A worthy sequel to the original Spelunky.

The game is more difficult than the original. The levels are larger and more complex. There are new mobs, while some old ones have new behaviors. These changes generally give the game a slower pace. The original Spelunky had simpler levels, with enemies that weren't very threatening; meaning that a sufficiently skilled player could essentially run through the game without getting into much danger. I enjoy the slower and more methodical playstyle, so I think this is a large improvement over the first game. Spelunky veterans who've developed an opposing playstyle preference may feel very differently. New players will likely find the opening levels too difficult for the first few hours.

Spelunky is full of secrets. Derek Yu made a comment in an interview (Noclip Podcast #39, ~26:35) on how gamers these days have a tendency to fixate on "beating the game". He mentioned that he designed Spelunky to be about exploration and discovery. Thinking to yourself - What happens if I do this, or do that, or how does this work, or how might I access this new area, and so on. I'm inclined to agree with this philosophy; I think a large part of why I'm enjoying Spelunky 2 so much is because everything is new and I'm trying to figure out what things do or how to do certain things. So far I've managed to avoid major spoilers and am just enjoying the personal discovery process. If you get the game wanting to "beat it", I think Spelunky 2 (and Spelunky in general) is not going to be for you.

This is a rather contentious game, and certainly not for everyone. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who has played and enjoyed the original Spelunky. I only weakly recommend it to new players; I think many people will be put off by the permadeath and lack of permanent upgrades common in other roguelites (e.g. Rogue Legacy, Hades, Dead Cells, etc.).

---

Edit (2020-10-16):

I originally wrote this review when I had 30-ish hours. I'm at 70 hours now and I figured it's worth noting that my sentiments on the game have not changed. Also, since my original review the first couple levels have had the mob spawns tweaked, so it's a little more forgiving. Personally I haven't noticed the tweaks much, but it's likely simply because I've gotten good enough that the first biome isn't nearly as challenging as it was upon release.

A worthy sequel to the original Spelunky. The game is more difficult than the original. The levels are larger and more complex. There are new mobs, while some old ones have new behaviors. These changes generally give the game a slower pace. The original Spelunky had simpler levels, with enemies that weren't very threatening; meaning that a sufficiently skilled player could essentially run through the game without getting into much danger. I enjoy the slower and more methodical playstyle, so I think this is a large improvement over the first game. Spelunky veterans who've developed an opposing playstyle preference may feel very differently. New players will likely find the opening levels too difficult for the first few hours. Spelunky is full of secrets. Derek Yu made a comment in an interview (Noclip Podcast #39, ~26:35) on how gamers these days have a tendency to fixate on "beating the game". He mentioned that he designed Spelunky to be about exploration and discovery. Thinking to yourself - What happens if I do this, or do that, or how does this work, or how might I access this new area, and so on. I'm inclined to agree with this philosophy; I think a large part of why I'm enjoying Spelunky 2 so much is because everything is new and I'm trying to figure out what things do or how to do certain things. So far I've managed to avoid major spoilers and am just enjoying the personal discovery process. If you get the game wanting to "beat it", I think Spelunky 2 (and Spelunky in general) is not going to be for you. This is a rather contentious game, and certainly not for everyone. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who has played and enjoyed the original Spelunky. I only weakly recommend it to new players; I think many people will be put off by the permadeath and lack of permanent upgrades common in other roguelites (e.g. Rogue Legacy, Hades, Dead Cells, etc.). --- Edit (2020-10-16): I originally wrote this review when I had 30-ish hours. I'm at 70 hours now and I figured it's worth noting that my sentiments on the game have not changed. Also, since my original review the first couple levels have had the mob spawns tweaked, so it's a little more forgiving. Personally I haven't noticed the tweaks much, but it's likely simply because I've gotten good enough that the first biome isn't nearly as challenging as it was upon release.