Players can now play online with friends or randoms in Adventure or Arena Mode across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Yu says that with this update, all of Spelunky 2’s major multiplayer goals have been met- though the developer will continue to look at feedback from players to make necessary updates and changes.

That said, you shouldn’t expect any new single player content for now, with the focus being squarely on the game’s multiplayer experience. “Our focus will continue to be on multiplayer and online,” Yu writes. “That’s a personal preference for me as a creator, to try and preserve the single player experience as much as possible after release. Of course, fixing bugs and any game-breaking problems is still on the table (although “game-breaking” is open to interpretation haha).”

You can also check out the patch notes for update 1.26 below.

Spelunky 2 is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

• Added missing developers and QA to credits
• Network synchronization improvements
• Schrödinger’s ushabti when playing Daily Challenge
• Server-side latency improvements for low-latency sessions
• Steam/XB1/XBX/Switch players can now cross-play with PS4/PS5 players
• Fixed abrupt rollbacks when a player disconnects from the game
• Fixed input replayed on a client’s new game after a host leaves the game
• Fixed multiple desyncs in Arena Mode that led to playing different arenas
• Fixed multiple crashes and a deadlock that could happen when playing online
• Fixed multiple desyncs in Volcana that caused different world generation
• Addressed clock-drifting due to heterogeneous hardware performance in loading screens through bound deterministic clock sync
• Fixed multiple issues that happened when completing the game when playing online
• Fixed constellations

The Village of Cursed Blossoms – Nioh 2

The first main story mission seems innocent enough with a few Gaki to eliminate but eventually, a massive boss-like Gozuki appears. You could deal with it or run away…the latter is pretty much needed since it slaughters you almost instantly. Things only get slightly easier from there as you venture to the Yokai realm with all of its hazards, face off against various other Yokai and humans, and finally battle a Mezuki (which is far from a pushover).

Outer Wilds will also be added to Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud on the same day. Meanwhile, January 13 will also see the surprise launch of Spelunky 2 on Xbox One. Mossmouth’s acclaimed roguelike title launched for PS4 and PC in 2020 and for Switch in 2021, and will be joining Game Pass for both console and PC immediately upon its Xbox launch. Four player co-op first person shooter The Anacrusis will also be added to the service on the same day on console and PC.

Meanwhile, Gorogoa and Olija are both available for Game Pass across console, PC, and cloud starting today.

Spelunky costs $9.99, while its sequel costs $19.99. The Switch has been a haven for indie for a while now, so the lack of Spelunky on the platform always felt a little strange, given how huge the roguelike is in the indie space in particular. To have the game and its sequel is great, because it also gives plenty of newcomers to dive in.

Spelunky 2 first launched last year for PS4 and PC. In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “If you loved the original, you’re going to love Spelunky 2, and find it equal to its predecessor in all ways except one- where the original was a trail blazer, the new game seems content to, much like it asks of its players, simply plumb into familiar depths.” You can read our full review through here.

As spotted by Vooks, the Australian eShop pages of both Spelunky and Spelunky 2 were recently updated, with an exact release date being added. Apparently, both games are launching for the Switch on August 26, two weeks from now. The update coming out of nowhere, is definitely surprising, especially seeing as we just got an Indie World presentation yesterday. You’d figure that would be the perfect place to announce the release dates for the duo.

Of course, an official announcement hasn’t yet been made by Mossmouth or Nintendo, but unless this eShop update was made in error (which seems unlikely), that announcement will likely be coming soon. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated.

Loading Screen Tips

With the advent of solid state drives in consoles, the days of tips and tutorial messages in loading screens are coming to an end. This doesn’t just extend to tips either – lore messages about the world are also in danger of being skipped over. As a result, developers will need to rethink how tutorials and lore are implemented in-game. One great example can be seen in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, where the characters go through a celebratory rendition of their first meeting, performing different actions and familiarizing one with the controls. Quicker loading times also open up avenues for more environmental story-telling as players glean the lore and state of the world by observing their surroundings rather than simply reading it on a loading screen.

NOTE: This feature contains spoilers for every game that is mentioned. If we begin talking about a game you don’t want spoiled, skip ahead to the next entry.

WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER

Wolfenstein as a series has never been afraid of flights of fantasy, and The New Order, in typical Wolf fashion, has plenty of that going on as well. To secure lunar launch codes, BJ infiltrates a Nazi base on the moon, killing Nazis, destroying drones, and even donning a spacesuit and walking on the moon’s surface. It’s one of the game’s best missions that serves to exemplify how far-flung the series can get with its stories (in a good way).

Celeste: Farewell – Sub-Chapter 9

Anyone who’s played the B-Side and C-Side levels of Celeste knows the amount of precision platforming required. Farewell, the post-launch ninth chapter, is no exception, providing numerous new objects and challenges over the span of its numerous sub-chapters. It all culminates in the ninth sub-chapter – a single continuous screen of parachutes, spikes, feathers, springs and much more, with one mistake requiring a do-over.

Omega Zero – Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

The quest to face Omega Zero requires some work since you need to beat Mega Man ZX on Normal or Hard, and then navigate to Area M. After some platforming, you’ll battle what’s essentially a super-tough version of Zero. He’ll unleash all kinds of powerful attacks, including an extensive multi-hit combo that can chunk down half of your HP in a hurry. If that weren’t enough, he even deploys a barrier that negates any attacks and heals him, prolonging the fight further (as if having three health bars wasn’t bad enough already).

Though it launched with a fair amount of critical acclaim, Spelunky 2 has had its fair share of problems this year. Its online multiplayer faced issues on PS4 and was subsequently delayed for the PC launch. Mossmouth has now confirmed that online play is in open beta on PC.

Unfortunately, while matchmaking is working, inviting friends has been problematic. According to the developer, “This did not come up at all during the closed beta, and we suspected that the addition of multiple servers in preparation for the (much larger, more global) public beta might be related to the issue.” A recent patch has helped sort the issue for a number of players but Mossmouth is still working on fixing any other issues that crop up for the time being.

In the first half of 2021, it will enable cross-platform play between the PS4 and PC versions. The Arena mode will also be tweaked while the invite system also receives some changes (though that will be for later next year). Mossmouth is also working to bring Spelunky and Spelunky 2 to Nintendo Switch in Summer 2021 so it should be interesting to see if online multiplayer is sorted by then.