This exaggerated difficulty is precisely the fun of the game. It doesn’t matter how much you think you know; you aren’t going to win quickly. In fact, although many of the mechanics and skills you may have learnt in the first game will be useful, others may lead you straight into a trap. So, to make your experience bearable, here are some basic tips for this title from Mossmouth.
Carry rocks
There are many weapons and items that will help you in Spelunky 2, but they all take a while to show up. So rocks are very useful. Even a skull will work. Rocks are better because they are indestructible, but skulls work, too. Almost any item you can pick up safely will help you trigger traps, above all the arrow traps. They’re also good for throwing at enemies, although you have to be careful that they don’t bounce back and hit you on the head because they can stun or kill you.
Careful where you fall
This is pretty simple, really. In Spelunky it is all about moving downward without dying, so before dropping onto a spot it’s important to know what’s under you. On most platforms, this isn’t always an option. Here, if you hold down the down button, you should get a better view of what’s underneath you.
Use your head when blowing things up
No, we don’t mean to actually use your head as a bomb. But don’t set one off unless it is safe and necessary. You’ll learn how the terrain responds to an explosion as you go, but always have a fast escape route in mind. To start off, here you need a bit of knowledge: an explosion near a lava pit will make it flow down and to the sides, and it kills. Try not to blow anything up near the shopkeepers because they’ll get mad and come after you. Throwing bombs takes practice. Remember that they’ll often bounce back and explode in your face.
Rescue pets but be careful taming mounts
Dogs, cats and hamsters will give you life if you can get to the exit with them. They aren’t the only friendly animals in Spelunky 2: there are also turkeys, axolotls and rock dogs. You can mount these but before you fully tame them, they will run around like chickens with their heads cut off for a few seconds. This tends to be worth it because they give you access to the double jump and absorb damage. Rock dogs can even shoot fire. But be careful with the rock dogs. Before you tame them, they’ll turn their fire on you.
Experiment
It’s unlikely that you’ll finish Spelunky 2 quickly, and even less if it’s your first time. So play like you have nothing to lose (it’s a game, so except for a few hours you won’t lose anything), this way it will be more fun and you’ll learn much faster. Purchase rare items to see what they do; roll the giant dice; if you don’t know what something will do, it will probably kill you; but you’ll learn as you go. Knowing what each thing does and how the game works, in general, is essential.
