rating may change if i decide to 100% it... it's been said a hundred times but gameplay good story BAD. even then i found the gameplay to get like super repetitive after the 6-7 hour mark. wouldn't have felt this way if there was anything interesting to do in the hub, which was super underutilized. the only thing you get there is dialogue which was easily the worst part of this game.

definitely got more fun for me closer to the end where the levels get much faster and the story finally starts to pick up the pace. art direction sick and soundtrack was banging. i love machine girl!!!

god i'm so conflicted on which bayonetta game i like better. it's kind of an american mcgee's alice/alice madness returns situation where they swap the elements i enjoy instead of fully merging them together. for one it's a much easier game than its predecessor, and the boss fights didn't really feel like boss fights. at least not in the same way as the first game. on the other hand, combat feels fully polished and i enjoyed the weapon variety/balancing much more in 2.

story-wise i enjoy both games equally but here the pace is much faster, whether that's for better or for worse is up to you. i personally enjoyed the frantic story-telling despite not being able to understand wtf was happening at any given moment because its just an experience. a whirlwind. and it is VERY fun. i am also so glad by the lack of luka who i found so profusely annoying in the first game. loki is an infinitely better side character who has a much more fun but also heartwarming dynamic with cereza. loved them!!!

somehow the best sonic game in like 5 years lol. it's simple with an arcade-like repetitiveness that feels great to play in small doses. the story isn't anything crazy but each character finally feels like themselves and it's sweet and charming all around. played this with a controller on mac so i cannot vouch for how actual mobile controls feel, but with a controller it's clean. the level/world design is also fun and fresh, unlike sonic frontiers.

i cannot see this getting ported anywhere anytime soon since apple directly funded it, so get a free 4-month trial from best buy while you can. the game is only like 3 hours.