Video games have always had a way of hooking their players in for the long-haul.
We’ve all been there. You sit down to play a game, time flies by and before you know it, it’s time to go to bed.
Whether it’s through difficult challenges, intriguing stories, or amazing gameplay, video games have the ability to immerse us so deep that time seems to melt away in an instant.
However, there are some games that get players to say, “just one more,” keeping them awake into the late hours of the night.
Here are 6 hard to put down games that you’ll definitely lose sleep over:
Spelunky
No game fits better on this list than the cave diving, treasure hunting adventure known as Spelunky.
This roguelike was originally released as open-source freeware for Microsoft Windows in 2008 until creator Derek Yu recreated the game for consoles in 2012.
Spelunky was praised for its challenging run-based gameplay and difficult situations that it puts the player in.
Spelunky leans heavily into the “one more time” mentality by presenting the player with randomly generated levels, a large array of equipment, and a satisfying gameplay loop that changes each time you play.
Although you lose all of your items and progress when you die, Spelunky isn’t overly punishing. There are various shortcuts that players can unlock during their playthrough that will help ease them towards the goalline.
The game becomes extremely rewarding to its players the longer they play. As their skill increases, they begin to understand how useful or unuseful certain items are and develop a strategy that will help them reach the final boss, King Yama.
Spelunky has a wide variety of levels that change the gameplay as well. Whether it’s the slippery ice or the firey caves of hell, players will develop their own strategies when they reach certain areas.
Spelunky encourages players to keep pushing forward, even if their progress becomes stagnant. The gameplay is superb and it rarely feels like the randomness is the cause of the player’s struggle.
