do i have to buy a gamepad for this?

[Keade]

Keyboard is a perfectly fine choice for a game such as SMB.
You may want to rebind the keys, though (by editing the configuration file), as SPACE for jumping and SHIFT for special action (IIRC) is a completely sub-optimal and painful layout.

[Nipaah]

A gamepad is optional, but so is showers. Think about it.

[GreyWS]

DualShock 3 (with Motion joy driver) good for it.

[RandomBagel]

A gamepad isn't required at all. I've had this game for 3 days and I already got to World 3.

[skiddlywibble]

I managed to get Golden God with a keyboard, so I'm thinking that keyboard players aren't at any significant disadvantage. Preference, I guess.

The game is designed as a sort of love letter to the old Nintendo-hard platformers of yore, so I think the gamepad thing is more to do with authenticity rather than ease of play.

[Pila987]

Originally Posted by skiddlywibble

I managed to get Golden God with a keyboard, so I'm thinking that keyboard players aren't at any significant disadvantage. Preference, I guess.

The game is designed as a sort of love letter to the old Nintendo-hard platformers of yore, so I think the gamepad thing is more to do with authenticity rather than ease of play.

It's not about advantage, it's about comfort. Keyboards are good when you need a lot of different inputs, in SMB you just use three keys...

Gamepads allow you to seat more comfortable, you don't have to reach a keyboard on a desk.

[Dark_Reaper115]

I don't play too much attention to this game but I passes all the light world in less than 5 hours with only keyboard.

I got almost all the levels with A+ rank

Im currently doing the 20th level of the cottom candy set.

[SgtFrog]

I made it halfway through the Salt Factory (Light World 3) with just the keyboard. Fingers got bad stiffness and cramps, but i did it! And then I bought a XBox 360 controller. I 100%'ed the Forest and Dark Forest and made it through to about halfway through Hell. And then my operating system jarateed itself and I had to start over.

[Rhombo]

You won't do better with a gamepad, but using pinky/thumb is weird and will probably hurt at times, but it should take awhile before you habitually use shift to sprint to start a level.

[Kered13]

Originally Posted by Keade

Keyboard is a perfectly fine choice for a game such as SMB.
You may want to rebind the keys, though (by editing the configuration file), as SPACE for jumping and SHIFT for special action (IIRC) is a completely sub-optimal and painful layout.

This. I use WASD (A and D are all that matter) for movement, K for run, and L for jump. Much more comfortable, I've completely beaten the game.

[Scampfarmer]

I think the only issue with keyboard controls is that you get cramps and pains more easily during long sessions, then again that may be only because my hands are more used to gamepads. In this game the constant jumping, changing direction, and making tiny adjustments in mid-air really takes its toll on your fingers though.

This is actually the only platformer I feel I need a controller for. I use keyboard for everything else, including Spelunky.

[Gioum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sXp0BoLDag
Either way is good

[Eyenstyn]

I use the Keyboard and I am currently on Chapter 5. The reason for using a gamepad might be for the better response times...but that is just a theory and I have been doing ok using the keyboard

[Scorpio27]

I haven't tried with gamepad but I got to hell with k+m and now I feel like the lower precision with k+m (cause it is uncomfrtable) is harming my progress

[Worira]

Yeah, once you fix the idiotic default keybindings, keyboard works fine.