Another request made by anongos. Once again, we go into the realm of retro gaming for this one!
Spleunker (スペランカー)| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (185) | x5 (227) | x7 (465) | x8 (684) |
Taiko 11, Taiko DS 2, Taiko + 
150.25
none
splnkrSpleunker is another example of a song which has looping BGM with added sound effects from the game added in for a remix, much like XEVIOUS, but this time it's not a Namco game at all. The 1983 platform Spleunker (スペランカー) was developed for the Atari 400/800 computers by an unknown software house called MicroGraphicImage. MGI's main programmers - Tim Martin, Robert Barber and Cash Foley - co-developed the game after the flop of their first Atari game, Halloween (based on the namesake horror movie), and right before the company's stopping of operations.
Spleunker is set in a colossal cave divided into six sections, with the player starting at the cave's entrance at the top as an anonymous explorer. The objective is to get to the fabulous treasure hidden in the bottom of the cave, working with a finite supply of fresh air. Natural obstacles and enemies like bats and ghosts challenge the player's reflexes, like in many other similar exploring games already available on the Atari library (Pitfall and Curse of Ra for example).
Spleunker was considered by many people as a bad game and unfairly difficult because of its rigid controls and hit detection, yet it gained a small fandom among retro gaming fans; especially the 1984 Commodore 64 port, then followed by a NES/arcade port with updated graphics the year after. In 1987 it also spawned a NES sequel, only for Japan. It is possible to play Spleunker on Wii Virtual Console or the PS3 rendition Spleunker HD, both released in 2008.
Right in time for the game's 15th Anniversary, Namco released this niche game song for Taiko 11 featuring Spleunker's main themes, arranged with SFX and dancers directly from the game. The BGM tracks in this medley are the main theme, the power-up theme and the life loss/game over jingles.The 'game over' music is highlighted with Go-Go Time, which makes for some of the shortest bursts of Go-Go Time ever.
