The Entrance Cave is the initial drop off point for the Spelunker, who descends from a rope into the cave at the start of each new adventure.
It provides a safe environment to familiarize yourself with the controls, and contains the main door leading to the Mines. Once a Shortcut has been unlocked, you will also gain access to the shortcut house from which you can choose the point to start your adventure from.
Upon your initial visit, the entrance cave will be dark and the door to the mines will be locked. You will find an abandoned Journal, which will begin the interactive tutorial featuring the player as Yang. After completing the tutorial, the Spelunker finds the key to the door tucked in the journal, unlocking the main game. In co-op mode, the tutorial will be skipped and the players will find the door already unlocked.
Progress
Screenshot of the Entrance Cave door showing all three gems placed.
The Entrance Cave changes over time to reflect your progress through the game. As the number of playthroughs increase, small details are added to the cave to represent the time the Spelunker has spent there. Tally marks will be carved into the walls, and discarded bottles and dishes will begin to pile up.
The door also shows three recesses to hold gems, which are placed upon defeating the final bosses. One yellow gem appears once the Spelunker has defeated Olmec, and a second appears if Olmec is defeated without the use of shortcuts (the 'Iron Man' achievement). A red one in the middle will appear once the player defeats King Yama.
Bugs
- If the player uses the tutorial warp glitch to skip the tutorial and unlocks the shortcuts and beats Yama and Olmec, the door at the entrance will remain closed even if it has all the gems on top, and the shortcuts won't be accessible until the tutorial is completed.
Trivia
- The serpent at the top of the entrance appears to be the Feathered Serpent at Xochicalco, Mexico, modified as an Ouroboros.
- The man at the right of the serpent, holding the scepter looks like a stylized Xipe Totec, judging by the line crossing his eye and the flayed skin dress (most apparent below the hands). His name means Our lord the flayed one and is an aztec god of maize and rebirth.
