It’s hard not to rank Spelunky 2 as one of the most enjoyable video games I’ve ever played. The game’s design rests on the risk vs reward system. The more you’re willing to throw into the mix, the more you’re going to get from it. It brilliantly combines extreme brutality and fun in a way that you end up grinding and smiling all through.

Spelunky 2 is a simple cartoony 2D game with a straightforward storyline. All you have to do is move from one point to the other while accumulating as much treasure as possible. Along these unavoidable parts are deadly traps and dubious critters. The good thing is that you immediately spring back to life after death to try again—many ways to die: many ways to live. 

It Takes The Original Spelunky To Another Level

Spelunky 2, published by Mossmouth, is a thrilling spectacle of violence. You have everything to kill thousands of foes, but bloodshed doesn’t escape you. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been sent to an early grave in this game. At the moment when I’ve planted my bombs at the right places, waiting to blow those unscrupulous elements out, one unfortunate fold takes me down before I can even know it.

The first installment was a masterpiece, but Spelunky 2 even excels beyond the heights reached by its predecessors. You have more worlds to explore, more secrets to unravel, and of course, many more ways to die. The intriguing twists that plague the game’s entire dynamics are what I love most about the game. Yes, you know your life hangs on a rope, but that’s all. You don’t know when and you don’t know how.

In Spelunky 2, you have ice caverns, rough jungles, and several life-threatening Dwellings – all familiar worlds if you’ve played the original Spelunky. Few characters return, like Tun that will thrill you with her breathtaking challenge rooms. However, there are plenty more non-player characters (NPCs) than you’d expect. For example, you have one cave guy who won’t hesitate to kill you for the sake of his chicken. Yes, these NPCs are that ruthless. 

An Immersive World Of Several Impressive Worlds

Spelunky 2 is filled with so many side quests that you can get lost. But what’s wrong with getting lost in fun? It benefits very little using shortcuts to get to the end of the game. There’s so much to enjoy along the way. Interestingly, this game leaves the best for the last. The game starts with a familiar world, and until you get to the latter parts of the game, you won’t know the wonders that await you.

When it comes to gameplay, nothing’s changed so much from the original Speluky. You still have to navigate the worlds until you find the exit button. What are intriguing are the many obstacles you meet on your way to this seemingly easy goal. You’d be wrong to think you can just speed through to the end. In reality, most people don’t end up finishing this game. The first world is the least difficult you’re going to play but doesn’t in any way introduce you to the game on a bed of roses.

When you move to the next two words, you quickly learn what difficulty is. Now, there’s no sarcasm in that. You’ll immediately be faced with a horned lizard and a cave mole that you have to battle. It’s usually not easy to get through them on your first try, except maybe you’re a genius. I’m not, so by problem – the kind of problem I like – began from here. In the next several hours, it’d be one world to another: one challenge to another. It even gets more enjoyable when you get into the vampire-filled jungles.

There’s So Much To Do And See

I’ve played Spelunky 2 for over 40 hours, and it feels like I just got started. The obvious worlds are filled with exciting turns and distractions. Often, the temptation to jilt the normal route to explore one of these detours is irresistible. You find a character offering you gold, and you want to know why. Should you move on or spend some time digging deeper? Many scenarios like these are replete in the game. 

If you want to explore the worlds of Spelunky 2, switch to the non-linear progression style, and you’ll be amazed. Bet your lucks there’re even animal mounts you can ride! Just like with everything in the game, these animals come with a risk. Many times I climbed on them; I was down before I could say “Spelunky”. In my first few tries, I had a lot to lose.  But when I started pulling through with a survival hanging on my neck, it was a huge blessing.

Spelunky 2 also excels in the area of having levels behind every level. You can transit from one to the other using special doors. This idea may not look significant until you learn you can use it to create interest diversions from your tormentors. What’s more? They serve as an excellent way to keep some secrets hidden. 

Final Words

Without a doubt, Spelunky 2 is an entirely ruthless game – and rightly so. It’s quite a challenging game to play, but there are many tricks that can help you scale through every level. While there’re tons of ferocious enemies, deadly traps, and many opportunities to die, these things are not what makes the game brazenly difficult. It’s all the risk vs reward system. The game’s ready to take from you as much as you want to take from it.

However, you can always learn. Every death you die is an opportunity to rise up wiser and smarter. As you begin to improvise on handling the death-causing elements that surround you, you’re on a cruise to victory.