Is the Tunnel Man a cheap way to progress

[ToAsTY]

I'm interested in peoples opinions of the tunnel man?
At first I thought you could only use the tunnel one time, however it turns out you can just skip the mines and go straight to the jungle.
Now I'm a awful Spelunky player and still yet to pass the jungle, and although I appreciate the use of the tunnel man. I also feel like I'm cheating myself for using it and the satisfaction of completing the game without any deaths.
Am I just dilusional thinking this? Does everyone use the tunnel man
Cheers for any responses.

[ManofShadows]

The tunnel man does not provide a cheap way of progressing, it is true he can help you defeat the 'final boss' easily, but you need an item from every area in the game if you want to fight the true final boss.

[SomeUnregPunk]

Check the achievements. .... if you feel this way then try to beat the game w/o using the shortcuts and you'll get an achievement for it.

[Misery]

It's a nice way to get secret characters in the areas, but really it's actually easier going through the whole game from the start. I unlocked them basically for novelty.

[Lagoon]

No, actually i think the devs expect everyone to use Tunnel Man.

Tunnel Man is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the dangers of each new zone, without having to beat all the previous ones first.

Not using tunnel man actually gives you the best odds of beating the game though. If you have enough gear and bombs, not only do the later areas become a lot easier, but Olmec himself can be made into a joke by just bombing a path down for him to fall into lava, something nearly impossible to do if you start from the temple shortcut due to starting with 4 bombs and the temple having ramped up costs on their shops and having harder to reach crate spawn AI.

Also you can get an item from the secret area in the jungle called the black market that revives you once when you die. Super helpful for beating the game the first time, and necissary for the true end.

[Mumblez]

Nah, tunnel man makes it more accessable, and is great for learning about the different zones. Besides, especially for the temple, going in with 4 bombs / ropes and no items is pretty much a death sentance. So going from the mines forward, and collecting 20 bombs, spike / spring boots and a jetpack makes it far more managable anyway.

[very sketch]

The Tunnel puts you at a disadvantage, actually.

[Space Cadet]

I feel like he's there to help the players learn the later levels without spending a lot of time trying to get to them as well as making it a bit easier to complete some of the journal entries. Personally, I never really use shortcuts and would advise against it as it puts you in a position of extremely limited supplies at the start plus your progress does not get recorded on the leaderboards.

[Mumblez]

Originally posted by damedame:

The Tunnel puts you at a disadvantage, actually.

This... like I said, temple with no cash / items completely sucks, as theres no real way to kill mummies / anubis, besides using the few bombs you have.

[flamedance58]

If you can get by without items and whatnot then skipping is fine. However, as others have said the lack of perhaps money, items, and kisses will put you at a disadvantage especially when the ♥♥♥♥ gets cray cray.

[Frappe]

Nah, the tunnel man is a useful feature. It should be used to familiarize yourself with the new zones. If you managed to get to, say, the jungle three times, I'd assume you're good enough to beat the mines from time to time. But so what if you're not used to the jungle and die quickly? So instead of going through the mines every time with a chance to get to the jungle you use the tunnel man to "train" there.
That being said, as others mentioned, using it ultimately puts you at a disadventage, as you're going to have less gold and fewer items. So it balances itself out.
Also, if you want to access the secret level, you have to beat the game from the beginning, no shotcuts.
So it really shouldn't be seen as cheap or cheating, it's actually balanced.

[Killbomb]

I've made it to jungle maybe 4 or 5 times and every time I've died on 2-1. Looking forward to unlocking the shortcut so I can familiarize myself with the hazards/enemies for later runs. I think tunnel man is a great feature because even the no so great players can feel like they've accomplished something when they unlock a shortcut.

[Graf]

not only is the tunnel mechanic useful for teaching you the basics of every area, but also about the intricacies of the game's mechanics and purposes. Is it worth giving your bombs/ropes/money to help improve your chances? Where do you get a shotgun/item X - do you buy it or steal it from the shopkeeper and deal with him throughout the game or hope on the rare chance to get it from a crate or a special level feeling? And the coup de grace is the mission to get the key for the Temple shortcut. That means you need to start all the way back from the mines, get the key and successfully deliver it to the end of the Ice Caves. Not only does it challenge you to go all the way through the game up until the Temple (doing this is an accomplishment on its own), it also challenges you to actively think about your pathing to find and preserve a specific item throughout multiple levels.

And by the time you actually succeed in unlocking the Temple shortcut, you soon find out that starting late in the game (especially as late as the Temple) hinders your chances by a great margin simply hence to the fact you lack resources gathered from previous levels. So what's the conclusion you'd draw? Since you already accomplished going from the Mines all the way through the Ice Caves, why not try that again? Gain all the items, bombs, ropes and treasure you can find to have a slight chance in beating the game (enhanced by the fact you're probably just going to get your ass beaten if you start at the Temple shortcut). The shortcuts are a great help for aiding your progression throughout the game without actively holding your hand. It's actually your accomplishment.

[Scampfarmer]

I'd say it's a perfectly legitimate way to practice new areas, or the boss even, but I wouldn't consider it progress in any way or an 'alternative' way of completing the game.

I've never used the shortcuts in any version of the game myself. I think going without them teaches you much better by forcing you to slow the hell down and think about what you're doing at all times, or else suffer the frustration of losing 30 or more minutes of progress.

It also makes the later areas a lot more exciting, tense and mysterious when you do get to them. Using shortcuts a lot ruins that but it's your choice.

[Jimby]

To get the best secrets, you still need to start from the beginning so you get the eye. Also, the last tunnel man cost is the key from the mine, so you have to carry one item through 3 worlds. If you can do that, then I think you've earned a checkpoint.

[Rusty]

dont listen to the bs about "u know using tunnel man is the true disadvantage!" just ppl being philosopers, use the damn tunnel and don't look back