The gameplay was a gigantic step up from Bayonetta 1, but I feel like the first game had way more personality than this one, especially Bayonetta herself, who I feel like lost a lot of her charm in this game. Don't get me wrong, the cinematic aspects, the soundtrack, and again the gameplay were all absolutely incredible, it is objectively a better game than the first, but I rarely found myself laughing or really enjoying the story & characters like I did while I was playing Bayonetta 1, and I miss that a lot.

This game, despite all of its absurd flaws, is still my favorite on the franchise.

A visually solid game, very colorful, with great new designs for the main cast, and the new cast of enemies on the part of the Demons, and everything else stands at the same level of the previous game, a visually nice sequel.

The story is simple and has a nice main goal while expands some points presented in the first game, while the villain is quite forgettable, everything else makes up for it.

Unfortunately, the gameplay wasn't a simple direct upgrade. The movesets are expanded, giving more access to Wicked Weaves, which is great. The weapons behave in more unique ways, namely, Salamandra and Takemikazuchi.

But the magic meter's design got absolutely screwed, it is not a reward for performing well anymore, while it retains the previous games options for its usage, it also gives the horrendous Umbran Climax, that just gives you temporary access to a overpowered state mimicking the game's Climax Brace, it's just a worse carbon copy of DMC's Devil Trigger.

And the game's overuse of Witch Time for humanoid boss fights is annoying on Hard difficulty and absolutely frustrating on Infinite Climax, Balder somehow being the absolute exception in all cases, all Aesir/Loptr fights and Alraune's first phase are way beyond the tolerable level of frustration that comes from fighting them on Infinite Climax without the usage of items, since these bosses will just dodge and parry most of your attacks outside of Witch Time, Alraune even constantly dodging Wicked Weaves, making these fights extremely repetitive. And there are times the game can be just evil with its difficulty, Chapter 9 holding this crown.

Despite that, it is a game that made me want to get much better since I wasn't getting frustrated with silly QTEs that the first game heavily leaned upon, and this makes the main stages of Bayonetta 2 much more replayable for me, and, by consequence, my favorite game even with its questionable decisions.

It is a great game to be played once or twice on the difficulties below Infinite Climax, and the only game on the franchise that I replayed six times over the course of almost a decade.

Overview:
Bayonetta 2 is a better game than Bayonetta 1. While the enemies are slightly more annoying, the gameplay has some changes that make up for it, and every character gets slightly more to do. The story more stakes than last time, though it's supposed focus character doesn't do much, with the true focus stealing the show whenever they're on screen.

Gameplay:
As said before, the enemies feel SLIGHTLY more annoying then they did last time. They have some extra option, or don't flinch as much as their equivalent from last time did. However, this is mitigated with the introduction of Umbran Climax. Every attack gets to be a Wicked Weave, insanely powerful and massively swinging. Too bad I never really used it that much in base game. The Witch Trials are what really taught me it's glory. Every weapon feels more unique in this game due to not being constricted to the same general combo structure. Though, of course, this also makes them more clearly separated into which is good and which is bad.
1. Rakshasa
2. Alruna/Takemikazuchi
3. Chernobog
4. Salamandra
5. Love is Blue
6. Undine
7. Kafka

Characters:
Bayo is as great as usual. However, she's more serious than she was in Bayo 1, probably due to the circumstances of the plot requiring her to. She has some actual stakes in this plot unlike last time. Also her hair is hotter in this game, it makes her look like a MILF.

Anyways, Enzo is great as usual and Rodin gets more to do, so that's nice. The little things he gets to do like schlorpin up Alraune into her weapon, or just casually reminding Bayo that he gets first dibs on her soul when she actually dies immediately shoot him up to favorite character.

Jeanne is not a character in this game, she is a plot device used to push her girlfriend forward. When she does get to be a character, she's excellently serious and snarky to compliment Bayo's carefree attitude as usual.

Luka is a little more clownshoes in this game compared to how he is in Bayo 1, but he's not awful. But that brings me onto the supposed 'spotlight stealing' character in this game, Loki.

Loki does not get nearly enough screen time. Like, he's barely in the game. He's supposed to be the most important character in the plot, but he doesn't really do anything that often. Sure, he shows up, but he doesn't really do anything. But that leads us into the stars of the show.

Balder and Rosa are the real stars of Bayonetta 2. It might be a retcon that 'Actually, Balder was possessed by Aesir this whole time,' but it's a fine enough retcon to give some depth to a lackluster villain in the first game. And Rosa may not get a lot, but what she does get is just cool. Tag teaming angels with her is badass and she's responsible for some of the coolest missions in the franchise.

Story:
Far better because it feels like Bayo has much more of a reason to go on her adventure. She has some legitimate stakes. The soul of the person she's closest to was dragged to hell because of her demon and now she has to go set it right. Establishing that it was Balder using Aesir's power helps explain exactly how Cereza got to the present, and as I said before, the missions with Rosa and the trip down memory lane with her and the locale from the first game was just cool. Bayonetta was already a franchise that had to deal with time travel, it makes sense that they'd expand on it. At least it isn't a multiverse, imagine if they made a Bayonetta multiverse game, wouldn't that be ridiculous? And Aesir actually has some build up in the plot outside of lore notes, so that's nice.

This game is THE perfect sequel to an already really good game, improved on every single aspect of the game before and fixed every problem i had with it.

Bayonetta's design in this game is much better than the game before and her character is expanded on even more without her losing the touch of what makes her character so special and unique and is now one of my favorite video game characters of all time.

The weapons are so much more fun to play around with and customizing them makes for very diverse playstyles. Bosses were genuinely amazing, only issue is how during a certain part of the game they kept repeating the structure of fighting the bosses in the air but most of the other ones compensate for that.

I really liked the story here even though it started off not the best but the second half of it was really well done especially the last 2 chapters that made me appreciate a character I didn't like prior to this game.

You awoke me (Fight fire)
Unleashed the fire in my heart (With fire)
I will dance and I'll defeat them (My flame's)
Through the light and the dark (More bright)
Your mistake was to (The moon)
Underestimate my power (Is my fuel)
Won't let go of the fight (Get lost)
Til tomorrow's mine (In my tide)
I will ignite
Dancin' through the fire around me
I'll never stop
You'd better hide
Now I'm in the mood for a fight (Better watch out here I come)
You won't know what hit you
When I spin around
Leave you in my dust
Then bang bang
Down down again
It's my desire
Going for the win
Tomorrow Is Mine