Spelunky 2 is an absolute delight to play, even in the midst of my repeating failure in the game. Its randomized level generator and the bevy of tools to strategize your way through each level makes for a fun time. While the PvP isn’t up to snuff with the main adventure, the ability to play this game with friends (online or local) will keep you occupied for months to come.
What a crazy game Mossmouth has created. Spelunky 2 is an old school adventure platformer that tests your patience and time through randomly generated levels. Each time you die, you start off with a new level, and believe me…you’re going to die quite a bit.
The first version of Spelunky came out in 2012 and was released on the Xbox 360/PS3/PS4/PSVita/PC. It contained the formula of the game, where you would explore, gather, die, and start over. It’s a great formula for those who like a challenge. Fast-forward to 2020, the second one arrived this past week and brought with it some neat items and strategically well-placed gameplay. It still maintains the original’s platformer/adventure structure, while adding some co-op and online components to improve the experience.
Let’s jump right down this hole.
Spelunky 2’s main game is a doozy. You use your wits to traverse a series of caverns on the moon (cue Ghost from Destiny 2), gather and uncover as many jewels and gold as you can, survive the experience, and then move on to the next level. Rinse, wash, and repeat. The levels throw you up against some interesting creatures that you will naively believe are easy to kill, but soon find out that with each simple attempt, you have a real chance of getting a heart knocked off your health and eventually die. I cannot tell you how badly my timing has been with this game for the past week or so. I’ve haphazardly attempted multiple times to kill lizards, snakes, jumping spiders, vicious moles, avoid cursed ghosts, jump over deadly spikes, and, the worst enemy of all, tried my best to not accidentally kill myself. All of what you just read was the list of things that killed me in this game. This game is not for the weak of heart and is incredibly unforgiving with your mistakes. While that is how the game was built, for you to fail, in the midst of all that failure the Dark Souls-like structure has you eventually somehow becoming better at the game. It’s so weird, but it works this way. Even in my 33rd death, I still knew I was getting better with timing, learning the moves of enemies, and finding the best strategies to get out of my caverns somewhat intact. There are a lot of ways to die in the game and it will certainly make sure you experience them all, but the game will become more familiar as you discover different ways to die.
Beyond the insane amount of enemies to die from, the game does have a complicated underbelly to it that shows off some clever game design from Mossmouth. Spelunky 2 gives you plenty of tools to work with if you collect enough loot to purchase them. That’s the balance and the crux of the game, as getting through the levels isn’t enough; you have to collect as you go and then improve your chances through the next level. Those improved chances are solidified through purchasing equipment from the loot you collect (not actual money) to keep the journey going. This could be something like more rope, which is an item that allows you to hang between large spaces or avoid enemies. This could be a shotgun, which is far more effective than the default whip that you get in the game. This could also be as simple as a large shield, which will repel arrow attacks from traps set throughout the levels. There’s something for every type of situation you might encounter, but again the balance is collecting enough loot to be able to afford such things. Getting loot (diamond, jewels, gold) and buying equipment to improve the experience helps to keep everything fresh when it comes to strategizing your next move. Again, your efforts during the level help to balance the difficulty of getting to the next one. It’s actually a neat balance that works well and keeps you motivated, even through 50+ deaths that reset your progress each time.
Staying on the topic of progress, each level is completely randomized when you start over. This means that you will never be completely familiar with your surroundings or how far you are away from the exit. Each time you die, you get a new level with a new set of enemies and a new set of loot, which changes your strategy each time. It doesn’t matter that you might be three levels into the game, you’re going back when you die, which means you have to start figuring out the best way to not die but in a different way. I always wondered why it looked like some big accomplishment that the #1 leaderboard player made it to level 9-4. Apparently, it’s a huge accomplishment. Good for them, because oh-my-God this game is difficult.
Going back to rewards, the level’s rewards reset when you start over again. This could mean that you would be able to get more/fewer coins, jewels, or whatever. It definitely resets locations and amounts, which can be good or bad depending on the reset. This could be the difference between making your life easier with new equipment or having to go through multiple caverns before splurging on new equipment. Like the level itself, it’s completely random.
What isn’t random is that there is a puppy somewhere on each level, and that puppy will need you to rescue it. While its location resets just like everything else, that puppy is important for a few reasons. First, you want to rescue the puppy because, well, I mean…it’s a puppy. It’s an ugly/cute pug that is dimwitted and really does need you to pick it up and deliver it out of the cave you’re exploring. The second/final reason the puppy’s safety is imperative is that if you get it out of the cave with it alive, it will grant you an additional heart, which is something you want. If you get that heart, you can possibly extend your overall gameplay because you can take more damage. It’s tougher to get the puppy out and it’s not required to complete the level, but it’s worth the trouble.
If you’re a cat person, you don’t have to save the puppy if you don’t want to. In fact, you can use the dog, at least two times, as a way to kill enemies by tossing the hell out of it towards enemies. Sure, the dog has a finite amount of hearts before it’s just a lifeless pup, but it works wonderfully as a shield or a distraction. I learned this poor pug’s life was finite when I was trying to save it from an oncoming snake, only to toss it, miss the snake, and find out that…*sigh*…spikes were on the other side of the screen. The poor dog found those spikes in the most grizzly of manners as it slid slowly down one of them. The sound effects, my God…horrifying. Anyway, saving the dog will help you in the long run, but using the dog as a shield is equally as helpful. A pup is a nice option for gameplay. Balance?
When you aren’t tossing puppies, the game controls are very forgiving and somewhat sound. Moving around the multi-tiered level is something that harkens back to an 80s platforming experience, where you can jump and shift your character towards safety for no logical reason in mid-jump. The game allows this because the levels aren’t exactly displayed fully due to their size. This means that if you jump down a perceived shallow open space, you can quickly maneuver over to a ledge if the space is too deep (you could potentially fall to your death as well). Keeping your wits about you at all times is complemented by the controls, which again are forgiving. The controls add another layer of entertainment to the game that makes starting over again not as bad as it should be, as well as helping you to improve your skills along the way. Anytime a game can make you feel like you’re having fun failing, well that is a good game.
With regard to level design, the randomized designs keep you entertained. You have layers of dirt, bridges, and large spaces to jump around in and they can come in all shapes and sizes when randomized. Unlike most platformers, you do have the opportunity to change the formation of your land with items such as a bomb. Say that you have cracked open a vase that is cursed and that you have to run for your life to get to the exit, otherwise a cursed ghost is going to kill you instantly (he/she is slow-moving, so you have time), the game allows you to ‘adjust’ landmasses at will. The levels are built to be destroyed with bombs, so you can still get the diamond that came in the cursed vase, and get all the money/riches that come with turning that diamond in while avoiding that damn ghost. You can lay down a bomb, blow up a part of the level, and get your arse closer to the exit. The levels allow you to do this, but the catch is when you’re in a hurry you don’t know the best way to get to the exit (which is always below you). On top of this, you have a finite amount of bombs, which don’t reset with the next level, so you have to make sure you’re using these wisely. This is a strategically genius implementation of level design and item use for a game, while at the same time giving you all the freedom you want to make the decisions you think are best for the adventure. Once again, it all goes back to that balance the game has pretty much cleverly outlined with all facets of its construction.
Just neat stuff.
If you need a break from the main adventure, which I couldn’t tell you how long it lasts — I haven’t successfully made it anywhere close to the top leader, the game features a few goodies (some work, some don’t) to get your mind off of countless deaths.
The main adventure does allow for up to four players (locally and online) to get through it, which helps a lot to make it a more enjoyable experience, if not a comedic one. People have to cooperate, communicate, and avoid getting killed (if they do, the other person can snag their bag — which is probably not a good phrase, but whatever). Not going through this game alone is a huge plus.
The game also features seeded runs, which are unlocked as you progress in the adventure, as well as daily challenges and ARENA. The latter of the bunch is an online head-to-head PvP component that you can play with actual people or bots. Arena is insanity, as you can knock people down, plant bombs by them, and kill them instantly, though you have a certain amount of revives before you’re completely out of the match. For me, it felt like this might be the weakest component of the bunch, as it was hard to keep up with from round to round, even with bots, as gameplay is fast and furious. There is a lot going on and it can get incredibly confusing and frustrating to be constantly killed over and over again without a chance to get up and get out of danger. In addition, the game space is too small to really get comfortable, which makes for a so-so time. At least it makes you appreciate the adventure more.
The game’s PvP is thankfully not the main attraction here, as the adventure itself is where the main body of video game enjoyment lies. The game offers up a good variety of ways to play the main adventure, solo or otherwise, and gives you enough tools to try out a nearly infinite amount of strategies for success. Spelunky 2’s main game is just fun as hell.
Overall, Spelunky 2 is an absolute delight to play, even in the midst of my repeating failure in the game. Its randomized level generator and the bevy of tools to strategize your way through each level makes for a fun time. While the PvP isn’t up to snuff with the main adventure, the ability to play this game with friends (online or local) will keep you occupied for months to come.
