Spelunky 2 patch tweaks the Olmec boss fight
He's kiiiinnda easier, but also kiiiinda harder
It's no secret that Spelunky 2 is pretty difficult - heck, just read one of Graham's many Daily Deaths to get an idea of why. It's good, then, that the roguelike platformer's latest patch has made it so players die a little less frequently, by making it harder for physics to crush you. Not everything in this update is designed to help you out, though, because the biggest tweaks might actually make the Olmec boss fight a bit harder.
Patch 1.15.0 alters Olmec so that during his second phase he'll only throw bombs at you if you're below him. While this might seem like it makes him easier, it actually put you at greater risk of being hit. The previous strategy for this fight was to ride on his head for ages because the explosioves couldn't hit you. Graham tells me this was kinda boring, though, and this change means you actually have to engage with the fight more now. The trade-off for this is that Olmec's floaters (the little jets in the air that keep him aloft) have been reduced from 3HP to just 1HP, so they're much easier to take down.
Other more notable changes from the patch notes include:
- Physics should no longer crush the player as easily as before
- Trying to quickly pick something up should now be more responsive
- Bombs can now be tossed while the player is holding one in their hands
- Players can now grab ladders and ropes while attacking
- Fixed Vlad's cape behavior on the quicksands
- Dismounting in the air after the mount's second jump while wearing Vlad's Cape won't make the mount jump a third time
- Black Market items are now sold at base price (cheaper)
That's just the cream of the crop, though. Loads more fixes and quality of life changes have been added in this patch, do take a look at those notes yourself if you want more details.
The Spelunky devs Mossmouth have updated the game in the past to make it a little easier. Just last month, they pushed out an update with a few small changes to some monster and trap spawn chances.
In Graham's Spelunky 2 review he says: "Spelunky 2 makes Spelunky new again: a fancier strap, more cogs, a cuckoo popping out from a hidden compartment on the hour. The correct time, as delightful as the first time I learned to tell it."
If you're struggling with this tough Indiana Jones-like roguelike, we have some Spelunky 2 guides that might help.