Spelunky 2 might make the early levels easier, just a bit

Though Spleunky 2 is not an easy game nor a kind game, it doesn't actually hate you - the roguelikelike platformer just wants you to improve and become all you can be. The developers aren't monsters. In fact, they're planning to make the first set of levels, in the Dwelling biome, a little friendlier by tweaking the numbers of traps and baddies. Perhaps soon you'll stop waking up from nightmares stricken with the fear that a mole has burrowed into your bed and is coming to boop you.

"Yes, we hear you loud and clear! You LOVE MOLES and you want to see more of them! MORE MOLES! MORE MOLES!" designer Derek Yu said in last night's post.

"Just kidding! We know Dwelling is causing players frustration and I think there's some fair criticism there, so we're testing some changes to the spawn rates of enemies and traps, particularly in 1-1 and 1-2. Some tweaks to 1-4 should make it more interesting, as well! Look for those changes to arrive in a patch some time soon."

But he does swap back to tough love as he notes that some players seem to be caught up in trying to kill everything, when they could learn to dodge foes or even use them to their advantage. "If you're having trouble getting out of the first area, try some new strategies!"

He also acknowledged the common complaint about "having to wait for the lava during a certain sequence in Volcana", tersely avoiding spoiling the surprise, and says they plan to look into it but "can't say if/how it will get addressed." Spelunky is, after all, not your friend.

"In general, we have to be somewhat careful about how we go about changing the game based on player feedback," Yu said. "Ultimately, Spelunky is a game that is designed to have some sharp edges in it, and there's always the risk of removing fun along with the frustration."

He also noted that they're still working on online cooperative multiplayer, which was wonky when the game debuted on PS4 and so was left out from the initial PC launch. In particular, they want to deploy more regional servers so folks in Australia and South America can have a better time. And yup, online Arena deathmatch is planned too, though it'll come after co-op.

Our resident caveman, Graham called the game "a worthy successor to a classic" in his Spelunky 2 review. He's been playing Spelunky 2's Daily Challenges and yep, his latest demonstrated that those moles can make the first few levels frustrating even for a veteran: