Sacrifices some of the simplistic perfection of the original for a much broader, expansive experience. Gameplay feels much more dense and complicated, both within each small interaction and within the overall route your run can lead. Took about 15 hours to beat for the first time with shortcuts, yet there still are several areas I haven't seen yet.

One major difference I've noticed is how much more important item pickups are in this game. For this reason, using shortcuts is greatly discouraged as going into late-game areas with nothing but a few ropes and bombs can be extremely challenging. Compare this to Spelunky HD, where I could continually throw myself into the final area with the final shortcut and not feel like I'm missing anything.

With how much more chaotic and fast paced this game usually is (showcased no better than the fact sprinting is now the default movement), I have to say that the local co-op suffers quite a bit. It is much harder to stay together, and the way that the "backrooms" of the levels function makes it difficult to work with a player who is dragging behind. However, the addition of online multiplayer shouldn't suffer from any of this, though I haven't tried it out yet.

Excited to keep playing to discover more areas and secrets, both in this and HD!