To preface this, I picked this up a few years ago since I found it at my local game store for a good price and since I was gifted the first game on Steam I figured I would get around to that at some point, but since it took me a while to get around to playing the first game, by extension it also took me a while to get around to this lol.
Overall though, I think the bulk of what I can say about Bayonetta 2 is that it does what any sequel oughta do - take everything good from the first game, and further expand upon it while fixing any of the issues of the first game.
In terms of story, while I don't think Bayonetta 2 is quite as "quotable" as the first game, the overall narrative feels better structured and more straight-forward while building upon the lore and worldbuilding set forth by it's predecessor. While I still think Bayonetta 1's story was really good on it's own merits, I feel like Bayonetta 2 does a better job of raising the stakes and establishing your "goal" so to speak. In addition to the cast from the first game, there's also the character of Loki and his doppelganger representing "Good" and "Evil", and on that note, there's even more fun banter between Bayonetta and Loki throughout the game which is always good to see and listen to.
In terms of gameplay, the satisfying, fast-paced and in-depth combat from the first game remains here, but this game does build upon that with new enemies and boss fights (presenting new challenges) and also a few new gameplay mechanics/features. The 'Infernal Demons' basically add a new category of enemies that you fight with their own attack patterns and whatnot to spice up the game and challenge, on top of angel enemies returning from the first game. There's also the "Umbran Climax" mechanic added in this game which can be activated when your magic gauge is full, once again adding more to the gameplay as you can try to achieve a greater attack by building up the magic gauge through well-timed dodges and Witch Time. In addition to the already satisfying gameplay of the first game, it's even more satisfying when you manage to build up your gauge and can just go haywire on the enemies with the greater Umbran attacks lol.
Going back to my review of the first game, I mentioned that the only two "major" problems I had with it of any sort were that the other gameplay styles (like the motorcycle and Space Harrier sections) kinda overstayed their welcome and weren't really that fun to play, and that the ranking system did feel a bit 'harsh' for lack of a better word. I bring this up because... well, Bayonetta 2 definitely improves upon both these issues. There's still a few sections that deviate from the regular gameplay - mech sections, flight sections, and the horse(?) sections - and while I still wouldn't consider them to be particularly in-depth or anything, these sections are shorter than what it's predecessor had and even then have a bit more going on to where I didn't really feel like they dragged on or overstayed their welcome like the sections in the first game.
The ranking system too is more lenient compared to the first game while still being balanced in a way that rewards good gameplay and combos. In general I feel like the learning curve isn't quite as 'steep' as the first game was while still having a high skill ceiling that encourages the player to experiment with different techniques and combos. I still did get a few Stone Enzo statues as I played through this the first time, but as I further utilized the combos and techniques to a greater degree I actually got a few silver and bronze statues (even a gold one) on my first try at least. It does help that using items (particularly healing ones) don't give you a direct penalty that take away from your score and the only real thing close to that is having a lower damage award if you take too much of it regardless of whether you use an item or not which I think is a bit more fair.
The only real issue I can think of with Bayonetta 2 compared to the first game isn't even really so much an issue with the game itself but rather the Nintendo exclusivity. Whereas the first game has versions on PC, Xbox and PS3 in addition to the Wii U and Switch, this game's exclusive to the latter two platforms due to the development being funded by Nintendo. And while it is a good thing that Nintendo helped fund the game to prevent it from being cancelled, it does mean it's stuck to Nintendo platforms and as a result you're kinda stuck with the visual settings and whatnot of what's on the Nintendo platforms. I do think this game generally does look better and cleaner than the first game despite that, but the framerate is a bit more inconsistent at least on the Wii U version (which is what I played and can't really speak for the Switch, though I imagine it being better over there) while on PC the first game did manage to run at a consistent 60 in my experience (plus you had control over the resolution and whatnot). That is of course partially a result of the first game being made for less powerful hardware before being ported over but... still, when the framerate clearly dropped I couldn't help but kinda wish there was an official PC port of the game lol. Also it did kinda throw me off at first going from the Steam controller ABXY layout (which is the same as the Xbox's in case you're wondering) to Nintendo's.
But that's really about it as far as issues that particularly stood out to me go. Otherwise, Bayonetta 2 is really damn good, and if you liked the first game, you'll almost certainly like it's sequel.
Overall though, I think the bulk of what I can say about Bayonetta 2 is that it does what any sequel oughta do - take everything good from the first game, and further expand upon it while fixing any of the issues of the first game.
In terms of story, while I don't think Bayonetta 2 is quite as "quotable" as the first game, the overall narrative feels better structured and more straight-forward while building upon the lore and worldbuilding set forth by it's predecessor. While I still think Bayonetta 1's story was really good on it's own merits, I feel like Bayonetta 2 does a better job of raising the stakes and establishing your "goal" so to speak. In addition to the cast from the first game, there's also the character of Loki and his doppelganger representing "Good" and "Evil", and on that note, there's even more fun banter between Bayonetta and Loki throughout the game which is always good to see and listen to.
In terms of gameplay, the satisfying, fast-paced and in-depth combat from the first game remains here, but this game does build upon that with new enemies and boss fights (presenting new challenges) and also a few new gameplay mechanics/features. The 'Infernal Demons' basically add a new category of enemies that you fight with their own attack patterns and whatnot to spice up the game and challenge, on top of angel enemies returning from the first game. There's also the "Umbran Climax" mechanic added in this game which can be activated when your magic gauge is full, once again adding more to the gameplay as you can try to achieve a greater attack by building up the magic gauge through well-timed dodges and Witch Time. In addition to the already satisfying gameplay of the first game, it's even more satisfying when you manage to build up your gauge and can just go haywire on the enemies with the greater Umbran attacks lol.
Going back to my review of the first game, I mentioned that the only two "major" problems I had with it of any sort were that the other gameplay styles (like the motorcycle and Space Harrier sections) kinda overstayed their welcome and weren't really that fun to play, and that the ranking system did feel a bit 'harsh' for lack of a better word. I bring this up because... well, Bayonetta 2 definitely improves upon both these issues. There's still a few sections that deviate from the regular gameplay - mech sections, flight sections, and the horse(?) sections - and while I still wouldn't consider them to be particularly in-depth or anything, these sections are shorter than what it's predecessor had and even then have a bit more going on to where I didn't really feel like they dragged on or overstayed their welcome like the sections in the first game.
The ranking system too is more lenient compared to the first game while still being balanced in a way that rewards good gameplay and combos. In general I feel like the learning curve isn't quite as 'steep' as the first game was while still having a high skill ceiling that encourages the player to experiment with different techniques and combos. I still did get a few Stone Enzo statues as I played through this the first time, but as I further utilized the combos and techniques to a greater degree I actually got a few silver and bronze statues (even a gold one) on my first try at least. It does help that using items (particularly healing ones) don't give you a direct penalty that take away from your score and the only real thing close to that is having a lower damage award if you take too much of it regardless of whether you use an item or not which I think is a bit more fair.
The only real issue I can think of with Bayonetta 2 compared to the first game isn't even really so much an issue with the game itself but rather the Nintendo exclusivity. Whereas the first game has versions on PC, Xbox and PS3 in addition to the Wii U and Switch, this game's exclusive to the latter two platforms due to the development being funded by Nintendo. And while it is a good thing that Nintendo helped fund the game to prevent it from being cancelled, it does mean it's stuck to Nintendo platforms and as a result you're kinda stuck with the visual settings and whatnot of what's on the Nintendo platforms. I do think this game generally does look better and cleaner than the first game despite that, but the framerate is a bit more inconsistent at least on the Wii U version (which is what I played and can't really speak for the Switch, though I imagine it being better over there) while on PC the first game did manage to run at a consistent 60 in my experience (plus you had control over the resolution and whatnot). That is of course partially a result of the first game being made for less powerful hardware before being ported over but... still, when the framerate clearly dropped I couldn't help but kinda wish there was an official PC port of the game lol. Also it did kinda throw me off at first going from the Steam controller ABXY layout (which is the same as the Xbox's in case you're wondering) to Nintendo's.
But that's really about it as far as issues that particularly stood out to me go. Otherwise, Bayonetta 2 is really damn good, and if you liked the first game, you'll almost certainly like it's sequel.