1001 Spikes similar games & best alternatives

1001 Spikes - Trailer
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1001 Spikes

PlayStation 4, Linux, Nintendo 3DS, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2014

Should you play it?

Discover the lost treasures of Ukampa in South America as Aban Hawkins searches for his estranged father, world-famous archeaologist, Jim Hawkins. Aban Hawkins races into the frozen tundra of the antarctic, undiscovered temple ruins and the vast caverns of South America in search of his father and the legendary treasure rumored to lie...

What works

  • Tight and responsive controls
  • Challenging but fair level design
  • Many unlockable characters and modes
  • Engaging retro pixel art and music
  • Local multiplayer co-op and competitive modes

Things to keep in mind

  • High difficulty may frustrate some players
  • Some trial-and-error and memorization required
  • No online multiplayer
  • Some minor bugs reported
  • Story and cutscenes can be slow or skippable

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Spelunky

  • Spirits Abyss

  • Crypt of the NecroDancer

  • Nuclear Throne

  • Spelunky 2

  • Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

Less social

Games that feels like 1001 Spikes but with less teamwork and cooperation

  • Zexion

  • Axiom Verge

  • Adventures of Pip

  • Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe

  • Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

  • Super Meat Boy

Less competitive

Games that feels like 1001 Spikes but with less competition against others

  • Infernax

  • Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope

  • Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

  • Vagante

  • Caveblazers

  • Enter the Gungeon

More intimate

Games that feels like 1001 Spikes but with more focus on close relationships

  • Bloody Trapland 2: Curiosity

  • Broforce

  • Abathor

  • Magicite

  • Spooky Station

  • Tallowmere 2: Curse of the Kittens

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

1001 Spikes: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation, Leadership, Domination.

Last update: 03/08/2026