Spelunky 2 Review, available on PS4 and PC. We can affirm without fear of being wrong that it is the most difficult video game of the decade. And what a wonder!
Spelunky Reviews 2
A lot has happened since the launch of Spelunky HD in 2012 (here you can read the Reviews written at the time by our colleague Salva Fernández). But more has rained still since the launch of the original Spelunky, back in 2008. A dozen years later, in September 2020, we get Spelunky 2, a priori exclusive title on PlayStation 4 consoles, whose version is available for a couple of weeks before on PC. First of all, we want to tell you that the headline is not clickbait at all. Whoever writes these lines has seen and played a lot, and has also spent many hours on Spelunky on Xbox 360, achieving all his achievements. And this second part takes the original formula and twists it in such a way that the result is the most difficult video game not only of all 2020, but of the entire decade. There is nothing.
Spelunky 2 Review – Sadism Made Video Game
Don’t be fooled by the nice tutorial; you are about to live a real hell
“More, and also better.” With this concise phrase we could summarize, in general lines, what Spelunky 2 has seemed to us. This title takes everything that made its predecessor great, and, refining the formula even more if possible, takes it to a new level.
Let’s get down to business. Spelunky 2 is, like the original, a video game that mixes several genres; In essence it is a roguelike (random generation of levels and positioning of objects, dangers and enemies, permanent death) but with the presentation and the 2D platform game system. The scenarios, made up of modules, and always generated at random, follow a series of rules, the main one being that it is possible to get from the beginning of a level to its end following a “logical” path, without having to break through destroying the stage.
During the game we come across shopkeepers, whose objects we can buy … or loot
Again, Spelunky 2 is about the latter that we discussed; We enter areas full of dangers, in which the objective is always to reach the exit of the level, located several floors below where we begin each scenario. The grace of the game is precisely that, given the intrinsic randomness of the genre, there will never be two equal games, so its replay value is practically unlimited. If we die, and believe me, we will do it very often, it is time to start the adventure all over again from the beginning.
The game itself is “short” (in fact, there is a trophy for doing a speedrun and completing the game in less than ten minutes), like Spelunky, although with a very important nuance: every life is an experiment. Don’t we know what that new enemy or trap is doing? Most likely it will kill us, and we will learn the hard way, through much trial and even more error.
In Spelunky 2 there are many more areas, and more complex and difficult than in the original
What has surprised us the most for the good in this sequel are several of the new additions, such as improved fluid physics (the behavior of the lava added to the destruction of the stage is something to see), as well as a pathfinding (the ability of characters finding their way to their goal) devilishly accurate of certain AI-driven characters, such as fearsome shopkeepers when we piss them off, minions we can recruit to help us on the adventure, or machine-controlled enemies in competitive multiplayer modes. We also highlight the inclusion of a second face to the levels; there are doors that we can go through to go to the “back” of the stage, which practically makes them twice as long as before. Last but not least, the saddles are another important novelty: now we can ride on the back of animals that we find and that are as diverse as turkeys, axolotls or infernal dogs, each of them with their own abilities that will facilitate a little exploration.
Broadly speaking, as we say, it is more and better. There are many more areas, objects, characters and enemies than in the previous one. In addition, with regard to the new areas, another of the novelties of Spelunky 2 is the possibility of choosing which route we want to take. During the normal development of the adventure there are a couple of forks that will determine which areas we visit, each of them, effectively, with its own enemies, objects, and even secrets.
Spelunky 2: an artistic and technical marvel
The different areas of the game are very well differentiated from each other
At an artistic and visual level, Spelunky 2 is still one of the most beautiful video games to watch out there today. In this regard, it is still continuous compared to the previous title in the saga, but there is nothing to object because its aesthetic is unique. As in the original: it has been known to capture very well the pulp air that aims to capture the setting of the game: we are an explorer who enters a temple full of dangers and creatures of various mythologies and even aliens. The visual effects such as fire, explosions, and lighting in general are really good.
Best of all, within its context and limitations, the world created by Spelunky 2 has a very pure feeling of being very “organic” and having a life of its own. The creatures that populate the scenes go about their chores until they detect a player (or his minions), and then they get involved. And when there is action of all kinds on screen, performance does not suffer in the least. 60 stable FPS at all times on the PS4 version, which is the platform on which we have performed this Reviews.
Sacrificing animals and humans to the goddess Kali gives us juicy rewards, mainly in the form of objects that increase our health
Music and sound effects set the scene perfectly. The soundtrack, in addition to being good and varied, is dynamic, another novelty compared to the original. We will surely realize this at level 1-4, in whose entrance our character warns “You hear the sound of the drums …” and, when we get to the mini-chief of the area, indeed, the instruments of the theme that sounds have given I completely transition to a drum-only chorus. The sound effects, on the other hand, are really good, something completely essential in a title of these characteristics; Each creature and trap emits its own, so it helps a lot to keep us from dying (so much).
Spelunky 2: death lurks around every corner
Olmec returns to Spelunky 2, and he does it with a very interesting twist
Spelunky 2’s control is absolutely perfect. This is something necessary, since, as happens in titles like Super Meat Boy, every time we die, we have the feeling that it has been our fault for not being sufficiently aware of the stage and its dangers, and not because control has left us sold. In this regard, the only lapses or accidental deaths that may occur “due to control” are precisely those in which we have collected an object that modifies the behavior of our character, such as climbing gloves, which by default make us stay glued to the walls, or the teleporter, with which we will surely end up dying because we have teleported inside a wall.
Spelunky 2 is a video game that seems to have been designed to stress the gamer as much as possible. To the devilish difficulty of the game itself, we must add that we cannot take longer than necessary to complete the levels —this also happened in the previous one—; if we take too long, a ghost will appear to hunt us down and, if it touches us, it will kill us instantly. As such, it is indeed a niche video game, not recommended for all audiences.
The Egyptian setting returns to one of the worlds of Spelunky 2
To the normal adventure, which is the highlight of the game, we must add a cooperative mode for four players both in the same system and online; the original did not have the latter option. It is a very interesting addition because Spelunky and Spelunky 2 can boast of belonging to the club of “video games to lose friends with.” Of course, for obvious reasons, we recommend that, if you play the cooperative mode of Spelunky 2, you choose to do it on the same system. Online works well, but the very concept of the game means that, with the slightest delay between the players’ connections, the game is doomed to failure. Spelunky 2 requires perfection and a titanic effort to complete.
In addition to the cooperative, Spelunky 2 includes an Arena mode that, yes, is only local. Up to four players can spread tow among themselves on a handful of different maps with plenty of options for customizing matches, including the ability to fill empty player slots with AI-controlled opponents. It is a very interesting option both to refine our skills, and to settle the quarrels that are surely generated while we play cooperative mode.
Spelunky 2’s competitive multiplayer can lead to massive pits
Regarding the duration of the game, we stick to what we said above: it is a game designed to spend hours, hours, and more hours. Spelunky 2 requires that we learn and master each and every one of its game mechanics, as well as the behavior of elements such as traps and enemies. And when we think that we have the bull by the horns, some absurd death will come to us, for example, a badly calculated chain reaction of bombs, or a harmless blow from an enemy but that makes us fall into the void and die impaled on skewers. . At the time of writing this review we have had the decency to complete the game at least once, and to fill the diary (objects, enemies, areas visited …) by more than 50%.
We know that Spelunky 2 is bigger qualitatively and quantitatively than its predecessor, and the estimated time to unlock everything in the previous one is about 100 hours, so you can deduct for yourself the time you can dedicate to —trying — to carry out the same feat in this sequel.
Author’s note: this review could be written thanks to a download code for the game on PlayStation 4 provided by Mossmouth, developers of the game. All the screenshots that accompany the text have been taken by ourselves.
THE BEST
- Artistically flawless
- At the playable level it is perfect
- Virtually unlimited duration; no two games are alike
- Outstanding “couch” cooperative mode
- Knows how to reward skill; with so many deaths the feeling of victory when completing it is maximum
WORST
- Some scenarios are visually overloaded, which makes it difficult to detect hazards the first time we visit them
- In a couple of instances we have detected that there was no logical exit without using bombs / ropes to the next level, which forced us to restart the game
CONCLUSION
Spelunky 2 is a devilishly difficult video game, don’t be fooled by its “childish” aesthetic. Behind this childish facade is hidden a true indie gem that knows how to reward players with enough patience and skill to withstand the hardships it offers us. It is a very round sequel and a marvel as far as programming and level design are concerned. Some minor mistakes keep it from absolute excellence, although it is still an outstanding title.
Excellent
A benchmark title in its genre, which stands out above its competitors and that you will enjoy from start to finish, probably several times. A game destined to become a classic over the years.
