Today I revisited the world of Spelunk and added a few new mechanics to the game. The first was a pretty generic wall jump which is found in a lot of games. I also added different climbable surfaces, beyond ladders, including chain walls, and a soft wall that requires a special climbing pick.
The entire game hinges on fun mechanics and exploration more than story. I've been trying to come up with some unique ideas as well as providing the player with the traditional Metroidvania style gameplay. The biggest thing that is missing from the game at this point is consumable items. Think back to Super Metroid where you collected missile, energy, and bomb tanks to increase the capacity of the respective items. I need something along the lines of these types of things to add to Spelunk.
Overall the game is progressing nicely and I've added several more areas to explore as well as a few puzzles with the new mechanics. Hopefully within the next week I'll have something up for people to play and give feedback.