| Spelunx | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Cyan |
| Publisher(s) | Brøderbund |
| Designer(s) | Robyn Miller, Rand Miller |
| Platform(s) | Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | 1991, 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Educational/Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | 3½-inch floppy disks |
System requirements
|
|
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo was an educational computer game intended for young children that was developed by Cyan (now Cyan Worlds) in 1991. It was designed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller (better known now as the creators of Myst). The game was programmed and implemented using HyperCard, with Robyn Miller hand-drawing all of the in-game graphics and scenery. The game's title was derived from the verb "to spelunk", referring to the act of exploring caves.
Although Spelunx contained a basic frame story (centered on the scientific endeavors of one Professor Spelunx and his willing assistant, Mr. Seudo), there existed no other plot. As a game, it was intended to be explored and played with like a toy rather than completed or won. Although the characters Professor Spelunx and Mr. Seudo are mentioned in-game, even being depicted in some locations within it, the player never meets them.
Spelunx was an early first-person, point-and-click adventure game. It was structured as a collection of rooms connected by a series of underground tunnels (accessed via elevator). Each room contained a variety of interactive mini-games and experiments, most of which were designed to introduce the player to a specific field of knowledge. A hidden control panel within the game allowed for the rearrangement of the caves and other locations, and even allowed for the expansion of the caves with the addition of newer rooms. Although it was the intention of Cyan to continue releasing new rooms over time for players to explore, this never occurred.
However, in 1993, following the release of Myst, Cyan did produce a new color version of Spelunx. Although the original monochrome version did contain some snippets of color at certain locations or during specific events, this new version (colorized by Josh Staub) contained full color scenery and animation (as well as a small easter egg: an image of Myst Island hidden within one of the original rooms).
More recently, the color version has been ported to the Steam platform as part of the Cyan Complete Pack, along with other early Cyan titles (including Myst).