An electrifying FPS experience awaits you in this game, marked by its thrilling action, though it does carry a somewhat forgettable story and just five main missions. Despite these drawbacks, the game successfully delivers intense and engaging gameplay. Yet, certain elements hold it back from achieving a higher rating. The side missions, confined to repetitive fighting arenas, lack the intrigue needed to fully captivate players, leaving a desire for more substantial main missions to offset the game's brevity. The attempted incorporation of "horror" elements failed to resonate with me as well. Nevertheless, given the game's affordable price and overall content quality, it stands as a compelling and easily justifiable purchase.

I was pleasantly surprised by this sequel, not only is it a highly commendable follow-up, but it also enriches the foundation with some truly impactful changes. The only aspect of the game that I found slightly less engaging than its predecessor was the story—not bad by any means. However, when it comes to gameplay, every element surpasses the first game: from level design and freedom to the variety of tools available. In conclusion, if you haven't played the first installment, I would highly recommend starting with this one.

The single-player campaign is disappointing in its brevity, lasting only around 4 and this by taking your time. It heavily relies on recycled maps from MW2, primarily in the form of the new "open missions," which essentially feel like Warzone/DMZ maps with a few objectives and bots, making them notably brief, around 10 minutes each. While there are sporadic cinematic action missions reminiscent of classic Call of Duty, they are infrequent and fail to leave a lasting impression for the most part. In comparison to other campaigns within the Call of Duty franchise, this installment stands as the weakest by a good margin. The clear deficiencies in the campaign substantiate why it was initially plan as a DLC for MW2. It strongly suggests that it was expanded into a full game solely due to Activision's need to produce a new Call of Duty title each year.

In this dark and gothic AA souls-like experience, I must commend the seamless interdimensional traversal mechanic, which stands out as one of the game's most outstanding features. While it draws significant inspiration from the Dark Souls series, it successfully weaves these elements into its own unique tapestry.

However, it's not without its substantial flaws, including overly dense enemy encounters, excessive reuse of bosses as standard foes, imbalances in item distribution and power, and the unequivocal disappointment of the game's final two areas and its underwhelming last boss encounter.

The stark and somber visual theme, combined with an extraordinary attention to sound design, collaboratively weave an atmosphere imbued with a profound sense of desolation. This artful integration of elements masterfully wields the metroidvania formula, offering players a deeply immersive experience. It stands as a resplendent reemergence of Samus in her timeless 2D format, rekindling the nostalgic flames of her adventures while introducing a new generation to the undeniable allure of this gaming icon's classic exploits.