Anyone find Guacamelee! 2 to be MILES better than the original?

For context, I played the first game about 2 years ago and I was lukewarm on the experience overall. It started off very enjoyable, such that I bought the sequel without thinking as it was on sale. The platforming and combat got stale about halfway through, and by the end I was sick of the experience. I looked into Guacamelee 2 and read that it was "more of the same" and only a slight improvement.

So to my surprise, I ended up having a great time with Guac 2. The main problems I had with 1 were improved:

• The combat mechanics are exactly the same, besides the addition of two super moves via the chicken ability. However, combat never got boring as the combat arenas were far more creative and varied, usually incorporating the gimmick of the. On top of that, the number of enemy types is much higher.

• The level design in 2 is more engaging because, on the top of introducing new moves, each level has different mechanic involving the dimension swap. As a result, the level design mixes in more interesting uses of your moveset, such as a section where you glide up a corridor where you're switching between both forms and dimensions in midair. The chicken temples were also a lot of fun and a nice change of pace.

• I think the humour was better, though it's been awhile so I don't have a good frame of reference. The music track, where chickens were clucking in an ominous tone, was a highlight.

The sequel still carries over some issues from the first, like the blocky look of the levels and the homogenised art style, where every looked like a reskin of each other. I don't have an issue with this personally, but Guac 2 much more linear and easy than the first which may be a dealbreaker for anyone looking for good exploration or a challenge.

Overall, this is a great, fast paced platformer, though not a strong Metroidvania. If you've been curious about these games, I would skip the first and go straight to this. If you played the first and were lukewarm on it, then this game may change your mind on this series.