Back when I first played Bayonetta 2, I originally considered it a straight up overall improvement of the 1st game thanks to removing the 1 hit death QTEs and the considerably less demanding button mash moments. This time through after coming of 3 and 1, it's just way too easy and I don't think it's just the Umbran Climaxes. Basically everything feels like it had it's edges dulled down. I think the biggest contributing factors is it's way easier to get witch time and magic doesn't drop when taking hits.
I will say I think it's my favorite of the 3 on a visual stand point. The stages are peak aesthetic and the bright colors make enemy attacks a lot more readable. I also just heavily prefer most of the boss fight in 2 over 1,.
What I'm trying to say is I'm pretty conflicted on which is the better Bayonetta.