I give this game a rank B- (70-75%)
Nice game - try if you are interested
See my profile for more details about my reviews.

The game is objectively very well made. Picture a mix between Super Meat Boy, La Mulana, Shovel Knight, and all those tributes to Nes era platformers. I mean, even the very first Mario. Neat pixels, impeccable and unforgiving gameplay, harsh and nasty level design... in that sense, the game is not for casuals. It is for gamers, hardcore gamers, you will die and repeat. Many surprise deaths at every corner. I, sadly, as a tired dad who gets more joy from his brain than his fingers, have no time to move forward in this game, but I completely see the appeal and the qualities - once again, for what it wants to achieve, 1001 Spikes is VERY well crafted. If you like that idea, this one is a classic.

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iz gud

Great game for killing ~30 minutes at a time. Get's frustrating if you play too much because the main premise is dying, a lot. Basically a puzzle game with an attempt limit that tends to not let you stall.

This game owes me a new keyboard

I LOVE 1001 SPIKES SOOOOOO MUCHHHH

Do you like IWBTG and its genre of needle precision platformers? Do you like rage games where you die a lot that are tough but fair and require a certain analytical mindset to get through? Do you play games very experimentally or aggressively like a speedrunner?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this game is worth the $15. Trust.

It is immensely polished and despite what the rage quit videos on youtube from back when it was called "Aban Hawkins and the 1000 Spikes" would have you believe, you won't be rage-crying when you land on a platform next to the exit and get spiked. You'll giggle and say "you ♥♥♥♥♥♥" and then press A and throw in another attempt knowing to avoid that spike next time. At the time of writing I'm on world 4 (lava) with about 820 lives and if my playtime is anything to go by, I'm enjoying it.

The game subtly encourages you to play like a speedrunner. You'll want to treat the whole level as a single unit and rush through it with consistent movement/strats so you can be cycle-consistent and know exactly what to do differently on the next attempt.

THIS is how you design a hard game. Make it fun so the player *wants* to get better.

My only complaint is that the controller support is a little broken. Just watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVQEj3X-3bc

It reminds me of Super Meat Boy, but without the fast movement. You repeat a stage over and over again until you nail the timing and precision required to get through. Perhaps a better comparison is "I wanna be the guy" but without all the 'gotcha' shenanigans.

The music is quite good.

I'm going to put it down because it is very difficult, and tests my patience, but there's a good game here for the right masochist.

The straw that broke the camels back for me were the pillars that fire arrows at you. You need to throw a knife at their projectile to block getting killed. They fire every second, forcing you to keep hitting the right timing, and when you throw a projectile, you slow down, and it is quite tense and easy (for me) to get wrong.

Great game.

Tough platformer that adds a level of tension to trickier moments with the limited "1001" lives. In practice, it's more than enough to complete the game but utilises a tried and tested mechanic in a unique way.
A must play for anyone interested in challenging platformers.

This game is all about memorising exactly where every trap is, so that you can complete each level. The problem is the lack of telegraphing (for example, spikes could pop out of any block and the only way to know, is to trigger them. Also not all 'arrow trap' blocks are active, whilst some are constantly active, and others only trigger based on proxomity) combined with the fact that you die instantly from any mistake made.

The gameplay loop is essentially trial and error combined with having to remember every little thing. I got past the 3rd level and realised this game is just an absolute chore. I don't understand how anyone can enjoy this.