Spelunky 2 is already giving players a tough time with its punishing enemies and many environments looking to end a run at every corner. No matter where the player explores, there's always a trap or a horde of enemies looking to make sure the adventurous spelunkers have to start all the way from the beginning.
As was the norm for the first entry, a players initial encounter with Spelunky 2's enemies is a trial of patience and learning. It's often hard to tell exactly how a certain enemy is going to attack or act, and there are quite a few that can affect the player in more ways than simply chipping at the health counter, such as the curse and poison debuffs.
Poison can be administered a number of different ways. Some enemies, like the Tide Pool's Hermit Crab and armored Pangxie's, will spit out green bubbles that will poison the player on impact, while poison tipped arrows will do the same. Upon poisoning, the spelunker will turn a sickly green hue and begin losing one health for every 30 seconds. If the Tide Pool is giving the player trouble, it may be a good idea to make use of Spelunky 2's shortcuts to skip it.
The lack of multiplayer on PC isn't the only curse in Spelunky 2. Curses come from the Ghost Vases and the Witch Doctor. When the player is cursed, the spelunker will turn a dusty gray color, as will the player's heart. The punishment for being cursed is a permanent debuff to the player's health, marking it down to 1 regardless of what it was before the cursing. Even bringing Monti to the level's end won't bring the player's health back up with this incredibly dangerous debuff.
Curing poison is a rather simple affair. The player only needs to bring Monti to the end of the level before their health reaches zero. While still troublesome, this shouldn't be too much of a difficult task as bringing Monti to the end is something players should already be doing. Curses however, only have one cure: death. That's right, the only way to cure a curse is by dying and starting a new run as is the way of the roguelike. Players should exert caution around curse inducing enemies for sure.
While these debuffs might seem like overkill in an already tough game, they are certainly fitting. Spelunky 2 is about as tough as it gets and the constant death cycles and starting anew only exist to give players a lesson on what they did wrong. Keep climbing through those caves and players will see the final boss in no time.
Spelunky 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4 and PC.
Source: IGN