A really solid step up from Zero 1 in pretty much every regard. The level design is more enjoyable to go through, even if it has some Inti Creates quirks, and the bosses are especially better than the 1st. I also liked the story as a continuation of Zero 1, and I'm excited to see how the remaining two games follow up on it.

Elpizo is an... alright antagonist. I felt that his motivations were fairly interesting, especially at the halfway point where he's broken up over his failure to attack Neo Arcadia, but it felt like he leaned a bit too much into the moustache-twirling side of villains until the finale. Gonna give him extra points for being a final boss that wasn't absolutely miserable to fight, though. Can't wait to play Zero 3.