Spelunky 2 gives you a lot of options that other games are hesitant to. From using your enemies as weapons to using your friends as shields, the game really lets you experiment with a lot of neat tricks.
In Spelunky 2, you can even kill shopkeepers. But should you?
In my opinion, the answer is pretty simple. Every shopkeeper carries a shotgun, so if you kill him, you get a really powerful weapon, plus you can have all his stuff for free. So from a purely strategic point of view, it makes sense to put the old man out of his misery if you’re able to do so.
But what about the moral implications?
Well, the shopkeeper is an absolute tyrant. Not only does he have an itchy trigger finger, but he often keeps a caveman locked away in a dungeon. For what reason? I have no idea, but I’m getting some Red Dead Redemption 2 vibes from this guy (check out the gunsmith in Rhodes in RDR2 if you’re not sure what I’m getting at here). So the shopkeeper’s untimely demise is probably not going to cause too many tears to be shed.
The only reason I can see to keep this guy alive is if you have no effective means to kill him. Really, he’s armed with a shotgun, and he can wipe you out pretty fast if you’re not prepared to deal with that. So play it safe if you’re unarmed.
Oh, and the other thing… If you kill one shopkeeper, all of the other shopkeepers in the game will become aggressive. If you manage to get the shotgun, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, though if you lose your shotgun along the way you might run into trouble later on.
But otherwise? Yeah, go for it, you rascal. Show that shopkeeper the business end of your Freezeray and grab as much of his stuff as you can carry. The world of Spelunky 2 is a better place without that weirdo in it.
