This sequel has a much stronger quality in level design, since the areas are divided into condensed levels with their own gimmicks and characters to make each section of the game feel more special. There are also some gameplay improvements, but the parts where you have to walk out of the tank in the open are still as annoying as ever. On the other hand, the top-down sections are way better now. I also really like the boss battles, since they don't die as quickly and are way more fun than in the previous title.

While going from planet to planet seems cool at first, it quickly becomes a little tiresome, as you're just watching the same skippable cutscene of going through the wormholes over and over. There's a screen that you need to come from the other side and you must go through all the other areas, from one wormhole to another, until you eventually get to the one that's linked to the same screen as before, which makes me scream in my head "why do they have to make me lose my time like this??". To give it credit, this essentially gets rid of the backtracking problem in most metroidvanias, but in a sort of a cheap way. I just wish there was a menu level selector or something. Maybe it'd betray the "classic NES" feel of the game, though.

Gameplay-wise, this is undoubtely the most enjoyable entry in the series, as far as I'm concerned. I'm so glad they decided to bring back Blaster Master and then give us such a great follow-up. This proves that, sometimes, making sequels for old stuff can be a good thing.

Gameplay: A
Level design: A
Visuals: A
Music: A
Difficulty: Medium