Mostly, the things people say that make this game better than the first actually make it worse.

The 8-way shooting makes all weapon items redundant. There is a very limited use for the 3-star weapon, but that's it. This completely eliminates the excitement of getting new weapon items and the strategy of how to use them.

The movement is sort of better in some ways, but it's inconsistent. It's harder to place jumps, and not in a fun way, so you die in ways that are just frustrating.

The settings felt less like an adventure and more like traditional levels. It didn't feel like I was exploring an environment.

Strongly prefer the first one.