After dumping in many hours into the PS4 version prior to the release of the Steam one i can say this game is not for everyone but could be if everyone is willing to learn what Spelunky 2 is and what it has to offer.

Essentially in order to for me to get the most out of Spelunky 2, i had to put in the time to learn every mechanic, every monster attack pattern. Spelunky 2 is a game about intense learning. The way i look at every encounter is almost as a mini puzzle in itself. The game is unforgiving and does not hold back. The amount of obstacles in a claustrophobic area is daunting but when I manage to get through them i feel awesome.

I was a MASSIVE Spelunky HD fan. I played that game for years before I defeated the "Hard" ending. I've told many of my discord buddies about Spelunky and they all scoff. I tell them, if you love games, and you want to feel real accomplishment, pick up Spelunky.

Spelunky 2 brings back some familiar areas from HD and also all of the same items. However, they all feel massively tweaked and different. For instance the boomerang feels actually extremely useful. The jetpack is still amazing but now it has a FATAL flaw which makes choosing to proceed with it a hard decision in itself. That is just 2 items I've listed and i could go on and on. The way all these items and enemies as well as traps interact with each other can equal a glorious death, however frustrating it might be.

The Devs also put in branching paths, which makes the game feel incredibly open and replayable. If i don't feel like spelunking through the jungle I can take the new path. If i say "nope" to the temple I can go to a new place. It just feels fresh.

I've seen other reviewers saying the music isn't as great. I mean sure the slapping jazz track that played randomly in Ice Caves for Spelunky HD doesn't make a comeback but that doesn't mean the music is bad. The music is awesome and there is also dynamic sound design with many of the items. *Pick up the chest from the dwelling after you get the eye and throw it against the wall and you will hear some great dynamic sound design*

I think some of these folks that are complaining are people that got frustrated, this is a significantly harder game.

I myself was getting pretty upset at some points, it took me a week to beat the basic ending, so i do understand some of the frustration.

In conclusion:
Spelunky 2 is crafted with so much love it hurts. The amount of secrets and things to discover are literally out of this world. The amount of cool playable characters to collect is awesome. Derek and the rest of the Devs deserve awards and even more success. They have made a game that i will be playing for years. The stories and things that happen from run to run are some i will always remember and "beating" Spelunky 2 will always be one of my greatest gaming achievements in my 29 years on this planet.

P.S. i you haven't watched the Spelunky documentary head on over to YouTube and search Spelunky documentary. It was made by NoClip and its a great watch, not only to learn about Spelunky HD but also about game design in general.

P.S.S My apologizes if this is to long, i just LOVE this game.