Spelunky 2

 

Release: 2020

Developer/Publisher: Mossmouth (Derek Yu)

Gameplay Stats: 46 hours, 23/32 achievements, 2 hard endings

Spelunky 2 is finally here! Can it possibly be as great as the first one?? It's definitely got big shoes to fill!

Visuals: Despite the game being extremely similar to the original game, they did change the art style quite a bit. It is probably the most contentious change from my understanding. It did take a little getting used to, but I really like the new art style more than the old one. This one seems to have higher contrast which I think makes the screen actually more readable. I can't really say that this game is pushing any visual boundaries, so I think saying that the screen is easily/quickly readable is probably the highest compliment I can give here. Another nice thing is the little custom animations that each character has. They look a bit different standing on edges and the ropes are unique too.

Audio: Nothing but jams from start to finish. I do kind of miss the old Wet Fur music, but the new Wet Fur music is also great. The Dwelling, the first part of the game, might have the second best music which is really good because you will spend a lot of time there, particularly on your first few dozen runs. The sound effects are good as well apart from the spiders in the Jungle sounding a little too similar to the Udjat Eye. That little issue is very minor since the Eye has a visual component to follow as well this time around.

Plot: Find mysteries and make that money! The plot Spelunky 2 is out of this world! Mostly because it takes place on the moon. This game really isn't about the plot, so no worries in this department. If someone comes in expecting a long, complicated narrative they were sold a bill of goods.

Gameplay: Once again, this is where this game shines. The game has pretty straight forward controls and I really did feel like the vast majority of errors were my own fault. Sometimes objects bounce differently than you would expect at first, but they are consistent so you can learn. Completing the game for me the first time (easy ending) took about 45 minutes, but I have since seen a speedrun of that same path that look 3 minutes. I don't think that would be possible if the game controlled poorly! Or inconsistently anyway. I do kind of wish that picking up and putting down items could be bound to a different button than [down + attack], but that might change the game too much.

I really think this game is a beautiful work of design, much like the first one. This one dials up the formula by adding some branching paths and even more secrets to uncover! I am certain that I will spend more time with this game and I'm quite excited to see what Derek Yu's next game will be. [9/10]