Spelunky 2 is frustrating. There is little that is obviously unfair, but the combination of enemies, traps, physics, and bad luck can test one's patience and blood pressure as a storm of death rages through the brave adventurer. At times, it feels as if Spelunky 2 hates you.

The original Spelunky was like that, but the progression made a bit more sense, with the early world being (relatively) easy and the later stages getting more difficult. In Spelunky 2, however, many players find the earliest levels, called Dwelling (worlds 1-1 to 1-4), more difficult than the later levels.

Spelunky creator Derek Yu posted an update on Steam addressing some of the complaints about the extreme difficulty of the first area of Spelunky 2 and Mossmouth's plans.

"We know that Dwelling is a source of frustration for players, and we think there is some legitimate criticism there, so we are testing some changes to the enemy and trap spawn rates, especially in 1-1 and 1-2. I know there are legitimate criticisms out there, so we are testing some changes to the spawn rates of enemies and traps, especially in 1-1 and 1-2, and I think there are some legitimate criticisms out there! These changes will be delivered in a patch soon, so stay tuned.

At the same time, Yu can't help but suggest that maybe the real problem is that you are not playing Spelunky 2 properly.

"Reading the feedback, I get the impression that some players try to kill every enemy they encounter in Dwelling! For example, moles are good for setting up arrow traps. If you have trouble getting out of the first area, try a new strategy!" .

As a poor Spelunky 2 player, I know I'm not playing with an IQ 1000 strategy. But I am definitely not trying to kill the mole. I'm trying to avoid it. It would be great if the moles would trigger the nearly 700 arrow traps that are inevitably packed into 1-1 and 1-2, but they rarely do because they pop out at the worst possible time, two at a time.

Note: I'm not saying that Mosmas needs to make the first area easier. (Roughly 4 minutes after you start playing you end up in Rage, which means you can do other things for an hour.) I just don't really see the problem with the way people play - the first world in Spelunky2 is absolutely harder than the second one. Even if you use shortcuts and start the second world without extra bombs, gear or gold, you are more likely to go from 2-1 to 2-4 (both the jungle and lava versions) than from 1-1 to 1-4. The first world is difficult!

Of course, it is meant to be. After all, 'Spelunky' is a game designed to have sharp edges, and there is always the danger of removing the fun along with the frustration," Yu wrote.

In the same update, Yu also thanked players for the successful launch on Steam and "exceeded all our expectations!" He stated. Online multiplayer and an online arena mode are still in the works, but there is no firm date yet.