type, it’s still a great game that’s worthy of your time, whether you’re playing or just watching.

Thanks, Wired.

"I see a bat. I couldn't be more prepared for this bat if I tried. OH GOD A BAT IS HERE WHAT DO I DO?"

That was the approximate commentary for my first ever Spelunky Daily Challenge - a game mode exclusive to the Steam edition of Spelunky. Every day it randomly generates a set of levels and every day you have just one chance at getting as far as you can. After you die (and you will probably die) you can see how far your friends made it and with how much cash.

The point of the Daily Challenge is to bring out the competitive aspect of the game and to make it social. In single player the competition was either with yourself or with the environment, but apparently if you add a leaderboard and the potential for watching friends die brilliantly theatrical or weird or stupid deaths, the game instantly becomes twice as compelling. This newfound potential also explains how I came to join the Spelunky Explorers Club, a collection of dedicated Spelunkers all recording their attempts to complete the Daily Challenge and then posting the videos on the internet to accumulate mockery or praise as deserved.

My first Spelunky Explorers Club video is below. It lasts 24 seconds and has been variously referred to as "pro", "inspiring" and "the alpha and omega of the medium".



The club was set up by Gunpoint developer, former PC Gamer gent and taker of transatlantic flight-length Letterpress turns, Tom Francis, as a way to share the wildly varied experiences of the Daily Challenge. It also offers up different ways to measure the success (or lack thereof) of participants by comparing deaths, items bought and narrow escapes, erm, escaped. According to Tom it's "like an old hunting lodge where we (dead) explorers share our tales of adventure."

The dead part is important here.

The game is basically a chocolate selection box of procedurally generated death traps. Spelunky's randomised environments lead to chains of events which spiral out of control and then explode, sometimes literally, into an entertaining demise. YouTube is now riddled with Daily Challenge videos and they're often brilliant fun to watch for those very reasons.

Mine are no exception to the death trend. In Spelunky I die every single day. There is a scenario where you can survive and actually finish the thing, but I don't watch those videos so I couldn't tell you exactly what happens. The reason I don't watch them is actually one of the problems with the Daily Challenge: that of losing the thrill of discovery.



Speaking with PC Gamer editor, Graham, with my friend Matt, and with basically anyone who has devoted hundreds of hours to playing Spelunky in the pre-Challenge era - one of Spelunky's great joys was walking into a level and finding something new. "I think the thing that pushed me through those early days when I was no good at it was a sense of discovery," said Graham when I had finished telling him how cross I was that I still hadn't seen a tree. "I hadn't even seen screenshots of world two. And then when I first got there I died instantly because there were new rules to learn."

Now what happens is the Daily Challenge actively promotes curiosity about what your friends are doing. You want to know how come they got so much further, whether they picked up the mystery box, how they died and so you ask them or you watch their Let's Play videos. The problem is that every one of these comes with a risk of seeing something far beyond what you've managed to find on your own.

That's how I know there are jungles and ice worlds and all manner of other cool, hidden things. It can spur you on by giving you a target to aim for but I want to keep some of the game's deeper levels a secret because I want to retain some of that joy*. As a result I'm wary of anything long or instructional-looking. Instead I gravitate towards shorter videos so as to more easily enjoy the deaths of others. Perhaps it should be renamed the Spelunky Daily Schadenfreude.

*Sidenote: sometimes there is too much joy. The first time I saw a jungle world I was so excited I smacked my leg into the underside of a desk and bruised my knee, as you'll see nine minutes into this auspicious playthrough.



The sharing aspect also opens up the possibility of cheating. According to Tom's system there is " a gentleman’s and gentlewoman’s agreement among explorers not to watch other people’s runs before attempting your own". The phrasing makes not cheating seem noble and honourable which are good enough reasons for not doing it. However, as someone who has tried cheating as a strategy I also feel I should point out that it isn't actually very helpful. The one time I cheated it did me no bloody good whatsoever and I ended up scampering around a mine in a futile attempt to avoid a ghost.



In making and uploading the videos it's also easy to keep a sense of your own progress or learning. Strangers or friends will also pop by to offer tips ("NEVER EVER BUY A TELEPORTER" from Matt, "Always have something in your hands" from Graham, "Damsels have 3HP" from Tom H) or maybe they'll subscribe to your channel and get invested in how you're doing.

You can also watch your own recordings back to work out chains of events which baffled you the first time around. You can pinpoint the exact moment the damsel died and how long you carried on tlking to her and dragging her round the mines, or you can work out whether it was the ghost, the boulder or the explosion of spiders which struck the fatal blow.

It's comforting to know that friends who can speedrun the whole thing in mere minutes still end up dying from the same arrow I did on the first level of the first world. Although I imagine that's less comforting from their perspective.

The Daily Challenge hasn't tempted me back into regular solo Spelunky at all. Those games still feel aimless and disjointed to me - at best they are practice for my Daily Challenge. It's the only Spelunky run of the day which matters and it's the one which has given me a way into a game I could never seem to love.

For more on Spelunky, read Graham's review, and Tom Francis' epic quest to reach the grand city of gold.