You still use jumps, ropes and bombs to navigate your way through its deadly terrain. Despite taking place on the moon, with you assuming control of the daughter of the first game's protagonist, you still descend into a world of procedurally generated biomes.

Spelunky 2 is much more similar to Spelunky 1 than I imagined it would be. I won't talk about a lot of the new enemies and environments however, to keep spoilers to a minimum.) (I'm going to discuss elements from World 1 of Spelunky, and some changes to the game's structure that have been previously revealed via its marketing. I had forgotten what years of practice had stripped away from the experience of playing Spelunky. In its daily challenge mode in particular, which offers a single chance per day to play the same set of generated levels as everyone else, Spelunky is my daily cup of coffee. Procedurally generated levels, permadeath, predictable enemies in combination, they can make me feel tense, excited, elated, but they were also comforting. This is because, after twelve years of steady play, Spelunky's systems feel less like something poked and prodded on a screen than tools I use to make myself feel a particular way. If it had a fancier strap and more cogs, at best, I'd still just be hoping that it told me the correct time.

Spelunky 1 felt so precision engineered, so complete, so perfect, that the announcement of Spelunky 2 seemed like the reveal of a new wrist watch. The first is relatively easy to unlock, but the others could take many hours of play.A fantastic sequel which expands on the original roguelike platformer with more of the same: new enemies to leap on, new traps to be killed by, and new mysteries to unravel. Though the game resets every time you die, the one exception is that you can earn shortcuts over time that let you begin from further on in the game. The game doesn't get easier, or your character more powerful - levels are built of the same component parts every time - it's just that your knowledge and capabilities grow, which is a great feeling. Having to start all over again can be a letdown, especially if you've made it a long way or have obtained something special you're not done playing with, but it's incredible to find that over time you can make it consistently further and further. I've even been bashed by a gang of zombies and vampires when I accidentally exploded a satanic shrine while trying to sacrifice a dead body. I've been eaten by plants while running from a caveman who was angry I stole the pot he was holding. I've been shot by a vengeful shopkeeper after a lizard I skillfully dodged rolled into his store and upset his merchandise. It helps that your demise is often very funny and unexpected. Ladybirds, witch doctors, axolotls, robots every new element you see is both an object of wonder and an unpredictable herald of death.

And just when you start to feel comfortable you progress to a new area, with wholly new elements, and suddenly you're afraid of everything again.

When you're in familiar areas, you're afraid the collection of deadly dangers around you will be organised in such a way that creates an unstoppable chain reaction of doom. Everything can kill you so easily, and often in ways you can barely understand, that it's tough to feel in control at all. Not since the original Spelunky have I been so enamoured with a game that produces almost constant fear.

Spelunky 2 review