Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

A shallow and overly self-serious but absolutely incredible looking CGI movie — it's a shame about all that pesky gameplay getting in the way.

Maybe I'm just not remembering the first game but I thought the combat in this one was better. I know it's more 1-on-1, but I liked the intimacy of it, even though sometimes how it got around to making it 1-on-1 was a little wonky. Senua's responses to being hit were very cinematic. Puzzles are still whatever but they're better than the first, and this still triumphs in where it's trying to: the visuals and audio design. It can be a frustrating game but I do like it more than the first.

A top-notch audio/visual experience, with the same strengths and weaknesses of the first game. Looks as beautiful as a bleak lifeless rock can. Puzzles are more varied than in the previous, though the combat feels a bit less enjoyable. That said, some fights are really cinematic and nothing is overly tedious or frustrating.