Spelunky 2 Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Turkey Mount, Liquid Physics

Spelunky is often mentioned when discussing perfect games. It’s just so well rounded and complete that it’s almost impossible to find a fault in it. Which is why everyone was surprised to hear Derek Yu and co. were working on a sequel. It’s been only a couple of months since the announcement, but now we have a gameplay trailer to gawk at. It’s pretty short, but it’s filled to the brim with new stuff.

If you’ve played the first game, you will immediately spot a bunch of new traps, new environments and remixed enemies. As the player goes through the lava cave level, it’s all familiar but strange at the same time. At least until the moment they blow up the ceiling and a blob of lava drops down and start swishing around the level. Spelunky 2 has liquid physics, obviously, and that’s a pretty big thing. I’m a bit sceptic about it – the player was presented with near-perfect information in the first game, and after learning the systems, you could almost always predict how the game’s elements would clash. It’ll be interesting to see how liquid fits into that philosophy, but I’m also scared it might usher a more chaotic approach.

There are new weapons, like the bow and arrow or the cloning gun, mounts (a turkey and a dog-thing), as well as new playable characters (Ana Spelunky, Margaret Tunnel and a sloth with a pompadour). Each map in the sequel will have two layers. Switching between them will be possible after you’ve found the entrance, which will sometimes be hidden.

A big part of the sequel’s appeal is the online multiplayer. The first game was restricted to local, but this time you’ll be able to play with friends across the globe. The end of the trailer reveals Spelunky 2’s release is planned for 2019.