If there's a description I would give to describe the gameplay of Spelunky 2, it would be "perfectly balanced chaos". That phrase is a major contradiction, but so were my initial feelings on the game when it first released. I had a lot of fun in those first few hours. I also absolutely hated the game and how it would ruthlessly kick my ass at every turn without mercy. I liked the first game, but I was never a huge fan of it, and much like the first game, it felt needlessly difficult.

But at a certain point, my opinion shifted completely.

It's hard to say when exactly my opinion shifted, but if I had to pinpoint it, it was after completing my first normal run. At a very fundamental level, games can fall under four different categories:

• Easy to learn, easy to master.
  
• Easy to learn, hard to master.
  
• Hard to learn, easy to master.
  
• Hard to learn, hard to master.

I used to think that out of these four options, "easy to learn, hard to master" was the best that a game should strive for, but after playing Spelunky 2 I realise that "hard to learn, hard to master" can be just as incredible. Whilst a game that is "easy to learn, hard to master" is great, only the speedrunning crowd will really care about that "hard to master" aspect of the game. Spelunky 2 forces you to master it as a mere means of surivival in its unforgiving world. Every tip and trick you find will be useful for all kinds of playthroughs - not just speedrunning. You begin to realise that you probably shouldn't risk life and limb to grab every little piece of gold. You figure out how to manipulate the shopkeepers to your advantage. You find the most optimal way to kill enemies and bosses.

And as you keep playing, hidden mechanics and details begin to reveal and unravel themselves to you in a natural, organic way, all through its gameplay. You begin to work out the best ways to use your bombs, ropes, and whip. You find out how to access secret areas you didn't even know existed. You figure out ways to skip entire sections of the game.

Unlike roguelikes such as The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, you don't unlock items, new areas, or anything that changes the gameplay in Spelunky 2. In Spelunky 2, everything has been there from the start, and the only thing that has progressed is your own skill. Where most roguelikes focus on synergies between the items you collect in a playthrough, Spelunky 2's focus is on the synergies between enemies, the environment, and the player. A trap roguelikes can fall into by focusing on item synergy is making the player horribly overpowered, or so underpowered that the run is over by no fault of the player. In Spelunky 2 this rarely happens due to the low item list: Each item is unique from each other, balanced with advantages and disadvantages, and often have one or two uses that are not immediately obvious to player. This adds so much depth that a game with 300+ items can feel shallow in comparison to Spelunky 2's well-crafted list of around 50 items.

To go into details on the incredible secrets and the little details that Spelunky 2 hides would be a disservice to the game. If you think you have what it takes to tackle what is a very difficult platformer I highly recommend Spelunky 2. As I discovered just how deep the rabbit hole goes in terms of its mechanics, my opinion changed from thinking of Spelunky 2 as a good game, to a great game, and then - finally - to perhaps my favourite game of all time. There aren't many games which come close to its genius, and its last challenge is so insane that I'll probably be playing this Kali-forsaken game for many years to come.

10/10

[h1]One of the Greatest Video Games of All Time[/h1] If there's a description I would give to describe the gameplay of Spelunky 2, it would be "perfectly balanced chaos". That phrase is a major contradiction, but so were my initial feelings on the game when it first released. I had a lot of fun in those first few hours. I also absolutely hated the game and how it would ruthlessly kick my ass at every turn without mercy. I liked the first game, but I was never a huge fan of it, and much like the first game, it felt needlessly difficult. But at a certain point, my opinion shifted completely. It's hard to say when exactly my opinion shifted, but if I had to pinpoint it, it was after completing my first normal run. At a [i]very[/i] fundamental level, games can fall under four different categories: [list] [*] Easy to learn, easy to master. [*] Easy to learn, hard to master. [*] Hard to learn, easy to master. [*] Hard to learn, hard to master. [/list] I used to think that out of these four options, "easy to learn, hard to master" was the best that a game should strive for, but after playing Spelunky 2 I realise that "hard to learn, hard to master" can be just as incredible. Whilst a game that is "easy to learn, hard to master" is great, only the speedrunning crowd will really care about that "hard to master" aspect of the game. Spelunky 2 forces you to master it as a mere means of surivival in its unforgiving world. Every tip and trick you find will be useful for all kinds of playthroughs - not just speedrunning. You begin to realise that you probably shouldn't risk life and limb to grab every little piece of gold. You figure out how to manipulate the shopkeepers to your advantage. You find the most optimal way to kill enemies and bosses. And as you keep playing, hidden mechanics and details begin to reveal and unravel themselves to you in a natural, organic way, all through its gameplay. You begin to work out the best ways to use your bombs, ropes, and whip. You find out how to access secret areas you didn't even know existed. You figure out ways to skip entire sections of the game. Unlike roguelikes such as The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, you don't unlock items, new areas, or anything that changes the gameplay in Spelunky 2. In Spelunky 2, everything has been there from the start, and the only thing that has progressed is your own skill. Where most roguelikes focus on synergies between the items you collect in a playthrough, Spelunky 2's focus is on the synergies between enemies, the environment, and the player. A trap roguelikes can fall into by focusing on item synergy is making the player horribly overpowered, or so underpowered that the run is over by no fault of the player. In Spelunky 2 this rarely happens due to the low item list: Each item is unique from each other, balanced with advantages and disadvantages, and often have one or two uses that are not immediately obvious to player. This adds so much depth that a game with 300+ items can feel shallow in comparison to Spelunky 2's well-crafted list of around 50 items. To go into details on the incredible secrets and the little details that Spelunky 2 hides would be a disservice to the game. If you think you have what it takes to tackle what is a [i]very[/i] difficult platformer I highly recommend Spelunky 2. As I discovered just how deep the rabbit hole goes in terms of its mechanics, my opinion changed from thinking of Spelunky 2 as a good game, to a great game, and then - finally - to perhaps my favourite game of all time. There aren't many games which come close to its genius, and its last challenge is so insane that I'll probably be playing this Kali-forsaken game for many years to come. 10/10