Spelunky 2

Spelunky 2 picks up directly from the original — the same trap-laden, procedural, brutally fair cave system — and expands it in nearly every dimension. The next generation of explorers has reached the Moon in search of treasure and missing family, and the world they're descending through is denser, more interactive and weirder than the one their predecessors mapped.

The most structural change is the addition of a second layer behind the standard playfield. Levels now have a back layer that can contain treasure rooms, hidden passages and other rare spaces — exploration in Spelunky 2 has a third dimension folded into its 2D platforming. Branching paths through the campaign give multiple routes to the end, mounts (yes, including turkeys) provide special abilities to whoever — or whatever — rides them, and enemies can ride them too.

Dynamic liquid physics drive new challenges. Water and lava now flow and pour realistically, changing the playfield in ways that affect both you and the AI. Deadly poison and curses can be inflicted on players and enemies alike. Variations on classic Spelunky mechanics — shops, ghosts, the standard tools of staying alive — have been altered enough that veterans of the first game need to relearn strategies they thought they had memorized.

Base Camp, the hub between runs, is now a small persistent community. Unlocked characters mill about offering advice; the camp expands as you play; shortcuts and a safe practice area make returning to the surface meaningful. The game's deeper mysteries are designed to require collective effort to unravel — Spelunky 2 is built as much for community-wide investigation as for individual mastery. Possibly more eggplants.