While I'm giving this the same score as the first game, the previous title is better in my eyes. The QTE scenes and somnia were a bit more fun in this one but the general plotline is far weaker than before. There was something to be worked on here that might have been expanded or could be expanded in a sequel but there are some head scratching decisions in this one such as:

-Ignoring the events of the first game for the most part and undoing some of the character development.
-Some of the new characters, like Ryuki, land like a wet fart with no personality even when some of the new ones are great, like Tama.
-There's almost a lack of urgency from a weaker villain that's barely present in the plot alongside the jumbled way of telling the story.

I had a good time, but this really seems like a sequel the creators didn't want to make and was done for the sake of popular demand.

I never had the delusion this was going to be anything but another Hellblade game, like others thinking this was going to be some kind of God of War renewal for this franchise, so I was happy with what we got.

A frankly stunning videogame with probably the best graphical fidelity I have seen, with a more focused combat experience that feels visceral, desperate and raw for every swing of the sword you make. Alongside this, the audio design absolutely carries this game with just another showing of great voice acting and incredible performance by Melina Juergens.

However, just like the first game, some of the puzzles absolutely kill the pacing and they often come after long sections of walking. Likewise, while I enjoyed the more bombastic story this time around (with some incredible setpieces), the ending is way too abrupt and seemingly comes out of nowhere, which is surprising for a game of this short duration.