Spelunky 2

 PC
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Eurogamer
    Sep 14, 2020
    A legendary game gets a legendary sequel. [Eurogamer Essential]
  2. Polygon
    Sep 14, 2020
    You know when you finish a movie or book or game you love, and you wish you could experience it again for the first time? That’s what it has felt like to play Spelunky 2. I get to play my favorite game for the first time all over again. This isn’t a sequel. It’s yet another chance to play Spelunky with fresh eyes; everything is just a little different, another stroke that proves perfection is imperfect. Even the best can get better. [Polygon Recommends]
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Sep 29, 2020
    Spelunky 2 has fully replaced Spelunky 1 for me. In playing it, I have been tense, I have been excited, I have been elated. I have also rediscovered the joys of being lost, uncertain, and surprised. Spelunky 2 makes Spelunky new again: a fancier strap, more cogs, a cuckoo popping out from a hidden compartment on the hour. The correct time, as delightful as the first time I learned to tell it. [RPS Bestest Bests]

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2020
62
#62 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 162 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 94 out of 162
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 162
  3. Negative: 40 out of 162
  1. Ganerumo
    Oct 11, 2020
    4
    Inferior to the first game in every way. Unless you've played a thousand hours of the first title and have seen all that it has to offer andInferior to the first game in every way. Unless you've played a thousand hours of the first title and have seen all that it has to offer and somehow don't want to delve into modding, Spelunky 2 has nothing to offer that will please a new or old player. Its design overall is less fine-tuned, feels more amateurish and far less coherent. The game is much harder than the first yet forces you to retread areas of the first game, which combined with the difficulty means that 90% of your Spelunky 2 runs will feel like Spelunky 1, with very little else that's changed besides worse level generation.… Full Review »
  2. RocketRon
    Oct 2, 2020
    0
    Heading into Spelunky 2 off the back of hundreds of hours of HD has been great fun and I love a lot of the new mechanics and features, the newHeading into Spelunky 2 off the back of hundreds of hours of HD has been great fun and I love a lot of the new mechanics and features, the new shops, optional quests, the back layer, fluid physics etc but I feel like your average person won't find enjoyment from Spelunky 2 for reasons I will detail below.
    Dwelling, the first stage. I'll split these issues into 3 categories

    1/3 Formulaic progression from 1:1 to 1:4
    This area is absolutely far too busy and more often than not is extremely unfun and unrewarding. 1:1-1:4 is practically the same everytime save you may find an alter or dark level, and the Key/Yang optional quest may alternate between 1:2 and 1:3. For a game like spelunky this repeating formulae doesn't work and results in very boring, time consuming gameplay which honestly just feels like a chore. I realise the turkeys are optional but the health they give for blowing them up is pretty important considering the difficulty of Dwelling. The further levels do not have this issue really at all. The Quillback fight is incredibly repetitive once you've done it a few times and doesn't need to be a guaranteed event.

    2/3 Resource rarity and too resource consuming:
    The terrain generation on dwelling is extremely punishing in that you practically have to use all your resources to get around, there's many areas where it's completely impossible to scale back up the level without sacrificing ropes. it's not uncommon to have to use 2 ropes and a bomb or two to get Udjat eye. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if crates weren't so rare. It feels like there's maybe a quarter of the crates you got in this level's equivalent in Spelunky HD and even then crates weren't incredibly common. This wouldn't be a problem (and isn't) if this type of resource consuming level generation was saved for later in the game when you have established a run with resources to spare.

    3/3 The sheer amount of mobs, arrow traps + moles and lizards
    Dwelling practically plays out like a Spelunky HD Frozlunky Sashavole generation mod, you'll know what I mean if you've played it. The amount of mobs you can see at any one point in the area is far too high, especially considering the moles which have 3 health and can move through blocks + the lizards which also have 3 health and whilst aren't terribly hard to avoid are still very time consuming and frustrating to deal with. I don't know why Derek/The development team decided to add 2 new mobs which both have 3 health as it breaks down the pacing of this first stage quite a bit. On top of this, moles seem to have iframes when moving in and out of blocks (I've not tried with explosives as bombs are precious on the first area). On top of this there's also an insane amount of arrow traps, it's not uncommon to see 2 arrow traps pointing directly in the area of your spawn from the getgo, and there's plenty of traps which cannot be dealt with via arrow whipping due to their placement which further breaks the pacing as you have to go find an item to set them off.

    Also, the music for Dwelling is incredibly grating and disappointing when compared to Spelunly HD's first area's 3 great songs

    The culmination of all these things makes the first area game a complete slog and will definitely put off would-be new players.

    Post-Dwelling

    Once you're past the first area the game is actually incredibly fun, Jungle and Volcana are both equally interesting areas. They both have lots of variation and extra flair added to them. Volcana having dead are restless, dark and the factory variations which are rare and exciting to come across + Vlad's castle and the Jungle having dead are restless, dark + the black market and any other variations I've not yet seen. and fun challenging mobs without being overbearing (moles, lizards)

    The Olmec fight is okay, it's kind of silly that on the second stage you practically just AFK whilst he destroys the level so you can decide if you want to go to temple or tide pool, but it's okay and i appreciate olmec is kind of a nice homage to the first game if anything even if the fight isn't great.

    From my experience Tide Pool, Ice Caves and Babylon are all good zones although I think Babylon's mobs are a little bit boring mechanically even if their artwork is awesome, I've not played enough of temple to comment. Although except for maybe temple all of the zones are far more laid back than the that is dwelling and it causes the games' overall progression to feel disjointed and weird as the game is seemingly getting easier from the first area.

    The problem with all these great zones and pieces of content is that when you die (and you will die a lot) you are sent back to the insanely grating and unfun first zone which really kills motivation to play in general for me. I generally am more upset over having to play on dwelling again than I am about losing all my gear and progress. However I do appreciate the game has only been out for a few days and there is a ce    … Full Review »
  3. DudeLove
    Oct 21, 2020
    2
    I have to start off by saying that I loved the first Spelunky; it's probably in my list of top 5 favorite games. I've put in a couple hours atI have to start off by saying that I loved the first Spelunky; it's probably in my list of top 5 favorite games. I've put in a couple hours at this point and I've gotten to 2-1, and it's just so very "meh" when you compare it to the first game.

    Pros:

    Quality of life improvements, as the game supports much higher resolution and frames per second than the first, graphics are detailed and interesting. You can also grab onto ledges.

    Cons:

    The ghost now moves MUCH faster and can split into multiple ghosts. In the first game, the ghost felt like a super-powerful but super-stupid force of nature. You had to be careful, but you could control it for vast profit once you got good enough. The areas I've been in feel more cramped than the first, so unless you have a jetpack I really don't see how you can kite the ghost around.

    More items are now flammable, including bomb packs, which makes fighting the merchants much harder (though it does make sense)

    Feels like there are more enemies and traps, and another layer to get down in each level, but the same amount of time as the first game.

    I know a lot of people are really enjoying this game, but it feels like a real let down. I'm still trying to like it because of how much I liked the first game, but it's an effort when it really shouldn't be.    … Full Review »
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