I don't think I've ever been as conflicted on a game as with this one. For it definitely took the original's premise and tone and made a far more engaging and thought provoking story, further exploring the theme of violence in very nuanced and interesting ways, with memorable characters and moments to spare, and even adding a bit more context to the first game's happenings. The variety in level design and gameplay modes made sense for the longer duration of the game and made the game feel a bit more immersive, with the way the story beats translated well to player input.
But all that came with a price, since the focus that made the first game so great is dearly missed here; with the story being needlessly convoluted and confusing, taking away a lot of the punch from the narrative and dampening emotional attachment to the characters; and the game itself playing...not great, since the constantly changing gameplay styles prevent you from mastering any of them, the large and inconsistent level design always puts you in a disadvantage, with enemies killing you from off screen at all times, and the AI is way more reactive and punishing, making bait and kill nearly always the optimal strategy; which are all ways to make the game more restrictive and frustrating instead of fun, which the first game, despite its extreme difficulty, never ceased to be.
Despite those severe inconsistencies, specially the unfortunate letdown that is the gameplay, the atmosphere, themes and, specially, soundtrack, that made the original iconic are amplified to their maximum potential, with that dreamy synthwave aesthetic coupled with the dark tone of the game making for a very unique combination that, coupled with the story beats, makes for a hypnotic and fascinating product, continuing the tradition of its predecessor in a satisfying way. Had this game been a bit more focused, maybe toning down the pretenses a little bit, i could easily see it surpassing the original in every way; in its actual state, it's still the one that actually stayed with me for some time afterwards, for the immersive mood and impactful story, but the original is the one i will be returning to the most.
But all that came with a price, since the focus that made the first game so great is dearly missed here; with the story being needlessly convoluted and confusing, taking away a lot of the punch from the narrative and dampening emotional attachment to the characters; and the game itself playing...not great, since the constantly changing gameplay styles prevent you from mastering any of them, the large and inconsistent level design always puts you in a disadvantage, with enemies killing you from off screen at all times, and the AI is way more reactive and punishing, making bait and kill nearly always the optimal strategy; which are all ways to make the game more restrictive and frustrating instead of fun, which the first game, despite its extreme difficulty, never ceased to be.
Despite those severe inconsistencies, specially the unfortunate letdown that is the gameplay, the atmosphere, themes and, specially, soundtrack, that made the original iconic are amplified to their maximum potential, with that dreamy synthwave aesthetic coupled with the dark tone of the game making for a very unique combination that, coupled with the story beats, makes for a hypnotic and fascinating product, continuing the tradition of its predecessor in a satisfying way. Had this game been a bit more focused, maybe toning down the pretenses a little bit, i could easily see it surpassing the original in every way; in its actual state, it's still the one that actually stayed with me for some time afterwards, for the immersive mood and impactful story, but the original is the one i will be returning to the most.