Spelunky 2 is a good game. It's biggest fault is that it's a sequel to a game that I consider to be perfect. How could they possibly have followed that up with anything other than something that was less-than? Disappointment seemed inevitable. And while I don't think Spelunky 2 is anywhere near a 'bad game' or anything like that, it did get to a point that I was tired of it and reinstalled Spelunky HD to play that instead.

My single biggest issue with Spelunky 2 is the path to the secret area and ending. Just like HD, 2 has you grab specific items and use them in specific places or in specific ways in order to unlock a door at the end of a "normal" run to get to an extra area (2 actually does this twice which is a fun change). In 2, the chain of events is much more complex meaning that it also becomes more restrictive. HD's secret ending used a lot of passive items (aka items that you pick up and show up in the HUD but you don't manually hold or activate) which left a lot of freedom in how you wanted to play. Use your whip everywhere or carry something like a shotgun or mattock or whatever. It didn't force you to play a certain way. Whereas in 2, because you so often have to actually carry an important item in your hands, the game forces you to play the way it wants you to play. And, to me, this is a significantly less fun way to play, especially because I've played enough Spelunky to always want to get to the secret ending, of course I'm going to go through this tedious chain of events to get there. And then, even if you go through all the required nonsense to get to the secret area, it feels like you've been additionally restricted just by elements of that secret area itself. Don't have good movement item on your back? No kapala? Don't have much equipment? Unless you're one of the best spelunkers in the world, you won't last long.

But there is a pretty good way around all the tedium: co-op. It allows you to split up the responsibilities of carrying the various items through levels makes it significantly more manageable. And with all the improvements to the co-op play, it's a much more feasible way to play the game. I've been playing with a friend who is over 5000 miles away from me and it's felt generally fine which has honestly been surprising!

I originally had a much longer and more thorough 'review' of the game in which I dissected lots of little bits of game design. Moles are bad. The way 2 plays with veteran players expectations is fun. This like that. But, honestly, this was all I really needed or wanted to say. Spelunky 2 is a great game. It's just too bad that it's the sequel to a perfect one.

spelunky is the kind of game i like thinking about playing more than actually playing. maybe im just a total scrub but spelunky just feels WAY too unforgiving at times, and while i appreciate a lot of what it does in terms of secrets and discovery, after a while it just feels like smashing my head into a brick wall, and i just get frustrated and give up. i like hard games, just not when losing one bit of hp makes me want to reset the entire run, because i know itll be a whole ordeal to get that hp back. i gave up on getting to cosmic ocean long ago because it just feels infinitely out of my reach, i dont feel remotely good enough at the game to do that, even after more than 170 hours of the game. dont get me wrong, spelunky 2 is phenomenal, it just gets a bit too punishing for my tastes

It's difficult to put into words the ringer this game put me through. If Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a game that you can play 100 times and learn something you didn't know the last time with each playthrough, Spelunky 2 is a game where you can die 100 times in completely different ways and then learn nothing.

The magic to most of those deaths is that, most of the time, you'll realize it was entirely your own fault.

Died to a long drop? Check how far down it is next time.
Dart trap? Just use your eyeballs, nerd.
An elevator going up and down that you were just a tiny bit too close to one side and got crushed when passing by a wall? Yup, that's also your fault.

This game gets 5/5 stars because I loved bashing my head into this wall. It's a very hard game to put down once you've gotten far enough in. And having multiple paths that lead to a few different zones and endings made my drive even stronger. I still play this game on occasion just because getting in a run just fills time so efficiently. I love this game, and it easily makes it's way into my top 5 of all time.

how does one go about creating a follow up to something like spelunky HD, a game which many would consider to be perfect, and which is arguably the most influential roguelike? well in Derek Yu's case, you simply build on top of that. Spelunky 2 is bigger and larger than the first game in almost every way. Levels are effectively twice as large due to the network of caves behind every level, there are multiple paths you can take through the game to get to the end, and the secret world after the "final" boss leads on to a gantlet of levels far longer than anything in the first game.

does it succeed as a sequel then? well i think that it's a pretty good crack at it. it's obviously a pretty tough task to create something as incredible as the original spelunky was, but Spelunky 2 has all of the charm of the original, in both its gameplay and secrets.

the main issue for me with spelunky 2 is its difficulty. now spelunky 1 was a difficult enough game alright (especially if you play the game the way it's intended and kill every shopkeeper you see, incurring their wrath) but spelunky 2 is definitely a notch tougher. and i would largely chalk this up to the increase in opportunities for being instakilled. spelunky 1 definitely had enemies and hazards that could instakill you and delete your 30 minute run, but they were used more conservatively, and you learned as a player to respect that. in spelunky 2, there are far more enemies, hazards and even your own items that can end your run instantly. this does make the game harder and adds more tension to your runs, but a lot of the time it just doesn't work. when you carelessly jump into spikes in spelunky 1, that was a learning moment, when a blob of lava falls on your head in spelunky 2, it just feels like bullshit.

despite this however, i enjoyed my time a lot with spelunky 1. i think it's one of those instances where a sequel is put out that perfectly captures the spirit of the original, and builds on it in meaningful ways. looking forward to whatever Derek Yu has next in store

- I have played this game A LOT. -

Beat it for the second time EVER in the daily challenge! Super excited! Was 6th on the leaderboards for the day, and 1st in another category! Just under 19 minutes. 03/01

UPDATE: And I beat it again on 4/24!

UPDATE: And again on 9/29! First win on Switch!

UPDATE: Got my 5th win during the Daily on 10/18, and ANOTHER a day later on 10/19!

Strict upgrade from the previous, and the only complaints I have might be seen as unfair so this game is well worth your time if you enjoyed the predecessors.

The game feels almost TOO ambitious. The endings requiring certain paths is a bit lame when each one sends you on a specific route. There feels to be less interesting subversions to each path, while each one clearly serves a purpose in the first game some of the side quests would clearly be just for something silly like a costume or some gimmicky side thing.

It's not worse for this, but this game requires a lot more commitment to be worthwhile. For some this might come naturally and not be a deterrent but for me this felt a bit astray from the formula I had grown to love in the first place. I love this game to pieces and have spent an absurd amount of time in the multiplayer but this time I feel like it's for different reasons than it's previous. It's up to you if that really means it's worthwhile....

Wild how that works, huh?