This platforming roguelike pushes the original's unpredictability even further with liquid physics, mounts and branching biomes. Every death is your own fault, and that is exactly what makes each run so tense and addictive.
Your verdict
Category
Roguelike4 players7+
Co-op
Description
A descent into caves riddled with traps, monsters and treasure, never the same twice. Published by Mossmouth, released worldwide in 2021. Levels generated on every attempt, permanent death, unpredictable interactions and co-op for up to four.
Spelunky 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Each descent into these on-the-fly caverns becomes a theatre of unpredictable interactions, where traps, monsters and items combine in a thousand often-fatal ways. Death punishes hard, but the controls are so honest that every failure is your fault, which always pulls you back. The systemic richness outdoes its predecessor, at the cost of brutal demand. Not for everyone, but for the mastered roguelike, an intact benchmark.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Every descent spins a different story, scripted by a devilish blend of randomness and unpredictable physics. One misplaced bomb, an angry shopkeeper, a stray bat, and everything tumbles into glorious cascading chaos. Death stings but instantly rekindles the urge to master this deep system, where each run teaches you something genuinely new.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
A generated level, traps that forgive nothing, death in a split second: Spelunky 2 turns failure into a school. Every descent teaches the grammar of enemies, items and secret shortcuts, and your mastery climbs even when the run fails. You restart because you sense you grasped something new, all the way to hidden alternate worlds. Caution: the demand is real, and sudden deaths can discourage before the know-how takes hold.
At the end of each zone, formidable guardians crown a merciless level design where physics, traps and enemies intertwine. Memorizing their patterns while keeping your nerve in a world where everything can kill turns each encounter into a test of composure. The roguelike nature and hidden secrets add a layer of discovery that rewards mastery and daring.
Better with friends
Spelunky 2 works two angles for up to four players: cooperative descents where you try to survive together, and a purely competitive deathmatch arena. With friendly fire on, though, the line blurs fast: a misplaced bomb, an opportunistic betrayal, and chaos erupts amid general hilarity. Unpredictable to the last, it pulls you back in to replay the absurd scene that just had you crying with laughter.
Is Spelunky 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Spelunky 2 makes no concessions, and that is its signature. Every descent into these on-the-fly caverns becomes a stage for unpredictable interactions, where traps, monsters and items combine in a thousand often lethal ways. Permadeath punishes hard, yet the learning curve is so fair that you always come back. The game pushes systemic richness even further than its predecessor, at the cost of brutal difficulty. It is not for everyone, and frustration lurks. But for the connoisseur of finely tuned roguelikes, it remains an absolute reference, intact today.
