Back in September, Mossmouth and BlitWorks' Spelunky 2 launched on PlayStation 4 and PC. Now, the challenging roguelike platformer sequel has been announced for a Summer 2021 launch on Nintendo Switch alongside the original game. The first Spelunky initially launched in 2008 as freeware for PC. It then went on to receive an enhanced remake for Xbox 360, which was ported to other consoles and back to PC. This upcoming release will mark the first time a Spelunky game is available on a Nintendo platform.
Both Spelunky games released to critical acclaim, with many critics praising Spelunky 2 for embracing the original while still making improvements. However, as much as critics enjoyed the game, some felt that it played it a little too safe, feeling more like an expansion than a true sequel. Here's what they have to say.
Christian Donlan, Eurogamer: "If you're not coming from Spelunky 1, all you need to know is that this is a brilliant 2D platforming game about exploring deadly caves, and the game jumbles the layouts every time you play, while keeping certain elements the same...If you are coming from Spelunky 1 you will be right at home: same sense of character weight, same controls, same basic starting gadgets in the form of ropes and bombs and a whip. Same goal: move downwards from level to level. Same bats. Same spiders. Same snakes. So much is the same."
Chris Plante, Polygon: "The goal of Spelunky isn't to beat the game, anyway. The goal is to understand its world. You discover how to use everything in the room and, in turn, how to survive it. Each session ideally lasts a little longer than the last. Five minutes. Six minutes. Then 15 minutes. You make progress, die, lose every upgrade and item, then restart with nothing more than what you learned along the way... 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."
William Hughes, The A.V. Club: "The early moments of Spelunky 2, which drop you into a cave full of familiar snakes, traps, and trigger-happy shopkeepers, is so similar to the opening levels of the first game that you half-expect someone to accuse creator Derek Yu of self-plagiarism. It's only after you've spent some time with Spelunky 2 -- dying god knows how many silly Rube Goldberg machine deaths in the process -- that the elegance of its expansion on the original game becomes clear."
Mitchell Saltzman, IGN: "The important thing to note, though, is that the difficulty is not due to a reliance on twitch reflexes, ridiculously tough enemies, complex boss battles or anything along those lines. Every enemy, trap, and hazard has a very simple cause and effect or behavior to it that you just have to learn to understand...Unlike other difficult 2D platformers, like Super Meat Boy or Celeste for example, that often rely on elements of trial and error, muscle memory, and/or memorization, Spelunky 2's difficulty is derived from the improvisation needed to be able to handle these predictable hazards getting thrown at you in unpredictable ways. It's a unique brand of difficulty that's exceptionally satisfying to overcome and always feels fair."
Chris Carter, Destructoid: "Spelunky 2 is more Spelunky. It doesn't wildly reinvent the formula, and even brings back a lot of the same hazards and enemies that tormented you the first time around. But it innovates ever so slightly in so many ways to help give this sequel its own life. Either way, it sucked me back in."
Shubhankar Parijat, GamingBolt: "On one hand, Spelunky 2 offers the same tight platforming and addictive gameplay that its predecessor did, and by not trying to rewrite any of its most fundamental rules, it ensures that if you liked the first game, there’s no way you won't enjoy the second. At the same time though, the lack of ambition feels a little disappointing, especially because the changes Spelunky 2 does make are some of its best elements, and I can't shake the feeling that more of that would have elevated this great game into an even better one."
Brian Shea, Game Informer: "Despite the many times I've yelled as my character's body bounces around like a pinball...Spelunky 2 is unceasingly fun. Maintaining the same formula as its predecessor, the engaging roguelike action-platformer drops you into a procedurally generated cave system and dares you to get further than you did last time. The engrossing difficulty and randomization of the world effectively combines with that very desire to do better, providing the drive to take on another round...The procedural generation provides nearly endless levels to play through, and the distinct worlds introduce new elements and challenges to keep the experience fresh as you progress deeper into the caves."
Shaun Prescott, PC Gamer: "It's hard to make a call on whether Spelunky 2 is better than Spelunky. Spelunky was already the best. This sequel provides a clean slate for secret hunters and speedrunners, and it's a game designed as much to be spectated as it is to be played. It's less a sequel and more a 2.0: a place for newcomers to start that’s also swollen with mysteries and feats for veterans to tackle. A part of me wonders what its creators could have done instead of make this sequel, which is effectively an iteration."
Riley MacLeod, Kotaku: "One of the great pleasures of Spelunky is that, once you've seen something once, you always know how it works. Arrow traps will always trigger when you drop in front of them; bats will always move in their bizarrely terrifying diagonal; shopkeepers will always get pissed if you steal their stuff. The delight comes from how these things work together, how your actions will set off a chain reaction or how a new layout will make an enemy or hazard you usually breeze past a thrilling challenge. Spelunky 2 felt instantly familiar to me, while still making me curious how each run would go and what strange adventures I'd have in its levels...Instead of changing what makes Spelunky so great, Spelunky 2 adds more to it."