''Spelunky 2'' is a 2020

platform video game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

developed by Mossmouth and

BlitWorks BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez (video game), ''Fez'', ''Sonic CD'', ''Jet Set Radio'', ''Super Meat Boy'', Bastion (video gam ...

. It is the sequel to ''

Spelunky ''Spelunky'' is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platfo ...

'' (2008) and was released for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

in September 2020, for

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

in August 2021, and for

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...

in January 2022. The game received critical acclaim upon release.

Gameplay

Like its predecessor, ''Spelunky 2'' is a 2D

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

. In the game, the player assumes control of Ana, the daughter of the explorer from the first game, who visits the Moon in order to find her missing parents. In the game, Ana must navigate deadly caves filled with hostile enemies and traps to collect treasures. When Ana dies, she will have to start from the beginning of the game and lose all of her items, and the game is rearranged through

procedural generation In computing, procedural generation is a method of creating data algorithmically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination of human-generated assets and algorithms coupled with computer-generated randomness and processing power. In ...

to present new challenges and paths. Each level also features several layers which can be explored by the player. New areas, such as the lava-themed Volcana, are introduced. The game features a new liquid

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

system, in which fluid will flow naturally throughout a level. In addition, the game introduces new monsters, traps, and ridable mounts. The game also supports four-player

online multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

, with the introduction of both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.

Development

Derek Yu Derek Yu is an American independent video game designer, video game artist, and blogger.BlitWorks BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez (video game), ''Fez'', ''Sonic CD'', ''Jet Set Radio'', ''Super Meat Boy'', Bastion (video gam ...

, the developer of the PlayStation ports of the first game, for the game's programming. Yu needed to outsource the game's development to BlitWorks because of the sequel's larger scope. Yu intentionally ensured that the game would not be radically different from the first ''Spelunky'' as he felt that sequels should be "extensions of the previous games", and that fans of the first game would feel like they are playing a "continuation". New features were added to the game, while the original gameplay loop was refined and remixed. Yu strived to create a game world that feels like a "living, breathing place" in order to keep new players engaged. To achieve this, he added a lot of lore and backstory for the world and the characters. The story, which focuses on the themes of family and kinship, is mostly delivered through journal articles in the game's world and the Base Camp where Ana can interact with the characters she has encountered during her adventure.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...

announced the game at Paris Games Week in October 2017. Initially set to be released in 2019, Yu announced that the game would be delayed to 2020 in August 2019 as development required more time. The game was released for

on September 15, 2020, and for

on September 29, 2020. During the

Indie World Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentation or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began i ...

presentation in December 2020, it was announced that the game was set to be release for the

in mid-2021. It later released on August 26, 2021, along with the first ''Spelunky'' game. A version for

and

was released on January 13, 2022, and also available as part of

Xbox Game Pass Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are video game subscription services from Microsoft. Both services grant users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, for ...

Reception

The game received generally favorable reviews when it was released, according to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, with an average score of 87. The PC version received critical acclaim, with an average score of 91. Writing for

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

, William Hughes praised how the game embraced the success of the original game and seamlessly incorporated new features such as the turkey mounting system. Chris Plante, in his review for

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...

, praised the game as an improvement on its predecessor and said "everything is just a little different, another stroke that proves perfection is imperfect". Mitchell Saltzman of IGN called the game "a masterpiece that improves upon its predecessor in ways I never even would have imagined". It was nominated for Best Indie at

The Game Awards 2020 The Game Awards 2020 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2020. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, and took place on December 10, 2020. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Unlike previous Game Awards, ...

References

{{Reflist 2020 video games Video game sequels Video games developed in Spain Video games developed in the United States Multiplayer and single-player video games Roguelike video games Video games using procedural generation Windows games PlayStation 4 games Video games set on the Moon Video games featuring female protagonists Platform games Nintendo Switch games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games Video games designed by Derek Yu BlitWorks games